We’re expecting the popularity of outdoor living spaces to continue to grow in 2021, not only in light of COVID-19, but also as many of us pursue more sustainable lifestyles and seek to achieve greater health, both mentally and physically, from home. Plus, our outdoor spaces are sure to remain hot spots for our social gatherings for quite some time—even during the winter.

Below you’ll find some outdoor living trends to offer inspiration for your own outdoor living projects in 2021!

• USING OUTDOOR SPACES YEAR ROUND!

As the virus raged on into summer and then into autumn, many of us realised our holiday gatherings were going to be on hiatus if we didn’t get creative.

We anticipate greater investment in products that make our patios, balconies, and gardens more liveable in extreme temperatures. We’re looking to the Scandinavians, who long ago mastered the art of year-round outdoor entertaining. Heat lamps and fire pits are a great option to snuggle up to. We also love retractable shade fixtures, such as umbrellas and shade sails, to repel the afternoon sun. Drop-down screens can be installed to enclose patio spaces and help with glare.

• BALCONY GARDENS FOR CITY DWELLERS

Creating a dynamic outdoor space doesn't have to be limited by your less-than-ideal square footage—it just requires a bit more intention. Even gardening on balconies can do wonders for our mental health, as well as give us a new (and manageable) hobby in 2021.

Use lots of different colours to create a fun and inviting space whilst using green from plants as a natural backdrop. 

• SELF-SUSTAINING GARDENS

With the ever growing problem of climate change, sustainability is something that we strive for. Using your outdoor space to grown your own herbs and veggies not only has an impact on your mental well being, it is much kinder to our earth.

Whether you have a small balcony, window sill planter or a large garden. Growing our own vegetables, fruits and herbs is something we can all get involved with! There are plenty of starter seed kits as well YouTube videos to get your green finger going.

• OUTDOOR LIGHTING IS A PRIORITY

We predict that the frequency of outdoor entertaining and our desire for mindfulness and well being will lead to investment in beautiful and functional outdoor lighting. Whether it's spotlights, lanterns, bollards or statement pieces - we've got your covered! 

'Twas a light that made darkness itself appear a thing of comfort' was once said by Robert Southey. We can all remember being scared of the dark as children and finding comfort in a night light. Side lights and mood lighting have become as important as the main light in a room. The same goes for outdoor lights, it allows us to create a warm, safe and inviting atmosphere where we can host friends and family.

• CULTIVATING NATIVE GARDENS

As we become more mindful, conscious consumers we should also do the same as we cultivate our gardens.

Native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions where they naturally occur. These important pant species also provide nectar, pollen and seeds that serve as food for native butterfly, insects birds and other animals. They also do not require fertilisers and require less water due to their deep root systems.

• RETURN OF THE CUTTING GARDEN

Starting a fabulous cutting garden starts with finding the right location, one that is close to a water source and offers prime growing conditions—about six to eight hours of full sun exposure a day, on average. Next, be mindful of the arrangements you want to create: Are you looking for vibrant jewel tones to contrast with delicate creams or a rainbow of pastels?

What we love most about creating a cutting garden is that planting doesn't have to be too strategic. This is a "perfectly imperfect" area of your outdoor space that doesn't need too much planning as long as shorter blooms won't get blocked by larger ones. Now you'll have truly hyper-local gifts for loved ones and neighbours!

• CONSIDERATION FOR INSIDE GARDEN VIEWS

While we can't exactly travel to the French countryside right now, we can bring a taste of the French countryside to us. Those gorgeous vignettes of the garden outside a kitchen window or sitting room? Most are designed that way, and we too can create a work of art with our outdoor living spaces to admire from our reading nooks and favourite kitchen prep spot.

In order to maximise your view, try to have a strong mix of evergreens, perennials, and ornamental grasses that provide seasonal interest and green even in the winter, a specimen tree is a great option for a framed view as well. Then consider an up-light from below to highlight it.

• SEAMLESS TRANSITIONS BETWEEN INDOOR AND OUTDOOR

Design and gardening enthusiasts have likely heard of the term "biophilic design," which is a concept used to increase one's connectivity to nature through architecture. As most of us—and our family members—have been doing essentially everything at home for nearly a year, creating a natural flow between indoors and out will not only maximise your home's space, but it will also give you a much-needed mental boost.

One of the things you can do for a seamless transition between outdoor and indoors is to arrange the furniture as if the outside and indoor areas were the same room. By treating both spaces as one room, you take the outside in and make the entire space more usable.

Another way to create a marriage between indoors and out is to use the same flooring and fabrics in both locations. These days, outdoor fabrics are phenomenal for comfortable indoor living, plus, they protect from messy kiddos, pets, and, okay, adults too.

• ALTERNATIVE OUTDOOR COOKING

We all love a barbecue when the sun is shining and the booze is flowing. We expect that there is going to be a rise in alternative outdoor cooking methods such as wood fired pizza ovens.

Not only do they cook pizza quickly they help boost food flavour and help food retain nutrients. Cooking over an open flame in a wood-fired oven cooks vegetables and fruits very quickly and helps them retain specific nutrients and antioxidants. A longer cooking process can cause depletion of these antioxidants and nutrients and diminish the pizza’s nutritional value. 

Further to this, these versatile fireplaces can cook many other types of food as well. If you think about it, the bulk of cooking throughout human history has been done in a wood-fired oven. Many contemporary ovens can bake bread, roast meats and vegetables, and much more.