When it comes to our outdoor spaces, the styling and design should reflect the interior of the home. Having the furniture, colourings, and accessories of an outdoor space follow the interior design style will help your home feel more cohesive and like it is one big open space – perfect for entertaining and having consistency in the overall feel of your home.
Whether you’re renovating, making style updates, or developing your dream design from scratch, knowing what your home’s exterior design is and how to achieve it will make the world of difference to the finished product.
Style Aesthetics: What Makes them Unique?
When it comes to style aesthetics, there are several aspects to a design that can set them apart from other design styles. These can include:
Texture
Texture plays a huge role in what defines a specific design style – especially for the exterior spaces of a home. Texture is not necessarily something that can be touched, but it is also something that can add visual qualities to a space.
For instance, our Chateau organic wall cladding showcases the beauty of natural stone in a randomised selection of shapes and sizes. Not only does this cladding feel organic, with rough edges and an uneven surface, but from far away , gives the appeal of a textural style and aesthetic. Texture is important for any design style because it will affect both how people interact with the material but also how they perceive the space.
Colour
Certain design styles will call for specific colours. Whether you are adding some simple chairs to your patio or redoing the entirety of your alfresco area, the colours that you pick are important for keeping to your home’s specific style aesthetic.
The rustic design style, for example, can be uniquely categorised by the use of bold, warm colours, like reds and browns. For a coastal aesthetic, it’s the complete opposite. This design style relies on light colours, like light blues, yellows, and a mixture of whites. Whatever design style you are going for, sticking to your colour themes will help you pick the right furniture and tilling to suit the space and aesthetic.
Specific characteristics
Many design styles will be accompanied by specific characteristics that can make or break the aesthetic. Whether that’s a specific kind of material, accessories or artistic influence, each design style will have something unique about it.
For instance, the industrial design style is known for its exposure of raw, unfinished elements. Features like distressed wood, metal, exposed pipes or ducts, are distinct elements of this design style. Another design style that has specific characteristics is the Modern Farmhouse style. This aesthetic likes to incorporate elements like wall panelling, off white colours and exposed wooden beams.
For whatever design style you choose, knowing which elements make the style is a huge step in creating consistency inside your home and out.
How To Choose a Design Style?
Choosing a design for your home’s exterior is an essential part of your overall home’s aesthetic. If your home already has a specific style, it will be much easier to choose the colours and furniture. If your home doesn’t currently have a specific design aesthetic, there are a few ways to choose one, including:
- Research: There are a lot of ways to research different styles and aesthetics. Applications like Pinterest and Instagram offer heaps of inspiration for design styles and outdoor aesthetics. Other ways to research different design styles can include interior design magazines, online newsletters or showroom experiences.
You can also check out our resource page online and use our customisable compare tool to decide on a specific style. The tool allows you to pick different products for either the floor, wall, or pool and compare how the material, colour and texture of each product looks against the other selected products. You are also able to share the URL with others, so they can also decide on the type of material and colours. This tool is perfect for easily researching and deciding on possible options all in one space.
2. Space: When it comes to space, it’s all about working with what you’ve got. Look for creative ways that you could integrate a certain design style or design elements. If you’re going for a contemporary style, but have a small space to work with, try updating the flooring with dark porcelain pavers to give the space a bit more of an accent.
3. Décor: The décor that you want to style your outdoor space with can help to elevate the style of a room considerably. The décor can include things like plant pots in various styles and shapes, as well as furniture like tables, chairs, swinging seats and much more. The décor that you choose to have can really tie a room together and help to showcase your design aesthetic even more.
Contracting your design
If you are contracting a builder or an architect to design your outdoor space, then their plan may lend itself towards a particular style or aesthetic, depending on how much space the builder or architect has to work with, along with the availability of a product, etc. It’s always a good idea to consult a builder or architect before firmly deciding on a design style, especially if you’re deciding on significant style updates, as they will be able to offer advice on the best kind of style that will fit in with your home.
Top Three Iconic Design Styles
3. Modern
The modern design style is quite well known amongst interior designers. The modern design style originated at the turn of the century and looked to focus on form and function. The 21st century modern designs still hark back to the early-mid 20th century foundations; however, they now incorporate more modern materials and minimalistic attributes.
Modern designs revolve around neutral tones – white, beige, and even some dark shades work well for modern aesthetics. Modern styling also focuses on natural materials, like natural stone, so look to incorporate natural and neutral wherever you can. Pops of colour are used sparingly to break up the space and to be used as a focal point, not an entire wall or to overpower the room.
The furniture and décor that you use should also reflect the balance between form and function. Modern furniture also plays around with minimalistic features and clean lines, so any furniture added to your outdoor space should reflect these attributes.
2. Bohemian
The bohemian design style is dramatically different to modern concepts. The style originated during the 19th century in Paris, France, and since then has become a widely well-known and distinctive design style. The style is known for its lack of structure and ops to be carefree in its placement of layers, colours and textures. The bohemian style is similar to minimalism in that there are no hard or fast rules, but that it remains personal to the stylist.
Some colours that are common for the bohemian aesthetic include gold, silver, brass or chrome. This style also encourages bold statement colours, so look to incorporate vivid and bright colours to supplement and disrupt the space. For furniture, try incorporating large benches and tables for people to sit on that can be then accessorised with coloured cushions or rugs.
Pottery is a huge part of the bohemian décor options, so look to incorporate conflicting shapes and textured pots to help bring the space together. Plants like ferns and succulents also help to bring a more natural pop of colour and these make stunning contrasts of colour for the space.
1. Hamptons
The Hamptons design style is a huge style influence for both indoor and outdoor spaces. Originally inspired by the grand holiday homes in the region of Long Island known as The Hamptons, it has now become one of the most popular design styles to date. This style is categorised by the use of light, bright tones and colours, and a relaxed, beach aesthetic.
White, neutrals, yellow, and blue are common colours used in Hampton's designs, while natural textures like wood and stone flooring are also intertwined to give a very subdued aesthetic. However, decorative or crazy stone pavers are also used for larger outdoor settings, so look to include patterned flooring for a more luxurious atmosphere.
Large plants in decorative pots help to give the holiday relaxed feel even more zing, while large sofas with lots of material and soft cushioning help make the space feel inviting and comfortable. If you have a small space, opt for larger style individual seats to help tie the space together.
Finding your style might take a little bit of time, but once you have nailed your home’s exterior design, you’ll be ready to entertain in no time. Explore our full range of outdoor furniture and products for your home’s design from Artisan Exterior.
