CONCRETE & STONEWORK
HOW TO ENSURE YOUR EXTENSION BLENDS SEAMLESSLY INTO YOUR GARDEN SPACE
When planning your extension, it can be easy to think about how it will work within your existing space, where the doors might be, which room it will feed onto, but what about how it will work with your outside space?
This brings up a whole host of other questions about creating an extension that either looks part of your existing property or stands out intentionally and works more to bring the outside into the design of the extension.
I’ m Costel Radescu, founder of the CR Group, and this is how I ensure our extensions blend seamlessly into a garden space.
Materials matter When you’ re looking to blend your extension into your outside space, materials matter. Not just for how they look now, but for how they’ ll work with the space seasonally and for the time to come. Think about what your garden looks like at different times of the year. Will there be times when the area near the extension will be full of brightly coloured blooms? Or will your trees shed a large amount of blossom or leaves as we go into Autumn.
Thinking practically about what’ s around your new extension will allow you to use materials that will work throughout the year.
Colour is important Stand in your garden and look back at your house. What colours work well together? Is having a large wraparound extension with a full bank of bi-folds going to blend? Or will it look out of touch with your more classic existing windows? In which case, French doors may give you the same access to your garden but with a finish that still works with the rest of the home.
Now think about colour. Yes, black bi-folds look super chic, but unless you’ re planning on changing all your windows to black, will they look at odds with the rest of your home? This may, in fact, work well; sometimes, a point of difference, particularly if your fencing is darker, can actually bring the space together well.
Flooring creates continuity The flooring you pick for your extension and the flooring you have outside, be that a deck, patio or lawn, needs to have some form of continuation. This will create a sense of depth and space and allow your extension to blend seamlessly with your outdoor space.
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