With gorgeous and famous beaches like Bondi and Manly, it’s important that Sydney coastal homes fit with both the lifestyle and beauty of the beach. It’s simple enough to get the exterior of your home looking the part – a lick of sand-coloured paint with some blue accents often does the trick – but how do you get your outdoor entertaining areas looking right and keep them that way?
Australia has a bit of a love affair with the concept of a beach shack and this is often represented in the way that we design our coastal outdoor entertaining areas. For instance, lumps of driftwood often become centrepieces or old shells and bottles of sand act as little accents to the whole affair. We choose fabrics that have a hint of the nautical, like blue and white stripes, and then mix it with warm yellows to remind us of the sun and the sand. So how do you get your deck or patio to match up with this style?
One of the best ways you can make sure that your deck meets the beach-shack style requirements is to consider using second-hand timber. Immediately your deck will look weathered and the neutral grey of faded timber will provide a perfect background for those stronger-coloured fabrics. Keeping your deck looking that way isn’t much of an issue either – it got that way in the first place because it wasn’t regularly stained – but if you want it to last a lifetime you’ll need to do some regular cleaning to keep it free of dirt and marks.
If you’re more of a patio person consider lighter-coloured stone, like sandstone, that’ll give the impression of sand without the hassle of trying to keep it all in one spot. Try and avoid fiddly or intricate designs so the whole place doesn’t become busy. Besides you want to enjoy the views of the beach, you don’t need anything else competing for your attention!
Note that aluminium is always a great choice when it comes to coastal properties because of it’s corrosion proof and won’t suffer the wear-and-tear typical of other materials.
It can be a very tricky business to get your outdoor entertaining area to match your home but the reward of a stylish and comfortable place to relax is definitely worth it. For more outdoor entertaining area ideas check out Impressive Outdoor Living: Simple Steps to Get the Most Out of Your Deck and Patio Areas.
