Home improvement contest offers $50,000 for renovation from USA TODAY
Content creator Jenna Phipps and USA TODAY are partnering on Project Home Improved to offer $50,000 for your home renovation project.
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Bobby Berk is an expert in transforming interior spaces. The designer and television personality had his first breakthrough via the popular TV show Queer Eye, where he and his four co-stars transformed the lives of ordinary people around the country. Though Berk is an advocate of the powerful impact of interior design, he says that designing your outdoor spaces is just as important.
“Outdoor spaces play a huge role in our mental health, and I can’t stress enough just how important it is to create an outdoor living space that feels like an extension of your home,” he says. “Whether it’s a small patio or a sprawling backyard, having that connection to the outdoors can lower your stress levels and boost your mood and the value of your home.”
Berk shares his best tips for maximizing outdoor spaces and chooses the home trends to keep an eye out for this year.
Choose sustainable and environmentally friendly designs
Sustainability isn’t just a trendy term, but an integral part of the design process and Berk advises choosing materials that will weather the elements and won’t need to be replaced every two to three years. “I recently redesigned my outdoor kitchen, and we went with materials that would truly stand the test of time,” he says. “We used stainless steel kitchen cabinets from Trex Outdoor Kitchens that are highly durable and corrosion-resistant, and the weather-resilient powder-coat finish means it will stand up to outdoor elements and require minimal maintenance. It won’t need to be replaced or refinished, and stainless steel is also recyclable, leaving no environmental impact down the road.”
Design for year-round use
To get the most out of your outdoor space, Berk suggests including a source of heat and adequate shade so you can enjoy the space year-round. “A gas fire pit is an ideal addition to gather around, and heat lamps can make dining outdoors much more comfortable,” he says. “Also, a covered outdoor area will protect you from the sun in the peak of summer. This could be a screened-in area, a retractable awning or a covered porch that can be used in multiple seasons and conditions, extending the period you can spend outdoors.”
Integrate your outdoor space into your existing lifestyle
Some homeowners get caught up in the fantasy of creating the “perfect” outdoor space that may not match their lifestyle. If you don’t entertain regularly, it may be better to focus on having a small conversation area over a state-of-the-art kitchen that will rarely get used. Berk also says to carefully consider how your outdoor space acts as an extension of the rest of your home. “Think about how you want to utilize the space and how you will actually use the area,” Berk advises. “This will definitely help to inform the layout and what type of furnishings you should invest in. Also, when choosing outdoor fabrics, consider the design elements you already gravitate towards and how the outdoor furniture ties into the rest of your house design.”
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