5 Design Tips for Better Alfresco and Outdoor Spaces

Connect inside and out, plan for every season and get the lighting right – tips for alfresco areas you will use all year round

Home Base Design & Build Centre

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Covered alfresco with an adjustable louvre roof, ceiling fan, corner sliding doors and a bifold servery window
Image: New Home Building Brokers

Perth’s climate is made for outdoor living, and entertaining family and friends outdoors is a big part of the Australian way of life. When designing a new home, the aim is to bring the outdoors in and extend your living spaces outside, creating areas that are useful, functional and enjoyable to spend time in.

Here are five tips for designing a better alfresco area.

1. Connect inside and out

Your alfresco area is the link between your home and the garden, and the quality of that space shapes how connected the two feel.

Making the most of space, light, breezes and views helps the inside of your home feel bigger and brighter. Ideally, the alfresco should feel like a natural extension of your indoor living areas.

How to achieve it:

  • Choose doors that open the home up. Large sliding, stacking or bifold glass doors that push right back reduce both the physical and visual barrier between inside and out.
  • Keep the indoor and outdoor floor levels the same, and use similar flooring and wall colours so the alfresco feels like part of the room.

2. Design for every season

An alfresco area you can use all year round is worth planning for:

  • Let in the winter sun with adjustable roofing or deciduous planting for shade.
  • Add retractable blinds to protect against rain and wind and to provide shade when needed.
  • Warm the space in cooler months with a fireplace, pizza oven or outdoor heaters.
  • Include ceiling fans to create a breeze in summer.
Kitchen and dining area opening through full-height sliding doors to a covered balcony
Image: New Home Building Brokers

3. Plan for outdoor cooking

If you have a great outdoor space, you will want to cook and eat there. Including cooking facilities in or near the alfresco makes entertaining easier, and makes cleaning up easier too.

If you are considering an outdoor kitchen, ask yourself:

  • How will you use it? Cooking everything outside means more appliances, a sink and more bench space.
  • Will the materials stand up to the weather?
  • Will the surfaces be easy to clean and maintain?

4. Get the lighting right

Lighting sets the mood of an alfresco area, so it is a good place for several lighting options:

  • Dimmable LED downlights over food preparation areas
  • Wall lights for a relaxed atmosphere
  • Spotlights to highlight features such as water features, sculptures and built-in seating

5. Plan the landscaping with the alfresco

Just as your indoor spaces should flow into the alfresco, the alfresco should flow into the garden. Think about landscaping early, so planting, paving and screening all work with the alfresco rather than being added as an afterthought.

Single-storey home with a covered alfresco opening onto a pool and lawn at dusk
Image: New Home Building Brokers

Explore more at Home Base Design & Build Centre

Plan your visit: Browse the displays in Landscaping & Outdoors.

Learn more: Find out about the Planning & Design Masterclass.

This article was provided by New Home Building Brokers. Visit the New Home Building Brokers display at Home Base Design & Build Centre or go to nhbb.com.au.