Interior design for the back yard: Begin with space planning

It's that time of year when the outdoors calls us to come out and play. Your home is beautiful on the inside and now it is time to take some of that beauty outside for added enjoyment.

Where do we begin?

Well, space planning, just like when you planned the inside of your home, is very important. After all, it is an extension of your indoor living space. Make the outdoor area as personalized as your indoors.

Make a list of what you plan to do in this outdoor space. Will you be entertaining many people, or just a few? Will you be entertaining often, or just once or twice a year? Will you want to have recreational amenities such as a pool, sunbathing areas, picnic area, volleyball space? What about badminton? Does anyone play badminton anymore? Do you have space for an outdoor kitchen?

Next, size up the shade areas. Will you need to provide more foliage or perhaps canvas canopies in some areas? This is important because even though the outdoors begs us to play in the sun, the sun can be detrimental to your fun if there are no places to retreat from the heat occasionally.

Now think of how you like your space to feel. Casual, formal, zany, eclectic? The furnishings, fabrics and landscape can be formal and pristine, or come-as-you-are with lanterns hanging from the trees. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder - and you are the beholder. The outdoors, like the indoors, can and should have a focal point. It can be the pool, it can be the outdoor kitchen, it can be the sunbathing area or whatever it is you want to highlight. Build the furnishings, lighting and landscaping around that space.

If you have a spectacular view, place furniture in a way so as to enjoy that scenery best. If the view isn't there, then put the furniture in a circular pattern so the people and conversation are the highlight. Also, if there is no particularly attractive view, make your own. The right landscaping can do wonders. Don't forget to plan for privacy.

When selecting fabrics for outdoor furniture, be open to colors and patterns. But remember that whatever you put outdoors will be seen from indoors, so they must coordinate and complement each other. And remember that even outdoor fabrics will grow mold when exposed to rain and humidity, so plan on having a place to store the cushions when not in use.