Embellishments, fire pits, sound systems keep guests happy
"People today are living outside as much as possible, enjoying fireplaces, pergolas, outdoor kitchens and much more. That trend is just exploding," explained Colin Taheny, vice president of RYCO Design Group of Lake in the Hills.
"When you have been cooped up inside for five months, all anyone wants to do is get outside again and enjoy," he continued. "And when you get right down to it, adding living space outside is really much cheaper than adding space indoors.
"We see people bringing lamps, chandeliers, rugs, nicer furniture, fans, audio systems and much more outside, all because they want to create an outdoor living environment, not just a patio," Taheny added.
RYCO handles everything from designing paver patios to building pergolas and trellises, enclosures, fireplaces, fire pits, decks and water features. It also installs lighting, outdoor kitchens, plantings and water management systems.
"It is all about embellishing the outdoor space so that the homeowners can happily relax there with smiles on their faces," he added. "Everything revolves around family and friends gathering outside for barbecues and other events because, since the downturn, people are entertaining much more at home."
Homeowners generally want their backyard embellishments right up against their homes, too, Taheny said, because they want to enjoy a natural flow of air and people between the indoors and the outdoors.
Earlier this spring, RYCO Design Group, along with RYCO Landscaping, opened a display within the Barrett's Technology Solutions showroom at 576 S. Route 59 in Naperville to help homeowners construct their dream outdoor living space.
They showcase there how homeowners may craft a backyard that is filled with high-end lighting and entertainment systems, provided by Barrett's, along with outdoor elements like barbecues, pergolas, plantings, outdoor fireplaces and custom patios, supplied by RYCO.
Similarly, Past Basket of Geneva, a kitchen designer, and Barrett's have teamed up to create a model kitchen with both companies' products on display right next to the patio vignette. A sliding-glass door separates the two displays, simulating the walk from a home's kitchen to its patio.
"We were definitely thinking outside the box on this by partnering with Barrett's and Past Basket to allow our clientele to walk into a showroom and see how all of the various design elements can fit together. Touching and feeling something is much better than just seeing it in a photo," Taheny said.
While not every home warrants a pool and not every homeowner even wants one, virtually any home can accommodate a fire pit. Accordingly, these gathering points are enjoying an astounding
amount of popularity since they are available at virtually all price points.
"Wood-burning fire pits are still popular, but many people are noticing that sparks from them can harm furniture cushions, and some communities don't allow them. So, we are seeing more and more homeowners opting for propane or natural gas fire pits," stated Steve Olson, manager of Viking Ski and Patio in Barrington.
"Gas fire pits are easy to turn on and off and you don't have to wait for them to cool down, but they still give you that nice ambience," Olson explained. "We have them featuring glass beads, lava rocks or gas logs and you can use a small propane tank if you want the flexibility to move the pit around or you can have a plumber install a gas line from the house if you want to burn natural gas."
The only thing you cannot do with a gas fire pit that you can do with a wood-burning fire pit is cook marshmallows and other snacks, he admitted.
Many Viking Ski and Patio customers are also purchasing fire pit tables which can burn wood, propane or natural gas. Generally made at somewhere between a coffee table and dining table height, these structures serve double duty. The fire pit portion in the middle can be almost invisible while you are eating and then afterward, the cover can be removed and it becomes a tabletop fire pit.
The other accoutrements that spark homeowners' interest these days are brightly colored cantilevered umbrellas and colorful chairs and tables made of recycled milk jugs, Olson said.
"Just like the fire pits, they get people excited about their outdoor spaces and make things look nice and lively," he added.
Sound systems for the yard are another item which get people excited and in recent years their quality has really improved, according to Jennifer Jensen, residential lighting manager for NorthWest Lighting and Accents in Mount Prospect and McHenry.
Not only has their clarity and sound quality improved, but they are now harder to spot in a yard and the technology has improved so that the music is directed back toward the house instead of out into the neighborhood, making those living nearby much less likely to complain, she explained.
"Some systems are attached to the bottom of an outdoor fan which is mounted on an overhang or pergola," Jensen explained. "Others use small satellite speakers hidden in the landscaping and subwoofers that are buried so that the ground can be used as a resonator."
"They give incredible, directional sound that really cuts down on noise pollution. You can even zone them for different audio levels so that it can be loud by the pool, but quieter in the dining area, allowing for conversation," she added. "Most can also be hooked into an iPad or iPhone so that you are playing your preferred music and there are many apps that allow you to control the system remotely. You don't even need additional hardware for an upgrade. Today, those only involve a software update."
The use of oscillating fans and heaters to control the outdoor environment has also become popular with homeowners. They like the fact that fans move the air on sweltering days and nights and also tend to drive away pesky bugs who tend to avoid air currents, according to Jensen.
The increased use of LED lighting also cuts down on insect invasions because they generate less heat than conventional lights do and bugs are actually drawn to the heat, not the light, she added.
Homeowners who like to cook outdoors, even in the middle of winter, can also invest in sub-patio heating elements which keep the grilling area (or driveway or walkways) free of snow, Jensen said, extending the useful life of their patio each year.
Individual heater cables or a pre-assembled mat is installed underneath the patio to alleviate the need to shovel snow when you want to cook outdoors in the middle of winter. This has to be done at the time of installation, however. No retrofitting is possible.