It’s Time to Start Thinking Spring with Garden Room Design Ideas

Even though the official start to spring is still a little over a week away, it’s not too early to start thinking of ways to enhance your outdoor living spaces with beautiful garden rooms. Garden rooms can be used for outdoor entertaining in the spring and summer or simply for relaxation and the enjoyment of fresh flowers and the surrounding scenery. The idea is to bring the comforts of the indoors — plush furnishings and stylish decor — outdoors. You can expand the footprint of your home without adding square feet.

Garden rooms can either be singular, multipurpose spaces or several connected spaces, each with dedicated purposes. In an example project featured by Sunset Magazine, several garden rooms with different purposes were created and seamlessly flow together. The rooms include an outdoor dining area, shaded retreat and courtyard for entertaining. Plantings were used as natural room dividers. Furnishings typically found indoors such as a chandelier were added to make the space feel more welcoming.

If you’re ready to think spring and garden rooms for your own home, take a look at a few of our favorites below.

This Oceanfront Gambrel project by TMS Architects features a garden room created out of an empty corner of the property. The hardscapes combined with lush plantings set the stage for the rocking chairs and a perfect view of the ocean.

The natural beauty of Mirror Lake creates a scenic backdrop for this waterfront garden room by TMS Architects. The outdoor dining space is a great place to entertain, and the decor is smartly matched with the colors from some of the surrounding foliage.

The hardscapes in our Kittery Point Harbor Overlook project really help define the boundaries of this garden room, giving it a more intimate feel. The lush plantings and water feature soften the space, while the dining table offers functional seating outdoors, just steps from the back door.

Another great example of using outdoor elements to create intimacy is installing a pergola. Pergolas define a space, provide shade and support plantings, as well as lighting and decor. The furnishings, plants and colors all combine to create a Mediterranean feel in this garden room.