The Personal Side of Outdoor Living!

How to Create Places and Spaces for Privacy and Personal Time

How many times have you walked into your back or front yard and beendiscouragedwithwhat you see? How often have you just ‘made do’ with something you really did not want because someone in your family insisted it be that way? Does your yard reflect your own personal side or the personality of someone else?

Continuing with the thoughts and ideas we started with a few weeks ago, let’s explore the need for private outdoor spaces in your yardscape. It truly isn’t enough to just have party space, play areas and cooking or dining spots. We also have to feed our need for retreat and relaxation, out of doors. We encourage you to take the time, today, to analyze what you want your yardscapes to provide for you in that area, and create a corner of the world that gives you that space.

The first step is to focus on what you want, and what it means to have a retreat space. The busy life most of us lead, full of frantic, disorderly haste, means that it is all the more important to have those private elements in your yardscape.

The next step is to choose the portion of your yard in which to create this getaway space. Not everyone wants meditation space, or desires a formal setting for that purpose. But we all need a place to be alone, sometimes, and a place outside to give us space to dream, read, write, or meditate is precious indeed.  (We can help you create that outdoor area with our free assessment offer. Click here!) No vision is too big, just allow it to flow from you with a deep sense of “Yes, I can have that!”

Here are some elements to think about while planning:

Creating privacy: It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, but for the most useful space, it helps to have screens, fabric or fencing to delineate your special private area. Remember you will need room for seating, a table or two, lighting and a garden ambiance. It is outdoors, after all! Umbrellas, shade trees and judicious plantings can create the illusion of private space, even if you are limited by a small yard or minimal budget.

Creating Mood: Next, you need to create the mood of your special area. This will depend both on purpose and intent. If it is a space for reading and meditation, then bodies of water, both still and moving, are a terrific addition. The gentle sound, and the connection to nature provided by water, is a great enhancement for your quiet-time areas. Another terrific idea is to have statues or items like seashells or rocks that express your interests, what means peace and relaxation to you. A source of music, either an outside sound system, or a personal sound system that can play calming, meditative music for your quiet times is also a great enhancement.

Creating Ambiance: An important key to your garden private get-away is to use the elements (plants, water, statues, music) etc. to create the feeling and ambiance you want. Are you looking for silence, or a place simply to be alone? Will you share the space with someone else, (either concurrently or consecutively) or is it for your use only? Do you need the space to be flexible and growing, with new additions of items, or will it be a still place, unvarying and reassuring in its constancy?

Last but not least: In order to be sure that all the elements will come together the way you want them to, you will have to consider a few things. One would be the cost to  getting it done. Another would be the perspectives of other family members. And yet another would be an awareness of the requirements of the elements in your quiet zone. Do the plants in your personal area need watering? Is there a way to refill your water feature? Does the seating i have selected need to be protected from the weather, or a place to store mats and cushions? Do you have appropriate electric outlets and faucet connections?

Be sure to  have a bird’s eye view of what you envision, and how you want to create this special, unique space for yourself. You can relax and not worry about upkeep on a daily basis, and instead simply unwind, rejuvenate and recharge your inner spirit. We can not overstress how important it is in the hurried life we live that we create spaces of peace, joy and repose. You deserve it!

(Let us help you with your outdoor living needs, especially electrical. We are licensed and insured!  Need a fence? We can build it. Need a raised flower  bed? We can build that too!Want a meditation bench? Let us make it for you!)