An Australian Approach to Designing Outdoor Rooms
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We like to think that because of our warm climate we are the only country that treats terraces and verandahs as outdoor rooms. This is not the case. In fact, most of the furniture that is suitable for the outdoors is designed and made in countries such as Italy, Germany, the USA and even Denmark. It’s a worldwide trend to make outdoor living as comfortable and beautiful as indoor living. Lucky us!

In Australia, we have a climate that allows us to enjoy outdoor living more than most, so the outdoor room is an important component of our homes and a space in which it is worth the investment of good quality furniture that will last in our harsh climate.

At Hare + Klein, our approach to the design of outdoor rooms is dependent on their relationship to the home, and whether or not the indoor and outdoors connect seamlessly. We pay attention to the architecture, purpose and the lifestyle of the client, and design the space accordingly. This relationship between indoor and out informs whether we furnish these spaces as a unit, or treat them as separate entities.

Good outdoor furniture is expensive and should, therefore, pass the ‘test of time’ criteria. We’ve included a few images here of work that we completed over ten years ago, but which we think still works – as it should!

One of the great additions to the outdoor room is the rug. There are now a range of good choices available for rugs that can be used outside, introducing further possibilities for introducing texture and colour to this space. We often use outdoor rugs to define living spaces in much the same way we may do in a living room.

Vive le Outdoors!