With the right construction and design, backyard spaces become outdoor living areas.
During the summer months, when Laguna Beach’s average high temperatures linger in the 70s and low 80s, there is a force that draws residents outside. Backyards— whether they’re used for gardening, grilling or gathering with friends— become living areas that offer not only additional space, but also opportunity for the designing and building of a “room” that’s tailored to a home and its occupants’ alfresco lifestyle.
One way to establish a room in your yard is to build an overhead structure with posts on top of a patio or deck—also known as a pergola. While delineating an out- door space, a pergola also offers protection from harsh sun rays while allowing in filtered light and fresh air. Depending on its size, a pergola can shelter an outdoor kitchen, hot tub or spa, or an outdoor living room, complete with details like a comfortable couch and throw pillows.
According to south Laguna-based landscape architect Ann Christoph, the challenge in constructing an outdoor living space in a community like Laguna Beach—known for its small lots and hillside properties—is lack of land on which to build. And then there are local zoning ordinances to consider. “My experience with the city is that, if you have an independent structure in your yard, it has to be 10 feet away from the main structure or it has to be attached,” Christoph says.
Another challenge lies in constructing an outdoor living space that adds to the pre-existing structure and design of a home; materials used for an outdoor structure, for example, should complement the house’s architectural style or materials. For a client in Three Arch Bay, Christoph designed a pergola that was attached to the house and covered a curvilinear patio. “It was a 1970s-style house with wood siding and a fireplace made with rustic stone. I repeated that stone in the columns and stained the wood of the cover [beams] to match the wood inside the family room. I made the edge of the patio cover also curvilinear to match the pavement down below,” Christoph says.
The landscape architect emphasizes that the view from the inside of the house is important when considering where to place a pergola. “You don’t want to locate your posts in some kind of view corridor. When you have a rectangular lot, the longest dimension is the diagonal, so if you can orient the view and physical path at a diagonal, it looks larger,” Christoph says. “You don’t necessarily want people looking straight ahead, unless, of course, an ocean is right in front of you.”
The size and proportions of a home should also be considered before constructing a pergola, according to Christoph. “The big challenge with cottages [like those in Laguna Beach] is that all the spaces should be in proportion to the house,” Christoph says. “If rooms are 9 [feet] by 9 feet or 12 [feet] by 12 feet, you don’t want to make a giant outdoor kitchen bigger than any of the rooms inside the house. You want it all to relate, scale-wise.”
The real fun begins when you add your own creative touches to an outdoor room with the addition of decorative add-ons such as wicker coffee or end tables, meant to enhance the space while withstanding the elements. Or, you may opt for creative but more natural details— such as plants or rustic wooden furniture—that remind you of your living space’s outdoor locale.
Christoph’s favorite decoration, however, is a natural one: vines. Favorites include royal trumpet vine, queen’s wreath and yellow orchid vine. “Put them in the ground,” she advises. “That way, they’ll be drought tolerant. They’re also evergreen and grow really well in Laguna Beach.”
A pergola can serve as an inviting, multifunctional and cozy living space just like any other room inside a home, but it’s often more relaxed and casual. When designing and decorating your space, consider how it will be used—for entertaining or as a quiet retreat, for example—and build your outdoor living room from there. Depending on functionality and the products and accessories added to the space, pergolas can be dressed up or dressed down. But they all share one important quality: ample fresh air.
By Lisa Hallett Taylor
