There is a fascinating new affection for gardens that is sweeping the country. No longer are outdoor spaces being dedicated entirely to aesthetics, designed and neatly created for the purpose of appearance with flowerbeds and measured lawns. Instead, gardens are becoming increasingly more versatile, with a younger generation of homeowners asking the question how can I get more out of my garden space?
A significant part of this motivation is due to rising house prices and the challenges facing many new homeowners, as well as a variety of other cultural factors, such as the inclination to think environmentally and the increase of remote working roles. These changes are placing pressure on homes to deliver more than comfort but also meet professional and environmental needs too.
Remote Working
One of the most significant influencing factors on contemporary garden design stems from teleworking culture. With the growing need for professional spaces at home, residents are faced with the task of balancing their employment and their personal lives within the same property.
One of the best ways to resolve this issue is to utilise a garden space and create an office outdoors. This solution has proven to be immensely popular, giving residents the divide they require to support their work-life balance, and has resulted in many adding log cabins and similar outbuildings to their homes.
Others are seeking outbuildings and cabins not solely for professional purposes but creative too. Painting studios, writing dens, and even yoga spaces are also suitable reasons to justify creating a space outdoors, especially when it is one immersed in a curated and natural environment.
Carbon Footprints
Reducng carbon footprints and better supporting the environment is a monumental task but one that many, as individuals, continue to persevere with. The home provides a great opportunity to improve one’s environmental profile, with the garden being at the forefront of sustainable pursuits.
The outdoors provides an opportunity for a number of environmental assets to a home, from solar panels and rainwater collectors to vegetable beds and compost systems. Each of these individual items can be immensely beneficial to a home, reducing carbon footprints and, importantly, reducing the cost of energy bills too.
Culinary Pursuits
Gardens are a fantastic resource for budding chefs and those with a greater interest in the food they eat. There has been, over the previous few years, a large uptake in gardening for culinary pursuits, with more residents seeking to grow their own ingredients.
For some, this means simply establishing a vegetable patch where one might once have enjoyed a flowerbed. However, for others, the pursuit of flavour and nutrition means growing mushrooms or opening a garden space to chickens and other livestock. Some residents are even beginning to keep bees, helping them to not only support local wildlife and pollination but also to have access to delicious honey!
This pursuit also leads to the expansion of dining areas from indoors to outdoors, with a greater investment in outdoor dining furniture, as well as accessories that protect from the elements, such as windbreakers and heat lamps.
