Florida is a place that attracts residents from across the country and world for its incredible real estate options, great weather, and affordable cost of living. Places like the Panhandle, Orlando, and Jacksonville are desirable destinations with housing prices significantly lower than other popular areas in the United States. It is also a place where design trends are birthed and grown.
In the past several years, we’ve seen a lot of changes in what people want out of their homes. The pandemic has induced some major changes in the desires of the average homebuyer, and a big part of that is what buyers seek out in outdoor spaces. Let’s look at some outdoor living space trends currently making a splash in the Panhandle, Orlando, and Jacksonville.
Seamless Indoor-Outdoor Living
One common trend in the Panhandle, Jacksonville, and Orlando area is the blend of indoor and outdoor living. This design trend has taken root in Florida because of the year-round sunny weather. Homes now have more seamless transitions from the indoor living spaces to the outdoor ones.
This can be done in yards in a variety of ways. Common ones include covered patios or pergolas leading from the home to the yard and large open sliding doors to the home. While rain is still a problem in these areas, Florida is one of the states where indoor-outdoor living is most manageable.
Outdoor Kitchens
Being confined to a home during the pandemic made people reevaluate what they wanted their homes to provide them. Many find that better outdoor gathering spaces are a pivotal part of what they now seek out in a home. Outdoor kitchens have become a recent trend in the Panhandle, Orlando, and Jacksonville.
Residents want a central space where they can host large gatherings, and the benefits of outdoor kitchens are significant. In a state where the weather is warm throughout the year, these are the perfect areas for entertaining and make it easier on party hosts. They no longer have to repeatedly come in and out of the house, and it is a complimentary design look for a backyard.
Exercise and Meditation Areas
Your backyard is a space that is supposed to play a role in relieving stress. They are our private oasis where we diffuse and enjoy the outdoors for many. In the age of working from home, having a backyard that allows you to unwind and decompress is a must. For many, exercise and meditation are two ways they seek to destress.
A popular current trend with backyard spaces is having a private dedicated exercise or meditation area equipped with the utilities homeowners need for these activities. Yoga mats, weights, and stone gardens are all things that people make permanent fixtures in their backyards across the Panhandle, Jacksonville, and Orlando. Because of the great weather, pools are also a must. These are critical exercise areas that homeowners are demanding more than ever.
Native Gardens
Gardens have been important components of outdoor living spaces for a long time, especially in lush environments like Florida. But one new outdoor trend is redefining the garden. The native garden is a garden that is based on only using plants that are native to the area, like wildflowers and grasses, to create a more natural space. This benefits local wildlife, as it will be a better environment for insects and pollinators and reduce chemical and pesticide use.
In Florida, there is a lot that can be done in a native garden. In Orlando, plants like the American beautyberry and coral honeysuckle thrive. In Jacksonville, Azaleas and beach sunflowers will grow. There are lanceleaf blanket flowers, coral honeysuckles, and much more in the Panhandle.
Summary
People’s goals and priorities for their outdoor living spaces are rapidly changing across the United States. People seek an outdoor living space that can serve as a new central part of the home, a living space for hosting and entertaining that destresses and decompresses.
In the Panhandle, Orlando, and Jacksonville, residents benefit from incredible weather. This makes it possible to implement design features like blended indoor-outdoor living, outdoor kitchens, and a dedicated exercise/medication space. The environment is also perfect for implementing a native garden. These areas are at the forefront of some major trends in outdoor living.
