The coronavirus pandemic has impacted every aspect of our lives, but perhaps none more so than home life. With people spending more time indoors in the past year, trends in 2021 have focused on incorporating outdoor environments as much as possible.
Home decor online marketplace Riverbend Home has released its newest edition of the home trends report and the hottest tendencies are geared toward outdoor living.
“The shift to extending our indoor world to our outdoor spaces accelerated in 2020, and this trend will only get bigger in 2021,” Riverbend Home chief home officer and general manager Mark Feldman said in the report. “Upgrades to outdoor living are at the top of most homeowners’ to-do lists, with patios serving as multi-purpose spaces for safe gatherings, work from home moving outside for some fresh air and fresh thinking, summer vacations giving way to staycations, and gardening becoming a natural extension to our newly minted pandemic cooking skills.”
Here are five of the outdoor home trends Riverbend Home has rounded up for spring 2021.
Work From Home becomes Work From Outdoors
Many of us have grown weary of working inside our homes. But this spring, homeowners will transition from conducting business surrounded by four walls to doing so outdoors.
The New York Times’ Wirecutter has some tips on how you can bring your office work into the backyard or on the porch. You can make the outside office permanent or semi-permanent, or make it a moveable space — the choice is up to you.
Home cooking gets a boost
Another common aspect of working from home is eating at home and cooking more meals. But if the usual dishes made on the stove have gotten stale, the good news is outdoor cooking is a popular option.
“Outdoor pizza ovens, barbeque, charcuterie, and cast iron cooking will be hot trends, as will craft cocktails,” Riverbend Home’s report said.
Warmer weather will likely mean more backyard barbecues. Here are some tips on how to have them safely as the pandemic continues.
Bold outdoor accents are all the rage
Accent pieces will be the star of the show this year. A bright outdoor rug or coordinated colors are some ways you can incorporate hues into your outdoor space. Better Homes & Gardens has some ideas of what you can add to make outside entertaining areas more vivid.
“Homeowners are looking for elements of positivity and energy after a challenging year,” the report noted.
Easy curb-appeal improvements
One of the simplest home improvements you can make to sell your home is to boost curb appeal. Simple changes such as updating the porch lighting or adding a window box can add value.
Riverbend Home reported that the housing market is expected to boom this year with millennials continuing to head to the suburbs to become homeowners.
If you’re selling soon, here are eight ways you can increase the curb appeal of your abode.
A space for relaxation
Gardening is associated with relieving stress.
Psychology Today reported that research shows spending time with nature can positively impact your mood.
“A garden is a place where we can slow down and reconnect with the natural world the way our ancestors did all day, every day,” Kristen K. Brown, author of “The Happy Hour Effect: 12 Secrets to Minimize Stress and Maximize Life,” told the website.
You can make the garden an enjoyable place to unwind by adding novel planters and benches. The same ideas can be brought indoors using floral prints and indoor plants.
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