Outdoor Living Spaces: Create an Unforgettable Rhode Island Backyard Experience
The way we use our yards has changed. A generation ago, a backyard was simply a lawn with a grill in the corner. Today, homeowners want thoughtfully designed outdoor living spaces—a place to enjoy dinner on a summer evening, relax by a fire when the temperature drops, or spend time outdoors in a setting that feels like a natural extension of the home.
An outdoor room is a defined area in your landscape that serves a specific purpose, much like a room inside your house. The walls might be hedges instead of drywall. The ceiling might be a pergola or tree canopy instead of painted plaster. The best outdoor living spaces blur the boundary between indoors and outdoors, making both areas feel larger, more comfortable, and more connected.
At Doug Greenwood Landscaping Co., we have been designing and building outdoor living spaces in Coventry since 1998. Here is how to create outdoor rooms that are functional, inviting, and enjoyable throughout every season.
Defining Your Rhode Island Outdoor Living Spaces by Zone
The dining zone needs a level surface large enough for a table and chairs, plus at least three feet of clearance on all sides so chairs can slide out and people can walk around comfortably. A twelve-by-fourteen-foot space seats six to eight people. Locate the dining area as close to the house as possible. The shorter the distance between your kitchen and the outdoor table, the more often you will use it. Nobody wants to carry plates of food across the entire yard.
The lounge zone is where you sit and talk or read a book. Deep seating with cushions arranged around a coffee table or fire pit. This zone can be farther from the house for a more secluded feel. A winding path through the garden to a hidden seating area at the back of the property feels like discovering a secret garden.
The fire zone extends your outdoor season in Rhode Island by six to eight weeks. April evenings that would be too cold for sitting outside become comfortable with a fire going. October dinners last an extra hour. The fire zone can overlap with the lounge zone or stand alone as its own destination.
The Kitchen Zone: Outdoor Living Spaces That Cook
An outdoor kitchen ranges from a simple built-in grill with a small prep counter to a full setup with sink, refrigerator, pizza oven, and bar seating. Locate the kitchen near the dining zone and close to the house. The less you have to carry food, dishes, and utensils back and forth, the more you will cook outside.
A built-in grill with a small countertop costs two to four thousand dollars. Add a sink, refrigerator, and storage and you are at eight to fifteen thousand. Most Coventry homeowners get the best return from a mid-range setup: a quality built-in grill, a stone countertop with seating on one side, and maybe a beverage refrigerator. You use it every weekend all summer.
Structure and Privacy for Rhode Island Outdoor Living Spaces
Outdoor rooms need overhead definition to feel like rooms. Without a ceiling, even a beautifully furnished patio can feel exposed and unfinished. A pergola provides partial shade and a sense of enclosure without blocking the sky entirely. A shade sail is budget-friendly and can be seasonal. A covered porch with a solid roof extends the outdoor season into light rain.
Privacy structures serve as walls. A trellis with climbing vines like clematis or climbing hydrangea. A row of arborvitae or skip laurel along the property line. A decorative fence panel. You do not need to enclose the space completely. You just need to define the edges so the room feels intentional rather than accidental.
Furnishings and Lighting for Outdoor Living Spaces
Weather-resistant fabrics and powder-coated aluminum frames that look like indoor furniture but handle rain, sun, and temperature swings. Sectional sofas designed specifically for outdoor use. The furniture should match the quality and comfort of your indoor pieces.
Layer lighting the same way you would inside. Ambient light from uplights in trees or wall sconces for general illumination. Task lighting for cooking and dining from overhead fixtures or string lights. Accent light to highlight specimen trees or water features. All on dimmers or smart controls so you can set the mood from your phone as the evening progresses.
Create Your Dream Outdoor Living Space →
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