Trends in outdoor living – 2022
The face of outdoor living in residential homes has changed quite drastically in the past few years primarily due to social consciousness and the continually growing demand for more housing. This is likely to continue and form the basis of the primary trends in outdoor living – 2022.
Sustainability
Global warming and the environment have largely contributed to a push towards sustainability and being water-wise in recent years. Here in the Western Cape, we experienced severe drought just a few years ago and the quest to save water became more of a necessity than just a drive to be more environmentally conscious.
Even though we now have had some good rains we realise that water is a precious commodity, so gardens have become much smaller and the largest area of watering, the lawn, has been minimalised or replaced in various ways.
Space-saving
We also live in an ever-shrinking globe with a constantly growing demand for more housing. In a peninsula like the Western Cape, if one is to remain anywhere near the city or the ocean, through necessity, we build more and more housing complexes with smaller outdoor living spaces.
Even with smaller gardens, the trend is towards easy manageability and minimum maintenance – so two products are growing in popularity and essentially replacing the elaborate traditional gardens with large lawns – these are attractive decking and artificial grass.
Decking
No longer referred to only as wooden decking because other alternatives are now available, decking is an ideal way to enhance the look and feel of outdoor areas. Decking will instantly improve your lifestyle especially around swimming pools and entertainment areas and will therefore add value to your home. It creates a link between your home & your garden.
Composite decking, commonly misrepresented as plastic, is an alternative to wood decking. It is very hardwearing and durable and also offers more options in terms of colours and types.
Artificial grass
Easy to install, maintain and the best way to save water, artificial grass will definitely continue trending for outdoor living areas in 2022. A lot of people don’t realise artificial grass (also known as synthetic lawn) is by far the best outdoor surface for your pets too. It has a nice solid but comfortable feel to run and roll around on for pets – and all the latest products contain no harmful chemical additives.
Consult the experts
Also what a lot of people don’t know is that both these products are available from and installed by Libra Flooring, Cape Town’s preferred flooring suppliers since 1999. As gardens have shrunk we have grown and now supply and install a whole range of products for in and outdoor living, from a full range of flooring types to carpets, rugs, blinds, shutters, awnings and of course decking and artificial grass.
Talk to us or visit our showroom in Montague gardens to find out that we are totally aligned with the latest trends in both in and outdoor living – 2022!