64 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • AUGUST 2019
INSIDE JOB
LIVING AL FRESCO:
By ARLENE GROSS
Come summer, just about everyone
naturally thinks of getting out in
the fresh air. But with the growing
popularity of fire pits, fireplaces, and
an array of outdoor heaters, people
are spending more and more time in
their backyards and extending their
living space outward.
To create a seamless interior-exterior
transition, it’s important to incorporate
the same furniture style, similar
textures and color schemes for both
spaces, says Jodi Dell, owner of Jodi
Dell Designs, a Manhattan-based
interior design firm.
“It will extend your design, bring the
outdoors in, and the indoors out,” she
says .
LATEST OUTDOOR
TRENDS
Outdoor living has gone from traditional
poolside, lounge, and recreation
areas to spaces that reflect
almost everything you have inside
the home, from kitchens to dining,
lounging, and sporting areas, says
Matt Riccoboni, chief marketing
officer for The Laurel Group Fine
Landscapes, based in Huntington and
Water Mill.
“Dinner parties have moved outside,”
notes Riccoboni, adding that
banquet-style tables and seating are
very popular..
Trending this year, says Riccoboni,
are furnishings made from multiple
materials, such as seating with fabric
roping, teak legs and aluminum accents,
or tables with glass tops, rustic
wooden legs and aluminum frames.
No longer monotone and utilitarian,
an entertainment area can include
an eye-catching fireplace with a TV
above it, pergola, sectional sofa, and
coffee table. Mirroring their indoor
kitchen counterparts, barbecue areas
now have six-burner stovetops, wall
ovens, built-in sinks, and garbage
disposals.
“We recommend product matching
the decor to the design of the space,”
notes Riccoboni, adding that ultramodern
furniture looks right in an
ultramodern space and resin wicker
or teak goes well with traditional
brick and bluestone.
The perfect design is realized when
there’s no perceivable break between
the interior and the exterior, Riccoboni
explains.
“The hardscape, which continues
directly out the door, is similar in
scope and design to the tiling and/
or flooring that sits right within that
hearth,” he says.
A semicircular
low
brick wall creates
a cozy nook for fire
pit seating.
Terraced backyard
creates separate
room-like spaces
outdoors
(Photo courtesy of Hicks Landscapes)
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
