The outdoor living trend: A second living room, kitchen and bedroom

The subtle colours of grey and beige for furnishing gardens, balconies and terraces remain in vogue. Photo: Butlers/dpa

Do you like to sit outside when the weather is good, living on your balcony, terrace or in the garden? If you do, you are not alone, because there is a trend to turn comfortable outdoor sitting areas into an actual outdoor flat.

"If the space is available two areas are created – the dining table with comfortable chairs for entertaining family and guests, and a lounge area with comfortable sofas or wide armchairs as a cosy retreat," says Christine Scharrenbroch, from the German Furniture Industry Association.

And then there is the garden kitchen.

"Outdoor cooking is very much on the rise, using weatherproof kitchens made of stone and stainless steel with gas or charcoal grills and refrigerators, preferably with a roof," Scharrenbroch says.

The outdoor living room has everything that the indoor living room offers: A cosy seating area, cushions, decorations. Photo: Inter IKEA Systems B.V. 2023/dpa

"This is supported by mobile trolleys to help take any accessories outside."

These outdoor kitchens are often embellished with normal garden items such as raised beds and pots with herbs and other plants that can be harvested.

Snoozing on daybeds

If you have even more space to spare, you could take a siesta on your bed, or more precisely your daybed. These are "comfortable, extra-wide outdoor beds, often with a fixed canopy or in shell form with a fold-out sun awning", says Scharrenbroch. "Hanging chairs are also in vogue."

Of course, most people don't have the space for the big extra outdoor living area. But a mini-sofa or a cosy armchair, a small separate dining place and a barbecue make a good start to being able to lounge, cook and eat outside. And all you need for a fresh-air home office is a balcony table and chair.

A lot has changed in recent years. The age of bulky plastic chairs and uncomfortable loungers is over. Instead, you can buy comfortable and chic outdoor sofas.

And you can find weatherproof sideboards, side tables and even carpets and lamps designed specially for the outdoors, without having to search too hard. The fabrics and materials are much more robust and can withstand rain and UV radiation, for example.

Outdoor furniture that looks like home furnishings

"Indoor and outdoor furnishings are becoming increasingly similar," says Scharrenbroch. "You can often no longer tell whether furnishings are produced for indoors or outdoors."

Because both indoor and outdoor furniture currently often has a reduced, simple design. Just like indoor furniture, garden furniture currently has a softer design language and has more curves than edges and corners.

If you have the space, you get more than just a cosy terrace. Photo: Draenert/dpa

In general, it's all about feeling good outdoors.

"For relaxing, there are now upholstered chairs in lush shapes, cosy lounge beds in XXL or seating islands that enclose their users like nests," says Frank Reinhardt, a trend analyst for Spoga+Gafa, the world's largest garden trade fair.The seating areas, on the other hand, are often minimalist.

"Unadorned tables and chairs made of aluminium or chrome-plated metal combine functionality with straightforward design and a high degree of durability," he says.

Natural tones and radiant accents

Even the colours of furniture for indoors and outdoors are now similar. Many manufacturers of outdoor furniture still like to advertise with bright colours for the outdoors, but people tend to buy the more discreet looks.

Scharrenbroch says that "light and dark grey tones as well as earth tones like beige continue to be the most popular".

Weather-resistant rugs. While the furniture likes to be kept in subtle colours, the runners by Pappelina set colour accents. Photo: James Stokes/Pappelina/dpa-tmn

Bright colours are mostly just accents – especially on cushions and decorations.

Even a single piece of furniture in the overall combination, such as a small side table or an armchair, can set this colour highlight.

Frank Reinhardt believes the trend towards more cosiness and homeliness on balconies, terraces and the seating areas directly in the garden has reached a peak.

"The design and material quality is consistently very high in all price classes," he says.

Furnishing trends always take a few years from their first appearance at trade fairs until they are actually found in many households. Now that is happening with the outdoor room, says Reinhardt.

"The second living room, which we have been talking about for several years, has definitely arrived." – dpa