Deciding whether or not to extend your home into your garden is a big decision that depends on a number of factors.
An extension can provide you with more space for living, working, or entertaining, and, if well-designed, it can significantly increase the value of your home. You can better use your garden space, blur the lines between inside and out, and flood your home with natural light.
On the other hand, extensions can be costly, both in terms of materials and labour, and not to mention disruptive to both you and your neighbours. Then there’s the dreaded planning permission from your local council, which can often become a lengthy and complex process.
Of course, if you do extend out to create more living space, then you’re losing garden space, which is OK if you’ve got the room to play with. So, you need to ask yourself, what do you need the extra space for and how will it affect your lifestyle?
Budget and the type of property you have will also significantly influence what you can and can’t achieve, but ultimately, the decision of whether or not to extend your home into your garden is a personal one.
You need to weigh up the pros and cons carefully and make sure that it is the right decision for you and your family.
In this article, we want to look at not only how you can not only extend your home into your garden with a house extension, but also some of our favourite ways to bring the inside out or maybe even go the other way and bring the outside into our interior living spaces.
The benefits of bringing the inside out
The concept of "bringing the inside out" has risen in popularity in recent years and the chances of picking up a home design-led magazine and not mentioning this lifestyle trend are slim.
If you are planning a kitchen and patio renovation, then it is a great way to create a seamless and inviting living space that maximises your enjoyment of both indoor and outdoor areas.
It emphasises the extension of indoor spaces into outdoor areas for comfort and functionality, blurring the lines, and making the outside area feel like a natural extension of the inside of your home.
Whilst a big buzz in recent years, the concept is not a new one, and its roots can be traced back to the mid-20th century with the rise of modern architecture. American architects such as Frank Lloyd prioritised the need for indoor/outdoor flow in the mid-century modern homes of the 50s and 60s.
Recently, this concept has evolved to include more sustainable and tech-enabled outdoor features, such as solar-powered lighting, retractable canopies, and smart outdoor devices, as we seek to maximise the usability of our outdoor spaces for both socialising and relaxation, even when our climate refused to play along.
Outdoor leisure is now an essential part of home life and seamlessly blending our indoor and outdoor areas will significantly enhance our home's overall design and value.
If you're considering going down this route, then you need to be looking at solutions that will increase the natural light in the indoor area, creating a seamless indoor-to-outdoor flow that blends the boundaries between your kitchen and patio to create a more open and spacious feel.
By visually connecting your kitchen and patio area, you can effectively expand your living space, especially during the summer months.
The benefits of bringing the outside in
Of course, if, like us, a garden and space for patio furniture is more important, then you can also look at it the other way and "bring the outside in”. Less extension of the home and more focus on incorporating natural elements into our indoor spaces to blur those lines.
This approach emphasises the creation of a connection to nature within our homes to enhance well-being and promote a calming, organic aesthetic.
This idea of having our homes connected to nature dates back centuries, influencing architecture and design across many cultures. Traditional Japanese and Scandinavian designs, for example, often incorporate natural elements like wood, stone, and greenery indoors.
Its popularity has risen sharply in recent years as studies show that natural elements inside our homes can reduce stress, improve air quality (through plants), and enhance our mood. Using eco-friendly materials also aligns with increasing environmental awareness, but also creating nature-inspired spaces that feel warmer, more inviting, and timeless.
This trend also ties into a host of other broader trends such as Biophilic design, whereby nature is integrated into the architecture and urban spaces, and the Scandi/Japandi trends for prioritising harmony between people and nature.
To bring the outside in, it’s important to introduce natural materials, lots of greenery, and nature-inspired colours and textures.
It resonates with our need to connect with nature, and whilst not a way of extending our homes into our gardens, it does complement its inside-out counterpart by creating a seamless indoor-outdoor living space.
By carefully considering how we blend our indoor and outdoor spaces, we can create a beautiful and functional kitchen and patio area that you'll love spending time in, with or without the need to extend.
Our top ways to extend your home into your garden and blur the lines
Extending your home into your garden to create a seamless indoor-outdoor living space is a great way to enhance both areas. Here are our 9 expert design tricks that will help you integrate your home into your garden and vice versa:
1. Glass
Probably the most effective way to blur the lines between home and garden is to use as much glass as you can.
Floor-to-ceiling glass walls and large bi-fold or sliding doors will maximise visibility and create an open, uninterrupted view of your garden.
You want the space to feel like an extension of your indoor space so opt for frameless or minimal frames to enhance the connection and open-plan living allows you to create a smooth transition between inside and out.
2. Continuous Flooring
Another great way to remove any boundaries between the inside of your home is to use the same materials.
For example, laying the same or similar flooring inside and outside is a simple but effective way to create a cohesive look. Stone, porcelain tiles, or polished concrete are popular choices that work well both inside and outside.
Adding an outdoor rug is another simple but cost-effective way to blur boundaries and define seating areas to create a flow between the two spaces.
3. Create Transition
Adding a covered outdoor area such as a veranda or pergola is a great way to provide shelter, and make the transition between home and garden smoother.
It allows you to enjoy the outdoors even in the often less-than-ideal British climate and bridges the gap between home and garden.
If you don’t want a solid structure, then consider adjustable coverings, such as louvred roofs or retractable awnings for greater flexibility with shade and sunlight.
Adding patio heaters or a fire pit is another simple way you can make your outdoor extension usable all year round.
4. Install an Outdoor Kitchen
If your indoor kitchen connects to the garden, then adding an outdoor kitchen is a practical but stylish way to make the two areas feel like a natural extension of each other.
Again, if possible, match countertops or cabinetry with weatherproof materials. Add an outdoor dining table to further extend your indoor living space seamlessly into the garden.
By mirroring interior and exterior design elements in terms of decor, materials and colour scheme, you can make the indoor and outdoor spaces feel unified.
5. Add Greenery
No inside-out/outside-in design scheme is successful without lots of greenery. Add indoor plants near the garden doors to create a sense of continuity.
Indoor or outdoor vertical gardens are a great way to incorporate lush greenery without taking up floor space. Use similar plant types both inside and outside to visually blend the two spaces.
6. Install Seamless Lighting
Lighting is often an afterthought but when designed correctly it can transform both indoor and outdoor space.
The best installations combine layers of ambient, task, and accent lighting to create a seamless lighting transition between home and garden.
Again, you can match or coordinate lighting fixtures inside and out for continuity, and use spotlights to highlight key features such as statement planting areas, trees, or garden features.
7. Extend Outdoor Living Space
Think about how you use the spaces and what will give you maximum use and enjoyment.
If you extend the home into the garden, then space permitting, look to increase the functionality of the outdoor area by extending it.
Build a deck or patio that extends directly from your home, keeping it at the same level as your interior flooring if possible.
Having the indoor and outdoor flooring level with no step-downs will maintain visual continuity and flow.
Mirror the outdoor furniture like garden dining tables, sofas, chairs, or loungers with your indoor setup to create a functional and welcoming inside/out space.
8. Create Natural Flow
If your garden is large, then use landscaping and hardscaping to extend the experience.
Add paved paths that lead to various parts of the garden and draw people from the inside to the out and back again.
Divide your garden into zones (like rooms inside the home) for different functions such as lounging, dining, or relaxing.
Use fencing, trellises, or tall planting to create privacy and make the outdoor space feel like additional rooms.
9. Garden Room Extensions
Garden room extensions are another favourite of ours and a great way to extend your home into the garden.
They offer you additional space that can be used for various purposes like home offices, gyms, playrooms, or even a guest bedroom.
Compared to traditional home extensions, garden room extensions offer a cost-effective/budget-friendly solution, they are just as energy efficient, quicker to build, and less disruptive. Plus, in many cases, they don't require planning permission.
A garden room can be an excellent way to blur the lines between the inside and outside of your home, offering a tranquil and inspiring space to relax, work, or entertain.
Our final thoughts on extending your home or creating a garden room extension…
By using any of these 9 design strategies, you can create a beautiful and functional extension from your home into your garden, making the outdoors feel like a true part of your indoors.
If you do want to build an extension on your home into the garden then you must consider planning permission, the type of extension, and how much it will cost.
Check with your local council’s planning office to see if you need permission. In some areas, things like single-story garden rooms can be built under permitted development rights. In other words, they may require some documentation but not full planning permission. To be on the safe side, always check first!
In terms of what will fit and function best, do you need an architect who can add the wow factor and create something sympathetic to your home/space? Think about how the extension will impact function and traffic flow.
Consider the cost of materials, labour, fixtures, and fittings so that you can bring it in on budget but always make sure there’s contingency.
To create a good extension that blurs the lines between home and garden, our advice would be to hire professionals. You want to find quality tradespeople with the relevant experience and qualifications.
If you have our patio furniture in your outside space, we would love to see a few photos for our Do Some Good charity campaign. You can tag us @LazySusanFurniture on Instagram or Facebook or Upload Here.
