Five Reasons to Have an Outdoor Sitting Area
You might think carefully before decorating your interior rooms, but have you ever considered what the design of an outdoor room might look like? The concept itself may seem strange, but an outdoor room, a seating area in a garden with benches or chairs to rest on, can certainly be considered an extra room for your home, even outside the walls. Here are some of the benefits to including an ‘outdoor room’ in your garden plan!
1. Destination
"An Adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered," in the words of G.K. Chesterton. Spending time in the garden can feel more satisfying and interesting when you feel that you have a goal, or a destination to get beyond an obstruction or an expanse. Having an outdoor seating area in the garden gives you a place to walk to, even within your own yard - a miniature adventure. A good designer will even place obstacles (boulders, mass plantings, beds, water features, or mounding elevation) in the way to create a meandering pathway to a sitting area. Being able to see a lovely place to sit is a great way to encourage movement and the desire for a little pilgrimage for a coffee and reading time. There is even a case for using a bench in a landscape that would never even be used for sitting - think real-life landscape painting. A bench set on the other end of a garden gives depth to the landscape!
The seating area is clearly visible from the path, tempting passersby to stop and take a break
2. Space/Scale
The creation of ‘spaces’ in gardening is an important facet of landscaping. The dimensions of horizontal spaces or sitting areas should be related to the scale of the house, trees, and other vertical elements in ratios of approximately 1/3 and 2/3 (this is a simplified version off the "golden ratio" rule used by landscapers). The rule of thumb for effectuating a defined space in garden design is to have vertical elements that are, in height, one-third of what the horizontal space is in width. These and other design principles and rules might seem limiting, but design functions on limitation - "The most beautiful part of a picture is the frame" (G.K. Chesterton.) An outdoor seating area is a very clearly defined room in the garden, lending a feeling of peace and organization to a sprawling expanse.
This seating area is defined by a very clear circular shape
3. Discovery
Creating sitting spaces with planted screens, walls, or barriers will make for little mysteries to discover around the yard. Not everything in the garden is blatantly obvious at a first glance. Even in front, street-facing gardens, the appeal does not all have to be visible from the curb. Having walls and spaces in which features can be hidden is a great way to make a garden feel bigger and even exciting.
A garden path leading through stones and garden beds, concealing its destination
4. "Slow garden"
Having a place to sit in the garden can help one slow down and appreciate the surroundings. As with a classical symphony, the composer of a garden design considers moments for loud, extravagant drama that can be heard from yards away and yet other moments for introspective meditation and detail. Especially complex and intricate perennial arrangements can be implemented near seating areas and be fully appreciated there where it might otherwise be walked by. Sitting areas are not the place for mass plantings. This is an area for a long, slow appreciation of a collection of plants. Stopping to smell the flowers, both figuratively and literally, can be a relaxing way to enjoy a beautiful day.
A small, intricate arrangement of small plants by a seating area
5. Health benefits
Getting outside and getting into the sun is very good for your health. It can help reduce stress and anxiety, help make social connections with neighbors, and help produce vitamin D, which is needed for strong bones and a healthy immune system. Having an outdoor seating area as a place to relax outdoors can be a great way to stay out in the sun longer to reap these benefits.
Neil enjoys a rock that was designed with seating in mind- Not all chairs have to be chairs! This particular seating rock is placed in a newly-installed Japanese garden, inspired by Henry Ford's own sitting rock that was located nearby.
Having an outdoor seating area is an easy way to get outside, relax, and can be a beautiful addition to your garden. From creating its own space to enhancing the appreciation of existing plantings, adding one can really help transform a garden!
