It’s a given, these days, that indoor and outdoor spaces flow seamlessly togeth – er, creating an immersive experience. Bi-fold doors and walls of glass unite the landscape and the architec – ture, and a variety of products typically seen inside, including televisions, wood-burning fireplaces and fully equipped kitchens, are being placed outdoors to extend the living space and length of use. “Luxury outdoor living is no longer a separate design category,” says Michael Vahrmeyer, president of NatureKast Weatherproof Cabinetry. “It’s an extension of the home’s overall language.”
And that extension, adds Max Sebrechts, A&D director of outdoor shading manufacturer Renson NorthAmerica, is defined by clean sightlines, aligned floor levels, consistent material palettes and minimal struc – tural profiles. “There is a strong preference for integrated façade systems, concealed mounting details and operable ele – ments that allow flexibility without visual clutter,” he says, adding that there’s a “growing focus on healthy spaces – optimizing daylight, natural ventilation, solar control and thermal comfort” to create outdoor environ – ments that can be used all year round.
Collaboration among all parties involved in the project is the key to the successful coordination of indoor and outdoor spaces. Mitch Votolato, director of architec – tural design at Sweenor Builders, which creates pools and homes, says that “working with a landscape architect from the onset, we can capture a holistic and cohesive design experience.”
OUTDOOR KITCHENS STEP IT UP
Window walls and sliding-glass doors do more than open interior spaces: They make the outdoor kitchen very visible, turning it into a room, not simply a space to cook. “These spaces are designed with the same refinement you would expect indoors, including intentional millwork, layered materials and furniture-inspired cabinetry, all built to withstand the elements,” says NatureKast’s Vahrmeyer. The key to the invisible look is continuity of materials.
“Designers want the warmth and sophistication of wood without the maintenance risks outdoors,” Vahrmeyer says. “Advanced resin and laminate technologies allow for highly realistic finishes that perform beautifully in challenging climates.” NatureKast’s high-density resin cabinetry is cast from real wood grains and hand-finished for depth and realism so “you get the warmth of wood without the exposure risks of the outdoors,” he says. The company recently introduced Eclipse, a new slim Shaker door style, expanded its Euro collection and, in partnership with Hettich, added its first true stainless-steel undermount solution for outdoor spaces.
THE POPULARITY OF THE PERGOLA
The pergola, a traditional backyard garden element, has become a key component in the blending of indoor and outdoor spaces. Renson North America’s louvered roof systems and architectural façade cladding solutions offer high design that bridges the boundaries of spaces, allowing for a cohesive look. The company’s Alba® and Camargue® louvered pergolas allow the dynamic control of light and airflow, creating outdoor rooms that adapt to the environment, and the Linaret® vertical cladding system, which is defined by clean, contemporary lines that may be customized, turn facades into true architectural statements. “Design professionals choose these systems because they are not decorative elements – they are architectural tools that solve real performance challenges while elevating design,” says Sebrechts.
These high-style, high-performance products are designed to create a seamless indoor-outdoor transition with invisible mounting and streamlined detailing. Climate-adaptive, they are durable, perform well in high winds, and their sustainable aluminum systems last a long time. This year, Renson is expanding its portfolio to include screening solutions with larger spans for commercial projects; corner-window shading; and sun-shading structures such as the Maestro Pergotena that has a retractable fabric roof.
Additional new options include more locally produced accessories and upgrades; an advanced automation system that allows the façade systems and outdoor structures to communicate with building management systems; and modular configurations that allow architects greater flexibility without custom fabrication. All of these innovations, Sebrechts says, “make outdoor environments feel just as intentional and refined as interior spaces.”
WALLS OF GLASS ERASE BOUNDARIES
The most obvious – and the most popular – way to erase the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces is the one you can’t see: the operable glass wall. The most luxurious and liberating examples are custom high-performance sliding-glass wall systems that hide themselves in a cloak of invisibility. Their profiles are so sleek and thin that it’s almost impossible to tell where the inside spaces end and the exterior ones begin. “Seamless, barefoot-friendly transitions are one of the strongest trends,” says Liz Snyder, director of product marketing at NanaWall Systems, which has been making operable glass walls for commercial and residential projects for more than four decades.
Eliminating visible floor tracks and bulky profiles creates a “cleaner, more immersive experience,” she adds, noting that new high-tech designs allow “architects and designers to embrace curved and organic forms that require glass wall systems that adapt to the architecture rather than forcing the architecture to conform to the product.” NanaWall’s HSW single-track sliding systems, which come in virtually unlimited widths and whose panels disappear into concealed storage pockets, are “a strong solution for complex architectural designs” that push boundaries, Snyder says.
The panels, designed to follow the curve, are top hung and glide along a continuous curved head track and slide into concealed side closets. Barely visible embedded sockets in the floor provide locking points without requiring a sill. “The future of seamless design is not only aesthetic,” Snyder says. “It is performance driven. We are focused on delivering systems that look minimal while performing reliably in demanding environments.”
nanawall.com, naturekast.com, renson.net, sweenorbuilders.com
