Extending our living spaces outdoors is an adaptation worth keeping.
by Anya Shor //
Extending our living spaces outdoors is an adaptation worth keeping.
As we slowly, and anxiously, ease back into this new and altered state of “normal life,” many of us are evaluating exactly what that means for the habits and lifestyle changes we adopted over the last two years. Many of those things have been welcome and positive, allowing us a time to slow down and reflect on what quality of life means to us and what kind of life we want to live moving forward. Some of those things we truly enjoyed and will continue enjoying, now on our own terms.
One of the myriad things many of us learned over the last two years of the pandemic is that there is no inappropriate time for outdoor dining and entertaining. We gathered around fire pits with hot drinks and blankets in freezing weather; we doused ourselves in bug spray in rainy May and June. We did whatever it took to gather with the people we loved and missed so dearly, in the safest way permitted.
In my household we are seasoned alfresco diners. We have two well-worn vintage picnic baskets and woolly blankets we’ve taken into the woods or to the edge of the pond in summer and winter alike! I also have storage shelves in my basement jam-packed with platters, pitchers and Depression glassware for occasions to host any number of guests under the sun or stars.
But it’s no longer just about dining outdoors. Now it’s about lifestyle: a complete extension of our indoor lives to the outdoors. We can cook complete meals, read, work, cocktail (yes, that’s a legitimate verb as far as I’m concerned)—all in the comfort of fully-outfitted outdoor kitchens and living spaces.
In fact, while many businesses struggled, retailers of outdoor living furniture and fixtures reported an increase in sales up to 80 percent! And not just for the usual grills and gazebos. Pizza ovens, smokers, fireplaces, patio heaters, and indoor/outdoor family-sized sectional seating have all seen unprecedented sales since March 2020. People aren’t just looking to expand outdoor eating space, but to enhance the overall outdoor living experience with style, flare, and culinary prowess.
I plan on resuming focus on our outdoor living space this spring with some of these finds I’m loving. That pizza oven! Those chairs! (Swoon.) But what I really look forward to is enjoying more of that precious, slow, quality time with my friends and family. Lingering evenings with good food and laughter and fresh air! Alfresco! With pizza!
Cheers, Anya
