Our homes have changed a lot in a few short decades. Gone are the days when then kitchen was tucked away at the back of the home. Today, cooking is much more interactional, with many opting to entertain and chat with guests while preparing a meal. Modern home design and open plan living blurred the lines between kitchen and living spaces. Like this architectural shift, we are now seeing a rise in a new area of kiwi home design – the rise of outdoor living.

Kiwis have always loved their indoor-outdoor flow. However, outdoor home décor has traditionally consisted of a few plastic chairs, a flimsy umbrella and an old BBQ. Now, we are seeing the outdoor living industry explode with high quality, durable products such as louvres, acrylic canopies, privacy screens. We have now transformed the humble deck into a comfortable second living space. 

Kiwis have been spending more time than ever at home over the past two years. This gave people a lot more time to consider their outdoor spaces and think of new ways to enjoy their homes with friends and whanau. 

This inward focus, coupled with the rapid rise in advancements in outdoor living products has led to a real boom in the outdoor products industry.

“The pandemic caused a lot of people to reconsider their outdoor spaces,” says Tom Holbutt, Director at Shade Design NZ.

“People started to look at their homes in a different way”.

“As a result of this, we have seen an increase in investment by both business and homeowners in products that improved the livability of outdoor spaces like acrylic canopies, awnings, roller blinds and louvre roof systems”.

Holbutt believes that by making our outdoor living spaces more comfortable, people will be more spend more time in these areas, year round. As a result of this, having a comfortable outdoor living space may become the new normal. 

“With outdoor spaces in bars, restaurants and people’s homes becoming not only inhabitable in winter, but comfortable, we could start seeing more Kiwis embrace the outdoor living room trend”