Imagine a sanctuary in your backyard that inspires you to lounge with a good book, grill with a cold drink in hand, and laugh with friends over a home-cooked meal. This outdoor living space brilliantly combines style, innovation and functionality. It is an extension of your home, not just a simple add-on.

What if we told you that this dream can become a reality and that its construction is entirely possible? Below, we show you three unique ways to translate your home’s interior style into your outdoor entertaining space.

Reproduce The Aesthetic Of The Interior Of Your Home On Your Terrace. With innovations in composite and PVC decking, your yard can become an extension of your hardwood flooring, allowing guests to seamlessly transition from indoors to outdoors. For example, Fortress’s Apex PVC decking line uses a proprietary triple extrusion process that produces the rich look of tropical hardwoods, such as might be found in a coastal kitchen or living room.

Pro Tip: Homeowners can also literally bring the indoors into the garden by setting up comfortable seating for patio seating, installing a garden bar, and arranging blankets and cushions for pops of colour. Another benefit is that composite and PVC decking boards are UV, scuff and moisture resistant, allowing you to spend more time lounging on your deck rather than maintaining it.

Use Patio Lighting Solutions To Add A Whimsical Ambience To Your Outdoor Living Space.  Recessed into stair treads, crowning posts, defining access points and positioned on railings, strategically placed FortressAccents™ patio lights guide homeowners safely up steps, signal changes in elevation, define perimeters and softly illuminate entertainment areas.

Pro Tip: Add string lights and lanterns to create a warm and inviting outdoor space.

The Days Of Boring Ramps Are Over. Railing solutions currently on the market, such as the Al¹³ HOME™ system, offer homeowners greater design flexibility with a wide variety of panel options such as cables, stakes and glass. The finish of the railing system can then be tailored to individual preferences, with the option of a premium powder-coated coating in different colours to complement your composite or PVC decking. Additionally, some manufacturers offer railing post caps that incorporate LED lighting, providing both safety and style.

Pro Tip: To increase the number of potential guests in an outdoor living space, consider adding composite or PVC decking boards to the top rail to create a wider area for placing drinks or on which to lean to chat quietly. The Al¹³ HOME™ system also offers a fantastic shelf ramp, as if it were specially designed for backyard entertaining.

With so many product options for landscaping, our homes and outdoor living spaces can become as unique as we are. Our goal at Fortress is to continue to provide a complete solution for homeowners and builders and, in doing so, to enable you to create an outdoor space that is not only an extension of your home but also an extension of yourself for more outdoor design tips and inspiration.