Source: CUSTOM HOME Magazine
Publication date: September 2, 2004
By Patti Fasan
Although it is well known that kitchens and baths sell a house, exterior roomscapes and the lifestyle they suggest are emerging as the new must-haves. For many home buyers, the perfect dream property now includes terraced seating areas, private decks, and furnished outdoor living rooms; transitional courtyards and garden paths that blur the line between indoor and outdoor living quarters; alfresco dining rooms under vine-covered pergolas where a state-of-the-art grill and fire pit vie for attention with fountains, koi ponds, spas, and swimming pools.
As much energy and expense is going into the design of these outdoor rooms as is spent on their interior counterparts. Sophisticated design and top-quality materials normally associated with interior décor have replaced the picnic table and bare bones look of the '80's. Cushions, candelabras, artwork, and antiques grace these rooms under the stars. Following this trend, material choices for exterior floors and walls have been dramatically upgraded.
For these reasons, ceramic tile has become a mainstay in landscape and outdoor room design. Flowing through the main areas of the house and spilling onto patios and terraces, ceramic tile creates the unifying thread that winds through the various rooms of the garden and integrates the indoors and out.
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