Outdoor Living at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

SWEET SANCTUARY: The concept of the outdoor room has expanded from living to lounging. It's bedding in the backyard, with an emphasis on comfier yet still weather-resistant materials. Among the hot items? Tandem chaise lounges.

PATIOS TEND to look better laid in symmetrical, formal designs while wooden decking is an ideal alternative for curved, flowing layouts. Decking has a much more relaxed, informal feel to it than paving. It is a material associated with outdoor living and leisure and, being relatively soft, it is a better material than blocks if you have children. Wood blends in with plants much more than blocks. The texture of blocks contrasts well with that of living material; the one is hard and solid, the other light and full of movement. The two work well together in any garden. There is nothing more attractive than the straight edge of a patio softened by a profusion of trailing plants.

A fairly spacious lawn near the house is nearly always desirable. This should be defined in some way, by a hedge or Fence or shrubbery. An open area, not delimited, doesn't give a desirable sense of enclosure and outdoor living room effect. The back lawn should be an outdoor extension of the interior of your home, approached, if possible by a porch or terrace from the living room. You will use this lawn for sitting and lounging and sunbathing, for entertaining and eating outdoors. One or more well-placed shade trees that cast shadow where it is appreciated when the sun is at its hottest, from midday until late afternoon, make good sense here. Flower borders at the margins of the lawn may be used to give color and interest.