A Courtyard Dressed In Wood

Enjoy your patio or courtyard all year round or almost, it’s possible! It is enough to arrange it in a natural style, warm in all seasons thanks to the strong presence of wood and a sleek design under Japanese influence. Here, everything invites you to relax: the comfortable lounge and the DIY straw-style bar take shelter under custom-made pergolas, while the dining area with barbecue is set up in the open air. The blond wood is complemented by a soothing blue-green, both soft and dynamic. As for lights, suspensions, table lamps or nomads, they promise magical evenings.

The Strong Points Of The Ikigai Courtyard Using Wood for Decor

1. A wall facing made with perforated panels to decorate and give volume to the outdoor living room.
2. Two custom-made pergolas which structure the courtyard with Japanese influences.
3. A DIY straw-style bar: mini size, maximum effect!
4. Privacy screens to hide and reinforce the presence of wood.
5. Design and light furniture that does not obstruct traffic.
6. A strip of gravel surrounds the wooden terrace and lets space breathe.

Pergolas To Structure

Masterpieces of the layout of the courtyard, the two pergolas form an L: one serves as an awning above the access door and the other houses the lounge area.

The structures are made with joists serving as posts, beams or reinforcements.

For a result with an impeccable and refined finish, we adopt the principle of engravings and interlocking pieces of wood.

For the “ roof ” of the pergolas, we cut openwork fence panels: a simple idea, aesthetic and easy to implement.

We use these same panels to cover the upper part of the wall in the living room area: we thus finalize the marking of this space while masking the covering behind it.

An Ikigai-Style Courtyard

If the organization of the courtyard is essential, the choice of style is just as important. We opt for decor with Japanese influences: materials, lines of constructed elements, choice of colors, aim to create a Zen atmosphere that warms in all seasons.

In terms of colors, we favor slightly green blues that harmonize as much with the sky as with the vegetation. We add touches of white and gray. For materials, we highlight wood. Its premium used to create the arbors, the bar, the wall covering and the fence. We keep the harmony of hot honey, staining, if necessary, certain pieces of wood. On the ground, the wooden slats are associated with white gravel, in the Japanese tradition of the complementary plant/mineral duo.

If the peripheral gravel strip visually enlarges the space, it also offers the possibility of placing a barbecue there without taking any risks. We also choose wood for certain accessories: the kitchen blind or pretty pendant lights that allow us to balance its presence in space while creating a very designer “stripe” effect.

On the furniture side, we focus on metal models with light shapes that avoid overloading the space. We associate them with slightly more present pieces, like a wooden deckchair, but always in a refined design .

The accessories follow the Japanese trend: cushions chosen in shades of blue and gray, white ceramic dishes with soft shapes. Subtle and repetitive patterns are also welcome.

A Beach Bar

Is there a portion of the wall available? We take the opportunity to create a small outdoor bar, very practical for a drink or a quick meal.

We adjust its height to the chosen stools.

We easily reproduce the design chosen for the rest of the layout, always using the same openwork panel to dress the front of the bar.

For the “feet” and the supports of the bar, we use falls of joists which served for the arbors and we finalize with a cutwork plan or a board on the top.

And here is another possible function: a serving hatch, ideally located in front of the kitchen window!

Well-Lit Evenings

To take full advantage of the courtyard in the evening, take care of the artificial lighting and multiply the sources as you would for a living room. There are fixed points of light, such as wall lights that are combined with cluster hanging suspensions. Arbors are used here for easy installation.

We add nomadic lights, to place and to hang to distribute the light points well and modulate the atmosphere. Practical: solar models. We choose lighting in accordance with the decor with Japanese influences: clean lines and natural materials in the spotlight!

The good idea: special outdoor wall lamps or suspensions whose style has nothing to envy to the models found in the house.