The New Normal & What It Means For Outdoor Spaces

The New Normal & What It Means For Outdoor Spaces

Chattanooga Lawn Care

This year has seen unprecented changes with huge swaths of the global population effectively confined to their homes in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. From the beginning of the local lockdowns, individual outdoor spaces such as home gardens, balconies and yards have become a welcome escape from home confinement.

As we adjust to this change, and embrace a “new normal,” there will undoubtedly be long term impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic that impact the future of outdoor space designs and will almost certainly influence what homeowners prefer when our team at Holder Outdoor are designing future outdoor retreats.

Space Optimization-One Emphasis

For the entire existence of Holder Outdoor until COVID-19, the ownership of useful outdoor living spaces was considered a luxury item. particularly when it pertained to large gardens. Since the advent of the lockdown, even modest outdoor spaces have become a more integral part of everyday living. We expect this will result in a trend of more emphasis placed on useful outdoor spaces of any size and scope.

Even as some restrictions are ended, it’s absolutely foreseeable that people will likely be spending much more time in their homes. This makes outdoor living areas much more necessary and useful. The impact on garden and outdoor living designs is that our Holder Outdoor team will have to work creatively to ensure that every inch of an outdoor living design contains usable space.

Whether converting a balcony to make better use of vertical spaces for planting, or creating a comfortable and functional outdoor seating area, the future is clearly going to involve multifunctional and adaptable outdoor spaces that are more useful in more ways than ever before.

Outdoor Space As An Extra Room

As the boundaries between work and home and work and school life have blurred, so too have the boundaries between interior and exterior living spaces. Homeowners are much more likely to utilize their outdoor and indoor spaces interchangeably as weather permits.

There has been a seismic shift in perception. The pandemic has brought forth the realization that an outdoor space can be so much more than a stretch of lawn or a patio constructed from hardscape bricks.

For our designers, we are seeing a trend towards updating outdoor living spaced to make them useful for different purposes over the course of time. We’ve seen more requests for an outdoor quiet spot suitable for reflection or working at home. We have also received requests for dedicated play areas for children, or dedicated spaces for fitness and exercise.

Looking ahead, we anticipate that more practical outdoor spaces will continue to be a trend. Our clients are definitely prioritizing designing outdoor areas for multiple uses all year round. We are seeing a trend that reflects indoor interior designs more closely where more comfortable outdoor furniture and softer fabrics are becoming preferred. We have also begun to experience an increased demand for outdoor buildings that can be used for an office or digital learning space. These space concepts have given birth to a new industry term-‘transterior.’

But Is It Sustainable?

As we have all increased the amount of time spent at home and in our outdoor spaces since lockdown began, there has definitely been a renewed emphasis on sustainability and self-sufficiency.

During the first few months of lockdown in the US, urban gardening has been a massive trend as city residents increasingly grow their own culinary herbs, vegetables and fruits. It is our sincere belief that this trend will later extend to canning and preservation in the fall as the sheer volume of harvested food becomes apparent.

Clearly sustainability has already been a focus over the past several years. At Holder Outdoor, we fully expect that small vegetable, fruit and herb gardens will be a fixture for many of our clients going forward, whether planted in stand alone gardens, beds, or pots, or more integrated into the overall visual design.

As the focus turns to sustainability, natural and sustainable landscape building materials become more desirable. We expect clients to prefer sustainable options such as natural stone and reclaimed wood to be used in outdoor spaces going forward.

Stress Abatement & Mindfulness

As a professional landscape company, our team at Holder Outdoor are already very familiar with the known health benefits that relaxing outdoor spaces and gardening promote. These reduce anxiety and stress and promotes an atmosphere of mindful living-which has become a necessary coping strategy for many at home during this pandemic.

As 2020 continues and the “new normal” unfolds, Holder Outdoor predicts that the traditional expected role of home design to convey security, warmth, and wellness will also extend to our outdoor spaces. Our role will be to evoke this sense of serenity, calmness and wellness through the thoughtful consideration all aspects of the design. These spaces can be designed to promote relaxation and reflection, as well as a feeling of closeness to nature.

The future impacts of COVID-19 cannot all be definitively forecast. What we can be sure of is that the pandemic will have an impact on our lives for the foreseeable future. At Holder Outdoor, we are prepared to respond to the need for more sustainable, adaptable and mindful living spaces.

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Landscaping Experts

You can rely on Holder Outdoor for all of your landscaping needs.  We are the “Best of the Best” landscaping choice for the greater Chattanooga area.

Just a few of our references...

"I have been a loyal customer of Holder Outdoor for almost seven years now. I have received exceptional service from everyone on the staff from a beautiful green lawn that is well manicured, help with planting my new shrubs, and advice on what I can do have the best yard on the street! I know I will have lots more work in the future, and will always be a Holder Outdoor customer!"
Natalie Bigger
Purple Wire
"For over six years Dakota has done work for me at my personal home and, as a Realtor, at several homes I was marketing. Some of these homes were occupied while some had absentee owners, but all were complimentary of the job he does. He has proven to go above and beyond just doing a “good job.” He is very dependable, ethical and organized. Because of his work ethic, I have no hesitation referring Dakota to others.."
Testimonial for Holder Outdoor
Pam Gilbertson - GRI, CRS, e-Pro
Prudential Realty Center
"Dakota has done much landscaping for me personally and professionally. As a Realtor, I frequently refer him to sellers to maximize their curb appeal as well as to buyers new to the area. He is always accommodating, and his work is always impressive."
Testimonial for Holder Outdoor
Fiona Eischeid
Keller Williams Realty-Downtown Chattanooga
"Dakota has always done and excellent job on my properties. They come in with a professional team, take care of the lawn, trim and spray, blow the sidewalks and driveways and always take care of the prized flowers in our beds."
Testimonial for Holder Outdoor
Paula Tallent
Property Investor

Chattanooga's Lawn Care Professionals

When you rely on Holder Outdoor you can be assured of quality, timely, expert care in all areas: lawn care, landscaping, leaf removal, tree care and all outdoor maintenance services.

Quality & Excellence

When you rely on Holder Outdoor you can be assured of quality, timely, expert care in all areas: lawn care, landscaping, leaf removal, tree care and all outdoor maintenance services.