The Texas heat is finally starting to cool off some and our personal favorite time of the year is around the corner. This is the time where we can sit outdoors around a fire pit to watch College GameDay and enjoy our friends and family. And we aren't alone. Homeowners often dream of outdoor living spaces that offer the same luxury and comfort they have indoors. Top-of- the-line accent pieces, sumptuous outdoor fabrics and high-end entertainment features can change a plain patio into a lavish space for entertaining or relaxing.

Layered lighting, such as gas-flame sconces hung from a rough timber trellis, built over side-by-
side stone fireplaces or beautiful table lamps, coupled with a carefully chosen statute or sculpture
amplifies the ambience. Let's discuss some of our favorite things that make an outdoor spot the perfect place to enjoy a Texas Fall!

1. The Perfect Porch
Resorts the world over employ large open walls leading outdoors. These porches, or
verandas, take advantage of nature’s beauty to add a spacious feel to the living space. The
outdoors comes inside, brightening your space. Enjoy the sunlight or rain’s soothing sounds
with a roof overhead.

2. Lanai
If you are constructing a lodge in the mountains or a house on the beach, consider adding a
lanai porch to invite the spectacular outside views into your living space. Install accordion
doors to open up onto a deck to make your space even larger. Add a kitchen or dining area,
and you will turn this large, open space into a unique entertaining or living area you won’t
want to leave.

3. Outdoor Lighting
Bring the power of light outdoors. Harness the beauty of fire to add a warm, relaxing light to
your space. Place table lamps on ledges or eating surfaces, hang gas sconces from a trellis or
pergola, or install a chandelier to fit your setting to add a touch of light that flickers and
invites you outside. For that outdoor bar, consider adding a melted glass countertop with
fiber optic lighting built in to light up cocktail glasses and other glass decorations.

4. Fireplaces and Trellises
If you’re installing an outdoor fireplace or two, consider constructing a trellis or pergola over
the space to create the feeling of a room outside. The shade, along with the added warmth
from the fire, will make this a year-round space. Build the fireplaces facing each other to
create separate sitting and dining spaces out of one. Hang some art on the stonework for a
splash of color or texture.

5. Entertainment
Enhance your outdoor living space with technology for that extra touch. Install surround-
sound speakers in the garden, attach them to walls, or hang them from the trellis for just the
right ambience whatever the occasion. Add an outdoor plasma TV or install a retractable
screen with a projector to get the theater experience you love while the stars join you to
watch.

Looking to add that something extra to your outdoor space or open up your inside space to the
grandeur of the outdoors? Tony McClung stands ready to transform your home in ways you can
only imagine. Call us today at 214-668-7802!