A well-designed poolside cabana or outdoor room can provide you with years of enjoyment, summer or winter
Australia has a wonderful climate so it’s understandable why we love a poolside cabana — or a tennis court shelter or stand-alone outdoor room — that allows us to embrace the outdoors in all weather conditions. Here are a few of my best tips for designing a comfortable cabana or outdoor room.
Tip 1: Keep it simple
Prioritise clean lines in both the internal and external design so the structure sits harmoniously in the garden. To ensure a spacious feel inside, white walls are best as are open-plan interiors and bare floors featuring large-unit flooring materials in pale colours. Popular interior colours include softer shades with patches of vibrancy as focal points. Carry the colours from inside the structure to the outside.
Tip 2: Emphasise the natural
Use natural materials such as timber and stone for walling and flooring, or as an eclectic feature mixed with materials such as polished metal, glass and concrete. Favour colours that are soft and recessive or emphasis natural finishes, such as stone or weathered timber. Minimise the types of materials and match finishes and colours to the home itself to unify the project as a whole. The use of consistent design and materials throughout will ensure the overall project is well integrated.
Tip 3: Size things up
The ideal size of a cabana that is designed as a single structure to incorporate all the mod-cons in the one room should not be smaller than 5000mm x 4000mm and does not need to exceed 8000mm x 5000mm. These dimensions are based on comfortable architectural design measurements for a single room, such as a lounge or living room. A bathroom or change room would be in addition to these measurements. As with any design element, an important consideration is to ensure the cabana does not totally dominate the area in which it sits.
Tip 4: Integrate elements
Pool cabanas need to comply with pool fencing requirements that determine what can be incorporated within the poolside areas; however, with some smart design you can visually integrate the cabana and pool. Floor-to-ceiling glass in the cabana along the side facing the pool, and sliding doors that can be opened wide towards the home or entertaining area, will make the cabana more inviting. A pergola attached to the cabana and extending over the poolside area can also help to integrate the pool and cabana while providing shade to swimmers.
Tip 5: Create a place to cook
The ultimate structure and what’s included will be dictated by intended use, available space and, of course, budget. That said, outdoor kitchens are popular. These might include a grill or barbecue, double sink, fridge, dishwasher, pizza oven, microwave oven, and lots of cabinets for storage. This makes it easy to cook for the family and host get-togethers with the neighbours.
Tip 6: Turn up the heat
Heating and cooling is the difference between constantly using the cabana or using it only when the temperature is right. Popular cooling methods include combinations of concertinaed doors and windows, canopies, curtains, and adjustable louvred roofs that are waterproof when closed and allow in directional light when open. For warmth, a popular choice is to use radiant heaters. Large decorative fans are often included to keep air moving around, and reverse-cycle air-conditioning may be used in more elaborate designs.
Tip 7: Go for comfort
If space allows, you might want to include bathroom facilities. This allows flexible use of the cabana, such as turning it into a guest bedroom or home office. A simple bathroom may be just big enough to incorporate a toilet and small hand basin to ensure children don’t need to run soaking wet through the house.
Tip 8: Ensure versatility
Sliding and concertinaed doors, movable internal partitions, removable external walls, retractable ceilings and awnings, and louvres that can be opened or shut allow for great flexibility of use and layout. This allows many outdoo rooms to be adapted to a multitude of uses, such as an entertaining space with a pool table and flat-screen TV for weekend barbecues, a guest bedroom or teenage retreat, a yoga studio, gym, tennis court or pool cabana as well as a family study or home office. You really are spoiled for choice.
John Storch is a landscape architect, swimming pool designer and principal of the award-winning, well-established Sydney-based practice, A Total Concept