With the weather warming up and the days getting longer, why spend the majority of your time indoors? Sexy gardener Jamie Durie seems to think this is a pretty silly idea too, and says the perfect compromise to spending time outside but maintaining a level of comfort is to bring your living room to the great outdoors. The concept of an outdoor living room is to create a space with the appropriate lighting, furnishings and fabrics that are tailored to outdoor living. Trees, hedges and fences replace the walls in a traditional indoor living room and pebbles, stones or grass are used as flooring instead of those oak hardwoods that currently occupy your indoor space.

According to Jamie, the perfect outdoor living room must be well-suited to the needs and desires of the person creating it and the environment in which they live. Though his tips are addressed at Aussies (Jamie is a native Australian), they can be applied to anyone looking for outdoor living ideas.

Aussies love the outdoors, do you think this is why people are blending indoors with the outdoors? On the other hand, do you think outdoor living has always been popular; we are just doing it better now?
Aussies have always been known for their love of the outdoors, whether it be a barbie for lunch or enjoying a drink with friends under the stars.

However, it is only recently that our architecture started to adopt a truly Australian style and reflect, and make use of, our beautiful climate. Houses are orientated so that living areas open out towards the best aspect - the sun and the view and therefore living areas more naturally spill outside.

What is one, or some, of the golden rules to designing an outdoor room?
I think that for people to feel comfortable in a space it has to have a sense of enclosure, even if it’s just suggestive, such as the arching canopy of a beautiful big tree, a sunken area to nestle seating into or a wall of screening plants. No-one feels comfortable exposed to their neighbours, the cold wind or the western sun.

An outdoor room sounds great, but expensive, so if I am on a tight budget, can I really get my outdoor area to look like something out of a magazine?
You can use inexpensive materials in very beautiful ways with some imagination and good planning. Plants thrive when planted as small specimens and raised with care, soon catching up with the more expensive larger pot sizes.

Keep it simple and, as time goes by, and there is more money to invest in the garden, you can add to your creation.

If budget is not too much of a problem, but I really don't have much of an idea about landscaping, where can I start?
I truly believe a plan is a great investment. The money you spend getting a professional to design your garden will soon be saved with the right plant choices and great ideas that they will assist you with as you journey through the process together.

If I’m a hopeless gardener, how do I know what the best plants are for my garden/outdoor room?
Your local nursery is a great source of knowledge. They are experts on what grows well in the local climate and soil. If there is a plant growing in your neighbourhood that you love, take a clipping there for identification and confirmation that it will suit your garden too.

What if I live in an apartment, or a townhouse, do I really have a chance to make this area look good? How?
There are really stunning pots and planters available for sale now. I suggest you choose (them) on the large side and have fewer of them. Plants thrive with more soil space to grow and there is less chance of cluttering your space with a busy arrangement of too many plants.

If I am concerned about the environment, are there designs, or plants, which are better for the environment than others? Or does every little bit help?
The best thing you can do is choose plants that are native to your part of the country. This way they are likely to thrive as they are in the optimum environment. They are also likely to attract flora and fauna and won't pose a weed problem.

Is the outdoor room your favourite room?
There is no better place to entertain than in the outdoors, I love to relax on a pleasant evening under the stars and I find gardening very therapeutic and grounding.

Do you have an outdoor room? And if so, what is your favourite feature in it?
My outdoor room at home is my favourite part of the house. And the best feature of all: a magnificent view of the ocean and the coast. I could watch it change all day.

» Realestate.com (Australia)