Revamping your Roofs and Open Spaces

COVID – 19 has made our lives change in numerous ways. We are slowly getting acquainted with the ‘New Normal’. Amidst the lockdown, to stay on the safer side, the preference to stay indoors has increased. We are becoming homebound, now more than ever.  This has made it essential to revamp your roofs & open spaces of your homes. The ‘Work from home’ culture has initiated the need to have homes that breathe positivity. With families staying indoor, there’s a need to revamp our thoughts on how we look at our interactive spaces. The residential sector has entered a dual role in catering to both housing, as well as workplace needs. The pandemic has been an eye-opener about how we cherish being outside. Balconies, backyards, and green spaces have become the new highlights of our homes.

Roofs = Open space

Roofs are an important construction element. For many decades they were being used as a sheltering element. But in the current times, they too can be optimally utilised for something more appealing and aesthetic.  Our open spaces can be optimized by making them active spaces. Before the pandemic, the usage of roofs was for catering to domestic purposes. Now is the time, we can make these spaces actively open for interactions and family times.  

So, here are a few ideas through which you can revamp your roofs and open spaces 

Garden on roofs & open spaces

What benefits do rooftop gardening give a resident?  According to researchers, rooftop garden benefits your psychological growth. With a variety of plants and shrubs available in the market, one can choose a wide range of species for your green roof. Even the planters and pots are now available in different materials and variety. They also add up to the aesthetics of a space and make your green roof more pronounced.  Depending on the size of the balcony or open space you can mark your green areas. Plants can be a good option to recreate your roof space. They can even act as informal spaces for working while at home. A coffee table or a basic dining table to accommodate the members can make these spaces more optimized for use. For having an informal vibe, you can add bean bags or high raised cushions.

Indoor – Outdoor 

Outdoors within a household can be great spaces to unwind during the rainy and winter season. But during the summers, it can be discomforting. A balance of indoors and outdoors can be maintained by adding partitions for air buffers. A glass partition which allows a semi-closure between the indoors and outdoors can be a good idea.

Add Accessories 

It could be artworks, sculptures, hanging pieces, stone pieces, or paintings. They add a dynamic feature to the outdoors and give an inviting vibe to the entire space. Sculptures with flowing water can be a meditative experience for the residents as they tend to have a positive impact on our psych.

Be space smart! 

We are heading towards the microgeneration; our house has now started getting more and more compact. The key here is to use our open spaces smartly. Many innovative furniture with inbuilt storage is available in the markets. These furniture elements can save space and even make the existing space dynamic.   Instead of having planters and greens placed horizontally, you can go vertical by adding steps to your roofs. It allows a varied experience for your balcony or open spaces. Vertical gardening and farming are the new trends in rooftop gardening that many households are adapting. It allows your open space to have a soothing effect by using the verticality of a zone making the horizontal space available more for spatial use.

Soft Lighting 

Lighting plays a vital role in defining the mood of a space. In open spaces or roofs, bright light can create a sense of uneasiness. The key is to have soft lighting that allows the space to be lit adequately without being too harsh. As open spaces need to be centric more towards having an informal vibe, having the right lights is always important.   The lights needn’t just be about their illuminance but also their shape and design. Hanging lights are good for dining or seating areas for amplifying the rooftop gardens. The area for the planters can have spotlights or mild downlights to have a calm tone to the greens in the evenings. The lighting above the seating space can be slightly brighter and more pronounced as compared to the other spaces to define the centric activity. The light should be just adequate for you to read and look at the stars.

Colour Palette 

The Colour palette plays a vital role in interior decoration and gives many rooftop garden benefits by adding dynamicity to space. The consistency to stick to the colour palette is where the balance of the entire blend takes place. While designing your roof spaces, make sure that you stay put on the colour palette that was beforehand. While getting every element, check if they belong to the same thread.    The palette of your rooftop garden needs to be consistent with your home. As in the end, they both are the same part of a whole. 

Get yourself a Metaphorical Money Plant 

It is the most crucial part of making a house. We spend a massive amount of finances on our homes to make our vision into reality. It is important to have a pre-determined idea of the budget and the costing. Sometimes we even tend to go overboard while planning our budget. In such situations having a pre-planned system can be a good solution.   Also, while making the house, we need to think about its running cost. In such scenarios, opting for sustainable ideas is always a great solution.   Our roofs are left dormant to do their basic function of sheltering us.   But what if they could do more?  What if we could have roofs that become our asset and give us our assured returns?  What if our roofs could save our electricity bills and at the same time beautify our homes?  For this, having an Atrium, HomeScape’s flagship Solar Pergola is the ideal option. An Atrium is a wooden solar pergola that acts as a shade to your open gardens or balconies. While doing this, it also produces solar energy that can be effectively used in our households. So the roof now is no more a stagnant system but an active energy-producing powerhouse. This can act as a unique rooftop garden idea.  So, these are the ideas through which you can revamp your roof and open space to form an actively used set-up. These ideas are easily adaptable and have an impactful effect on your open spaces. These areas not only help in getting beautiful open spaces but they also reduce our mental strains. They also tend to increase your productivity. Your open spaces are the best way to have a happier and healthier lifestyle.