Outdoor living characterizes leisure time in Israel. If you’re buying a new home with a garden or a balcony, your interior design will be extended to the front and back yards and roofs and terraces, in such a way that there will be a complete blend between indoors and outdoors.
Although it’s charming to have your morning shakshuka and coffee outdoors all year round, there are some elements you need to take into account when designing your patio.
Aesthetically I’m all for deck !
The combination of wood with cooler, lighter materials suitable for living in this climate, provides the perfect way to add warmth into the design of your home .
However the effects of the sun beating down, together with the humidity in Tel Aviv and it’s surrounding areas, and the sea salt in the air if you’re planning to live by the beach, make the upkeep of wood very high maintenance . Whether your decking or garden table are pine or teak, which are the two kinds of woods used most frequently outdoors in Israel, the wood will fade very quickly and you will find that you’ll have to have someone to come smooth, polish and lacquer it once a year .
There’s also the option of synthetic deck which looks very similar and although 30% more expensive requires much less maintenance, but bear in mind that it gets very hot to the touch, so you won’t be able to walk barefoot outdoors in the summer .
That doesn’t mean don’t use decking, here are a few tips on how best to incorporate it in your outdoor design in the most practical way:
- Best not to deck in areas of the garden facing the south, with direct exposure to the midday sun.
- Deck in areas which have cover , either under a pergola or which are shaded by the building.
- Wood is a natural material and people here are used to seeing the decking looking grey at the end of summer and some even prefer it that way.
