Outdoor dcor helps define view

By Christine Brun, Special to the U-T10 a.m.Oct. 11, 2014

The design of the Qasr al Sarab resort in Abu Dhabi blends with the desert landscape.

A room with a view is precious. When you book a hotel room, there is added value attached to a view of a quaint garden fountain, the ocean or a mere peek at a mountain range. If you are a family that enjoys staycations, there should be just as much value placed on any open space and what lies beyond your own yard.

I am reminded while traveling around our county how fortunate we San Diegans are to have an impressive assortment of extraordinary views from a wide number of neighborhoods.

Near Balboa Park, you might have expansive views east of canyons, rooftops and the Cuyamaca Mountains, the same mountains visible from Mission Bay high-rise structures. South Park offers views of the same eastern geometry, but also an interesting angle on San Diego Bay.

From the rim of Fashion Valley or City Heights, you peer straight down the San Diego River bed and see where the Pacific meets our sadly anemic river. Ridge lots in eastern-facing parts of Encinitas hover over the San Dieguito River bed and all of Rancho Santa Fe. And no one needs to remind those homeowners hugging Mount Soledad on both sides of the amazing blue-water views.

Its all a classic California landscape dotted with eucalyptus, sage, palm trees of every variety and tempting azure waters from Imperial Beach up to Encinitas.

Which brings me back to the subject of views and what to do about yours. The example in this photo is nothing if not exotic. Taken at the Qasr al Sarab resort nestled on the edge of the Liwa Desert in Abu Dhabi, rooms here are the epitome of luxury. But what strikes me more is that when you experience an interior that is clearly tapped into the feeling and sensation of the view, a magical experience can result.

Now you dont have a backyard in Abu Dhabi, I know. But perhaps your yard overlooks the amazing Mission Trails Regional Park. Are not those canyons and hills spectacular? Could you not pull colors from nature to extend your living space into your backyard or onto your deck? What would a color scheme based on a moss green, tan, charcoal gray and black do for you, with pops of red or a buttery gold? Look at your blooming shrubs for inspiration.

It is notable that this serene exterior room blends into the color of sands beyond. This is the precise reason that the view pulls you out into that fading landscape. Is it really so different from looking down Peasquitos Canyon from Carmel Valley homes or backyards in the Santa Luz development? We are, in case you didnt notice this past summer, really living in the Southern California desert, and that means that we all should be rethinking how we use our exterior spaces.

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Outdoor dcor helps define view