our outdoor wellness space Design & space prep
this post is in partnership with welvaere
I’m excited to announce that we’re officially adding an outdoor wellness space at Blanco Bungalow! In December, we placed our order with Welvaere, a company from the Netherlands, and this week, it finally arrived.
Now, the fun begins—planning, designing, and prepping the space! We’ve decided that the best spot for our new wellness area is in the side orchard. It’s the perfect location, with a large stucco wall providing privacy, plus it’s right next to our chickens, ducks, and future garden. I think it will be a peaceful, grounding space where guests can connect with nature, enjoy some solitude, and take in the breathtaking views.
For the sauna, we chose the wood-fired Tønsauna 280, which seats up to six people and features a cozy veranda on the front deck. I’ve dreamed of having one of these saunas for as long as I can remember, and I’m pinching myself now that it´s finally here!
we chose the ducktub extern for our hot tub. it has ergonomic seating and seats up to six. we also chose a hybird heating system, so it can heat from electricity or wood fired.
Here’s my rough sketch of the plan! I couldn’t find my architectural scale, graph paper, or even a ruler—so I had to get a little creative and resourceful.
I always recommend sketching out a design plan, even if you’ve never taken a design class, don’t consider yourself an artist, or think you don’t need one. Measuring your space and mapping it out to scale helps ensure everything fits properly. It doesn’t have to look perfect—what matters is that it’s accurate.
Personally, I struggle with digital programs like SketchUp and CAD—they stress me out! My brain just works better when I can physically draw things out. If you’re unsure about proportions, a great trick is to measure existing elements you like. For example, our garden gates are all 100cm wide, so I made the new gate the same size. Our current pathway is about 200cm wide, so I allowed 200cm for the new path. I also planned for a treeline around the space for privacy, leaving 100cm around the perimeter, and included room for a future cold plunge and wood storage. I also cut out the elements: sauna, outdoor shower, hot tub and seating area so i could move them around until i settled on a layout that i liked.
Once you have your design plan, it’s time to mark it out in real life. For interiors, I usually use blue tape to map everything out, but for outdoor projects, stakes and string work best—just like we did here.
This is the orchard where the wellness space will go. Today, Strader measured and marked off the area and started digging the trench for the border. Unfortunately, we had to remove three apple trees, but since Canyon stripped the bark off them last month, I’m pretty sure they were already done for. Our electrician also came by today and will be back in a few weeks to help us run a direct power line to the space.
Even with how detailed my plan was on paper, it still looks different now that it's physically staked out. That’s why I always recommend taking the time to measure, sketch, and mark everything before breaking ground—it’s the best way to triple-check your design!
this is my favourite inspo pic from my wellness space pinterest board. its from @littlehouseonchestnut, i love how lush and private this space feels with the mix of greenery and natural elements. it feels so cozy and i think we´ll aim to create something similar to this vibe.
we found a local shop who sells bulk rocks and pavers, and decided to go with this neutral brown mix. i like these because they´re rounded and wont hurt your feet.
and we grabbed a pallet of these pavers for the path. i´m still on the hunt for some on a larger scale. but these will do for now. we just have to wait for the rain to stop and the ground to harden, so the truck can deliver everything through our back gate.
and this week the sauna and hot tub arrived! we had a bit of a hiccup with the sauna, because the driver couldn´t get the pallet off of the truck, so we had to dissasemble the pallet and unpack piece by piece in the rain. but it actually ended up working out because now all of the pieces are laid out and organized in our gym, and should be easier to build when we are ready
and here is the jacuzzi. we are literally counting the days until we can set it up and start using it. on a clear night with the stars out, it will be absolutely amazing.
tha´ts it for this week, please stay tuned as we work on our new outdoor wellness space!
and if you´ve been considering an escape to portugal this year, please come and stay with us at blanco bungalow, we´d love to host you!
