Backyard

Backyard Seating & Fire Pit

Thermory.com wood decking + Western Window Systems series 600 multi-slide glass doors

Bonsai Garden + Master bedroom

The backyard features a vertical garden, called the “picking wall” by the designers of Weller Landscapes, for its selection of kitchen herbs. In regards to the courtyard's wood and concrete finishes, the architects explain how “[The] materials all had an honest raw quality about them, allowing them to age gracefully and acquire their own patina over time.”

Large paver patios make excellent walkways.

Architect: YAMAMAR Design, Location: San Francisco, California

Beach days, park picnics, and backyard barbecues—wherever your Fourth of July weekend takes you, these products will elevate your event with ease.

Painter Claudio Tschopp.

A double-size shower, clad floor-to-ceiling in tiny earth-toned tiles, was built after relocating the water heater and claiming its space. A chic yet discreet toilet is wall-hung and the tank concealed, greatly ameliorating the somewhat claustrophobic feel of the original bathroom.

Watson, who works from home when he’s not traveling, likes to use the back patio as his office during warmer months. In choosing patio furniture, he decided on a reversal of the interior color palette: A rectangular white metal table and chairs by Richard Schultz are durable but refined while contrasting with the cedar deck.

The original home’s dilapidated rear wall was in such poor condition that Roberts called it “an opportunity in disguise.” She removed the wall and built a two-story addition that features double-glazed windows and sliding doors for unified entertaining inside and in the garden.

Indoor and outdoor entertaining is made simple by the dining room’s sliding glass doors, but the two spaces also share a literal common ground. Lapicida’s tumbled black limestone with white Carrara marble inserts sprawl from the kitchen, past the dining room, and onto the patio.

The rear of the house features Victorian brick, a modern extension, and Velfac windows. Landscape designer Matthew Wright was inspired by the art of Henri Rousseau when choosing plants to set amid the garden’s Dorset pebbles.

A pebble mosaic and artificial turf divide the yard into zones that never need to be mowed.