Backyard

Usha and Mike Kreaden had a virtually blank slate when it came to the garden outside the 1958 Joseph Eichler house that they bought in Silicon Valley two decades ago.

A small terrace outfitted with an H55 easy chair by Björn Hultén offers a view of the San Francisco Bay.

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

“When I come home, this is like a sanctuary. I open up the doors and sit outside and read, or work around the house,” says resident Colleen Nusinow.

A 2,500-square-foot backyard off a Portland home was completely overhauled by architect Michael Howells. Its new design uses pavers to divide the yard into sections that include planters, a cedar soaking tub, and a fire pit.

Cultivating a garden not only helps you and your family live a greener lifestyle, but also saves on grocery bills, too. Start a fruit and vegetable patch in your backyard or roof terrace; and if you live in an apartment with limited outdoor space, try growing herbs and even vegetables inside.

Large paver patios make excellent walkways.

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After raising the rear patio to the level of the kitchen, the team reused the original redwood decking and supplemented it with recycled pieces from other projects. Recessed planters punctuate a garden wall. Scott and Regina warm themselves by a Solus fire pit on chilly evenings.

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

The first thing landscape designer Laura Cooper asked Devis and Purdy was to recall childhood gardens and outdoor play. In that spirit, she designed their backyard, integrating the high ground with the low just outside the “kids’ wing.” The resulting series of outdoor rooms on this quarter-acre is full of memory and play.

Near the house, Cooper clustered lush, big-leafed plants philodendron, purple heart, and flowering canna. Farther out, vegetable gardens sprout in raised beds, and thyme and mint thrive beneath citrus trees. Native California silver wild rye and matilija poppies bind the slope, bordering the low “snake wall” that winds around the yard, narrowly ducking beneath a big ficus tree with just enough clearance for a sprinting kid. Wide stadium steps connect the garden levels, turning the steep hillside into amphitheater seating.

Nestled in Seattle's East Capitol Hill neighborhood, this modern residence "is an economical, efficient, low-maintenance, and modern version of a traditional Seattle house—one with primary living spaces on the main floor and three bedrooms above," state the architects.

Designed to attract young, tech-savvy city dwellers, the Lodges on Vashon uses virtual registration and check-in and is fitted with handcrafted objects by local island-based artisans.

The outdoor space includes a fire pit.

Another water-saving project in Menlo Park includes a rock bed with succulents.

These no-fuss landscaping ideas yield gardens that practically take care of themselves.

The patio of Collector's Retreat by Heliotrope Architects allows the homeowners to gaze out into a sea of trees.