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Collection by Aileen Kwun

Backyard Escapes and Retreats We Love

From studios, to guest rooms, lounge areas, and practice spaces, these space-efficient backyard structures provide a small sojourn from the everyday, just steps away from home.

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An ipe deck slopes sharply skyward behind Amy Persin’s house in Menlo Park, California, creating a secluded backyard getaway that feels like an outdoor extension of her living room. A single step on either side leads to patches of gravel, which her children have claimed as areas for unstructured play.
An ipe deck slopes sharply skyward behind Amy Persin’s house in Menlo Park, California, creating a secluded backyard getaway that feels like an outdoor extension of her living room. A single step on either side leads to patches of gravel, which her children have claimed as areas for unstructured play.
A polychrome facade made of salvaged, 100-year-old barnwood gives this small, lofted cottage space its unique character. Its copper roof is also reclaimed, a lucky Craigslist find from a local remodel. Though the structure has a footprint of just 11' x 14', it provides a useful space to entertain, catch up on work, or relax.
A polychrome facade made of salvaged, 100-year-old barnwood gives this small, lofted cottage space its unique character. Its copper roof is also reclaimed, a lucky Craigslist find from a local remodel. Though the structure has a footprint of just 11' x 14', it provides a useful space to entertain, catch up on work, or relax.
The Case Study–like structure is framed in timber and clad in alternating modules of stained plywood and colorful, semitransparent polycarbonate.
The Case Study–like structure is framed in timber and clad in alternating modules of stained plywood and colorful, semitransparent polycarbonate.
The wall surrounding Ravi and Esha Chowdhary’s backyard in Bangalore, India, includes bricks made from soil that was excavated for their home’s foundation.
The wall surrounding Ravi and Esha Chowdhary’s backyard in Bangalore, India, includes bricks made from soil that was excavated for their home’s foundation.
Insulated with denim and highly sealed, the sheds can also double as an outdoor room, like this outdoor living room in Palo Alto, California.
Insulated with denim and highly sealed, the sheds can also double as an outdoor room, like this outdoor living room in Palo Alto, California.
The architect and his team devised an armature on the back of the container that will eventually be covered with vines, concealing the AC and heating unit, the reservoir for graywater and the composting toilet outlet.
The architect and his team devised an armature on the back of the container that will eventually be covered with vines, concealing the AC and heating unit, the reservoir for graywater and the composting toilet outlet.