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Collection by Jacqueline Leahy

Backyards We Love

Offering places to garden, play, recline, and contemplate the view, backyards have the power to redefine the homes with which they share a site.

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Michèle Monory’s Chinon farmhouse is an idyllic getaway from her home basein Paris. After she inherited the property and centuries-old structure from her father, she hired Matali Crasset, who runs a cutting-edge architecture and design firm, to update the living spaces.
Michèle Monory’s Chinon farmhouse is an idyllic getaway from her home basein Paris. After she inherited the property and centuries-old structure from her father, she hired Matali Crasset, who runs a cutting-edge architecture and design firm, to update the living spaces.
Vandemoortele’s young sons and their friends enjoy the house’s nearly one-acre site as well, especially the lily pad–stocked pond.
Vandemoortele’s young sons and their friends enjoy the house’s nearly one-acre site as well, especially the lily pad–stocked pond.
Though Patel lives alone, he loves to entertain. In summer months, friends can gather at the outdoor table for some barbecue and have drinks on the sofa inside. Plantings of lavender, fragrant grasses, and a Japanese maple add colour in the carefully composed garden, which has a floor of tile and painted cedar slats.
Though Patel lives alone, he loves to entertain. In summer months, friends can gather at the outdoor table for some barbecue and have drinks on the sofa inside. Plantings of lavender, fragrant grasses, and a Japanese maple add colour in the carefully composed garden, which has a floor of tile and painted cedar slats.
Mason and friends scramble around his soon-to-be tree house as Muriel swings. What remains of the original brick house can be seen on the right side of the structure, with the new master bedroom on top and living area on the left. A hot tub and seating area are accessible through the basement and living area.
Mason and friends scramble around his soon-to-be tree house as Muriel swings. What remains of the original brick house can be seen on the right side of the structure, with the new master bedroom on top and living area on the left. A hot tub and seating area are accessible through the basement and living area.
The broad deck and seating area are perfect for the Mediterranean climate and invite guests outdoors.
The broad deck and seating area are perfect for the Mediterranean climate and invite guests outdoors.
Mary Henning and Ann Wansbrough's renovation of a semidetached cottage enables them to use 75 percent less town water than the average two-person home.
Mary Henning and Ann Wansbrough's renovation of a semidetached cottage enables them to use 75 percent less town water than the average two-person home.
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.
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.