Collection by Diana Budds

Front Yards That Make you Want to Live Outside

Houses from Houston to Hamburg that feature verdant front yards prime for playing, lounging, and more.

Cox says he and Persin “went on an ipe run” after committing to the material for the deck, using it to build the slatted fence around the backyard. Rainbow Warrior New Zealand flax, a perennial, complements the material, while off-the-shelf pavers helped keep costs down.
Cox says he and Persin “went on an ipe run” after committing to the material for the deck, using it to build the slatted fence around the backyard. Rainbow Warrior New Zealand flax, a perennial, complements the material, while off-the-shelf pavers helped keep costs down.
This circa-1958 Eichler in Silicon Valley makes a mesmerizing first impression with its combination of ipe wood and neon-yellow resin. A garden, courtesy of landscape designer Bernard Trainor, fosters the illusion of more space.
This circa-1958 Eichler in Silicon Valley makes a mesmerizing first impression with its combination of ipe wood and neon-yellow resin. A garden, courtesy of landscape designer Bernard Trainor, fosters the illusion of more space.
Anne Suttles waters the bamboo muhly, palo verde, strawberry tree, and magic carpet thyme thriving in their Austin yard.
Anne Suttles waters the bamboo muhly, palo verde, strawberry tree, and magic carpet thyme thriving in their Austin yard.
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.
Neon-green sedum matches the front door. The design team also includes Courtney McRickard and Kyle Hebel; the contractor was Jesse Young of Landwise Colorado.
Neon-green sedum matches the front door. The design team also includes Courtney McRickard and Kyle Hebel; the contractor was Jesse Young of Landwise Colorado.
A family of cost-conscious Hamburgers converted a kitschy turn-of-the-century villa into a high-design home with a strict budget in place. To unite the quaint masonry of the original villa with the squat, ugly add-on built flush against it, the architects decided to paint the old-fashioned facade graphite gray and then covered the box next door in plain, light-colored larch. Photo by Mark Seelen.
A family of cost-conscious Hamburgers converted a kitschy turn-of-the-century villa into a high-design home with a strict budget in place. To unite the quaint masonry of the original villa with the squat, ugly add-on built flush against it, the architects decided to paint the old-fashioned facade graphite gray and then covered the box next door in plain, light-colored larch. Photo by Mark Seelen.