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Outdoor Design Photos and Ideas

The raised, covered porch is reminiscent of a Japanese <i>engawa</i>, a veranda-like transitional space that connects the home to the landscape. The renovation expanded views to the lake with new windows in the primary bedroom and bath, and sliders that replaced a standard solid door in the living area.
The couple worked with Third Nature Studio and Modernscapes to refinish the yard, which now sees lots of family get togethers. "The goal was to make the house and the yard all of a piece,
Margaret and William Jensen bought their 1956 Eichler in the Highlands neighborhood in 1988, and lived in it for 35 years before starting a remodel in 2023. The landscaping was completed by Third Nature Studio and Modernscapes.
The renovation added two sliding-glass doors and a new concrete patio.
SHED Architecture + Design helped the owners of this two-acre Silverdale property develop a master plan. It included remodeling the existing 1930s brick house into a two-bedroom guest house for their adult children, then building a second home for themselves (and more guests).
The fixed glass was swapped out for stacking glass doors that open the house to the garden.
The L-shaped Nook House creates private courtyards on the 7,600-square-foot Seattle lot, now home to three structures built over 27 years. AEP Span Nu Wave corrugated siding in black requires zero maintenance, while Loewen aluminum-clad mixed grain fir windows and doors anchor the high-performance envelope.
The second-level terrace was designed to take advantage of Austin’s southeast to northeast prevailing winds.
Homeowner Paul Vanden Bout's favorite spot in the home is the terrace overlooking the Sierra Norte mountains. Here, he and wife Rachel Vanden Bout enjoy a nightly ritual of taking in the view over a cocktail.
An outdoor spa screened by breeze blocks extends off the bathroom in the primary suite.
Paul and Rachel Vanden Bout recently left Virginia to join their son and daughter-in-law—NV Design Architecture principals Tom Vanden Bout and Brenda Nelson—in Oaxaca, Mexico.
The homeowners outfitted the patio with a banquette as well as a beer fridge and bar for parties.
Kris and Kev also wanted a cedar hot tub integrated into the deck.
A rooftop garden and seating area where the family sometimes gather together or with friends.
The view from the aquaponics vegetable garden toward the wing at the far end containing the living room, master bedroom and roof terrace from bottom to top.
A large timber-framed window and sliding glass door connects the inside and outside living spaces.
A 1954 home by Calvin Straub is the centerpiece of a San Marino property developed by Alice Fung and Michael Blatt of Fung + Blatt. Working with the architects, Elysian Landscapes oversaw the design of the gardens.
The temple-like house was influenced by Aztec and Mayan architecture, a combination Wright described as "California Romanza."
The kitchen opens to the dining area, with a table and benches from Facebook Marketplace. The firepit chairs are from Polywood. The circular window has a custom exterior copper trim by Mission Iron Works.
Kevin and Katie enjoy happy hour on their new covered patio. The plantings were inspired by the garden in Mexico where they got married. During the pandemic, "We were like, I want to go on vacation, but we can't, so let's just make our backyard a vacation,
Fung and Blatt worked slowly on the project over five years. But it was a rhythm Mary and Carlton appreciated, as it allowed for the design to emerge in close dialogue with the site.
Most homes in the area have woodburning <i>parrillas</i> to make <i>asados</i>, or barbecues. Ochoa designed his own to be open on both sides, which provides extra heat to the patio during colder days. The deck is made of lapacho, and the ceilings are covered in straw. “It has a Japanese style, and also a beachy style,” says Ochoa.
A side view of Facundo Ochoa’s 1,900-square-foot house, situated on a forested lot near a surfable beach in eastern Uruguay. To create a solid foundation, Ochoa laid ballast over the sandy soil. During construction, he got the idea to cut dozens of eucalyptus trunks to delineate part of the sloping perimeter. “A lot of details were decided on-site,” he says.
The floors are made of white travertine imported from Spain.
Karen White, David MacNaughtan, and their sons, Griffin and Finlay, hang out on the front deckof their narrow home in Toronto’s leafy Roncesvalles neighborhood. A narrow modernist composition of glass panes and purple brick, the house slips like a bookmark between two older buildings, a bright three-story abode on a lot narrower than most suburban driveways.
The cabin is a glowing jewel at night on a hilltop on the remote Keats Island in British Columbia, Canada.
The traditional wooden hot tub in this interior patio is from El Tonel. Whitewashed pine slats line the walls.
A simple, hardscaped back patio is the site of many summer parties. The steps lead down to the firepit, where one feels increasingly embraced by the forest.
The retouched meadow between the house and its detached garage/guest room was given a stone walking path.
A screen porch just off the dining room was added, enhancing the home's indoor-outdoor feel.
Casa Rumeu was designed by Correa Milá Arquitectes in 1963 for the Rumeu family. While it is within walking distance of the center of Cadaqués, it feels separate, surrounded by olive groves. Part of the remodel entailed creating more garden spaces, "especially within the olive tree plantations, which are an important component of the estate’s overall charm,
Orlando designed a custom semi-circular eave to protect the aluminum door frames from sun and rain. It is fabricated from a metal frame covered with cementitious panels.
The tiny cabin currently sits on a friend’s property, but it’s designed to be mobile, should the couple need to move it. “It can be dragged away with nothing more than a tractor,” says Nathalie.
The houses are set on a three-acre plot of fertile volcanic land, ideal for growing fruit and vegetables.
"I like that my daughter can come down here to play, and we can also entertain easily,
The family spends much more time together in the rear yard since the renovation.
Haines House by Christopher Polly in Newtown, Australia
The garden is planted with araça, bacupari and aroeira trees, all native varieties.
“You can’t help but relax being in the country,” says Nigel. Jane laughs and jumps in: “Though it’s hard work. We’re always doing something.”
A small backyard camper makes for a fun hideaway when friends and family come to visit.
"There was excitement about the site and the possibilities—that excitement was infectious,
Los Angeles firm Chet Architecture crafts a deeply personal hillside home packed with primary colors—including a custom mural that now holds an even deeper meaning.
Architects Mathilde Nicoulaud and Olivier Lekien recreated a 1930 compact house in Montreuil, France, on the outskirts of Paris as their ideal family home.
A firepit and an inflatable hot tub with a wicker surround add a bit of luxury to Joe and Rachel’s Venice Beach rental.
Rachel and Joe relaxing with their dog Camp around the fire pit in the outdoor space. The fire pit was purchased on Facebook Marketplace and the seating is from Oasis Imports in Malibu.
“Many people said ‘you’re crazy,’ because it’s a circular house,” says homeowner Sergio Goyri. “But in the end, we just love how easy it is to go from one place to the other and how we communicate. Every room is integrated, and that’s what we were looking for for a weekend family house."
On the entrance deck, a hand-crafted wooden couple welcomes visitors. The U-shaped deck surrounds the entire lower level.
"Our many ideas were floating around the mountain, and we needed someone to bring them down and turn them into reality,
A covered breezeway connects the main house and the guest house. Here, Legge took the opportunity to play with perspective, framing part of a tree and the sky with an abstract roof cutout.
Another move that reduces the house's environmental impact is the inclusion of photovoltaic panels on the roof. The panels generate enough energy to offset 95% of the house’s consumption.
According to the homeowners, one concession they made to save money was downgrading the exterior retaining wall from a gabion retaining wall to native limestone blocks.
In this Australian project, a resort-worthy swimming pool sits beside the industrial-chic kitchen and living area. It's a joy to swim in, of course, but the body of water also provides evaporative cooling for the courtyard.
Thanks to the California weather, the couple can make use of the outdoor dining and living area for much of the year.
“We had been searching for a pine with the appropriate shape for quite a long time,” says Wakebayashi of the garden’s signature planting. “Then, Mr. Nakamura strongly recommended this special pine tree to us.”
Built to go off the grid, this remote beachside cottage can open up completely to the outdoors with its series of movable wall-sized glass panels and screens. Designed by Herbst Architects, the modest New Zealand bach comprises two rectangular pavilions built with mostly natural materials chosen for their durability, texture, and weathering characteristics.
Whether it’s cross-country skiing in the winter or trail running in the summer, the 330-foot home’s minimalist design encourages Catherine to be outside in the surrounding landscape throughout the year.
Unique among tiny homes, ESCAPE's Classic wraps the entryway in a screened-in and roof porch. It could also be fully enclosed to add an extra room to the home.
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