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Outdoor Boulders Grass Design Photos and Ideas

Moss-covered rocks and twisted tree trunks give the landscape a fairyland-like quality.
The owners built the house as a place to gather with their three adult children on Loon Lake, where they had vacationed at the husband’s family home for years. The modern Adirondack chairs are by Loll Designs.
While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”
DiNiord collaborated with craftsman Ken Hood to design the concrete bench with firewood storage and detachable wood back. Douglas fir columns along the walkway creates a colonnade. The mono-sloped roof is a nod to the long roofline of the original house that stood on the property. “Reducing the angles also reflects the strictness to budget,” the wife says.
“For the owner, it was important that the exterior require as minimal maintenance as possible,” says architect Hunter Gundersen. “We clad the exterior in metal accordion-panel siding, as it will require little maintenance over many decades. The shadows cast by the panels’ W shape change dramatically with the position of the sun, indicating the time and season by the play of shadow and light.”
A couple transform their backyard into a botanical children’s playland and an ideal entertaining spot.
“The project was about peeling back layers. From there, we had to be creative and utilize what the house was giving to us,” adds Levitt Halsey.
The five-foot tall fire pit rock is buried three-feet into the ground for stability.
Fires can be built on either the north or south side of the rock, depending on prevailing winds.
An award-winning, modern masterpiece inspired by Neutra
The dining area is completely open to the outdoors. “Ian and Krista wanted to celebrate their everyday routine and abandon things they don’t use, like a formal dining space,” says Jess. The Jorn dining table is by Minotti while the Mariposa chairs are by Fyrn. The grill is by Lion and the heater is by Heatstrip.
FabrikG architects Gonzalo Elizarraras and Manu Ponte designed Hawks Nest House to be symbiotic with the landscape of Baja California.
The modern structure is in striking contrast to the area’s predominantly traditional homes, including the Kellys’ own Dutch Colonial.
A three-story mahogany screen partially veils the backyard retreat designed by Flavin Architects for Ed and Kathy Kelly in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Incorporating a renovated garage, it includes both closed and open spaces and a potted rooftop garden. The garage door is by Garaga and the Exotic Red paint is from Benjamin Moore.
At night, carefully orchestrated lighting illuminates the house like a lantern in nature.
The South Elevation provides complete transparency through the main level to established gardens beyond
A natural, stacked-stone fin is the grounding element below the cantilevered bedroom wing.
The Pool House seen at night.
When Wright created the initial sketches for the property at 83, he had hoped the house would surpass Fallingwater.
The master bedroom was raised and cantilevered so as not to disturb the mature oak tree roots. Boulders are used as steps to the lawn.
Each level opens up to green space, creating a breezy, indoor/outdoor connection. Furniture by OKHA—the Hunt Sofa, the Nate, Nicci Nouveau, and Vince and Miles Armchairs—outfit the living spaces.
A young Finnish designer bypasses building permits by creating an affordable tiny home under 100 square feet.
Nestled at the base of a dramatic rocky butte, a tiny cabin in the woods of Washington blurs the distinction between indoors and out.
basecamp airstream adventure trailer
The open floor plan wraps around the central atrium.
Light is particularly important during the dark Pacific Northwest winter.
The modern palapa nestles into the naturally rocky slope. Vegetation is encouraged to grow over the structure.
According to the architects, the house's "thinner dimensions not only display refinement of technique, but also remove visual weight from materials—the position being that lightness is good for the human spirit and visual heaviness is not."
Adjacent to the cabin is a spacious deck that is raised above the ground on wooden stilts.
While Falck built most of the tiny home himself, he hired a local carpenter to build the window frame and door.
The large overhangs protect the interior spaces from direct sunlight, while also providing a layer of privacy.
The ceiling of the lower level is shou sugi ban cedar siding to match the exteriors.
"The house features two distinct approaches," says Schiller. "The family arrives via a long dirt road to the back side of the house, shaped as a single-story barn. Below the house, guests park in a dirt pull-off and arrive via a long grass path through meadow grasses, entering the house from the south via a wide, glue-laminated exterior stair."
The home is accessed from the rear via a gravel path.
The exterior decks are made of silicon-modified pine from OrganoWood.
In addition to spacious flagstone patios, the landscaping includes a running creek, rear pond, as well as a rocky wet and dry creek on site.
Sekitei in Hatsukaichi-shi, Japan
view to new addition from rear lawn
The L-shaped layout embraces a patch of a private garden where the owners can lounge in the sunshine, picnic on the property, and take in views of the nearby lake.
View from courtyard toward the house
Studio Otto Felix opted for a Light Steel Frame system to minimize site impact and eliminate the need for concrete or bricks.
The home appears to float above the natural pool, adding an element of whimsy.
Beyond the living room and deck, a natural pool filled with koi fish serves as a unique focal point of the tropical garden.
Residents can view many forms of wildlife up close from the decked terrace. Spacious enough for a table and chairs, it is the ideal spot to rest and relax.
Outdoor Living
"Below the horizontal plane, it was decided to reorganize the site in order to design a plateau that would become the outdoor living plane," says the firm. "The blasting residues were compacted and refused on the site to create the project’s new ground: a disturbed surface rather than one extracted from the territory."
Damon Fuhrer Landscapes created a Japanese-inspired garden that incorporated bamboo, moss-covered boulders, and a water feature.
The Pierre | Olson Kundig
Lung Hagem Arkitekter said: "The roof is executed in 270mm thick reinforced concrete with 20mm VIP insulation underneath. The concrete itself is water resistant, thus no additional roofing materials are required. As a result, the roof is a smooth white surface creating a dialogue with the rocky landscape, and giving the cabin its distinctive character."
The second floor terrace steps directly out onto the hill.
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