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Outdoor Front Yard Hardscapes Design Photos and Ideas

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.
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.
The Cotage
Their daughters, Annapurna, left, and Siddartha, play with their dog, Anouck, beneath the kangaroo paws in the entry garden courtyard.
The trees are planted in a staggered pattern inspired by the sheet music for John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme.”
Three brightly colored balconies and an overhanging roof define the home’s front facade.
The communal courtyard at the front of the complex is a favorite meeting place for the couples’ kids. Underneath a six-foot overhang, concrete planters alternate with custom entryways fabricated on-site from lenga wood.
A sunken courtyard at the front of the home provides a private lounge space that connects to the dining room.
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.”
“There have been a lot of low-rise, high-density developments in Santiago recently, but they are mainly governed by isolation of the family unit and the importance of the car,” says Izquierdo.
The front courtyard is filled with lush greenery, creating an inviting storefront for the business.
The residence, which features two corrugated metal roofs that create natural ventilation for the interior, is set toward the rear of the lot, providing courtyard space for the owners' drink stall business.
Photo: Willem-Dirk du Toit
The decorative screen casts playful shadows across the front terrace.
The new front door, offset by a stained wood surround, leads into an entry vestibule that connects the guest wing with the rest of the house.
Now, decorative screens "provide dappled western shade and frame the view of the monumental chimney from the street," says the firm.
New front steps lead up to a front terrace.
The Pemberton Residence in Austin, Texas, was designed by local firm Alterstudio with inspiration from California modernist design.
The living room opens to the private, walled exterior courtyard at the front. “I really love the design of the courtyard and the fact that you can see it from everywhere in the house,” notes Fox. The ottoman is from Jardan and the outdoor chair is Hay.
Fox’s home design encompasses 2637 square feet across four levels, and includes a garage, an independent unit for guests, and two floors for her family of four.
Reclaimed timber was used to built the shaded parking structure in the entrance area.
In situ concrete planter beds filled with creepers and succulents expand the lush garden.
The wispy landscaping, also inspired by Hallová’s Florida roots, is by Lango Hansen.
"We wanted the pavilion to be freestanding and to have minimal columns, so using CLT, which can span a long distance without support, made sense,” explains resident Anyeley Hallová.
Inside the enclosed front courtyard, a deck extends off main entrance. The exterior is covered in dark gray stucco, which contrasts with the deck cladding.
Transparent walls and Japanese design cues define this renovated home in an Austin suburb.
An award-winning, modern masterpiece inspired by Neutra
A front garden creates a moment of pause. "The lower front window has a two-inch-thick box going around it," says Martin. "It was a solution to enhance the kitchen window, bypassing the corner of the facade and the column it contained." This would enlarge the second kitchen counter inside, where the stove is placed.
A screen divides an entry porch from the first of several private courtyards and outdoor areas. The home is clad in ebony-stained cedar siding, which contrasts with mahogany casework.
The lush forecourt is a green lung in the dense suburban neighborhood.
The house stands in the shade of mature trees that grow in the courtyard.
The siding slides into the Louvre system and create a magical presence throughout the course of the day, but was quite the challenge to install as no contractors in the area had ever worked with it before. "We had the factory pre-cut and pre-drill every piece so the whole house basically came pre-packaged."
"California, South Africa, and New Zealand actually all have very similar climates so a lot of the planting we see is a mixture of those three zones," Kurrel notes.
"The client’s goals were to create an open and light-filled home that maximized views of the Coachella Valley below and the Santa Rosa mountains to the south and west," says designer Stuart Silk Architects. Thunderbird Heights Residence enjoys a fluid connection between the primary indoor rooms and the outdoor terraces both for entertaining and casual outdoor living.
The entry gate now functions as the front door to the residence. The front courtyard doubles as the garage. On the left, the gray roof of the veranda flows downward to obscure the functional spaces behind it, including wash rooms and a service room.
Annie Ritz and Daniel Rabin, the couple and co-founders behind And And And Studio, revamped a neglected home in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles by adding a tall re-framed roof and 1,000-square-foot extension, as well as emphasizing outdoor areas like the wood deck adjacent to the pool. Interior highlight: the kitchen, with its olive green cabinetry and wood-clad circular island.
007 House by Dick Clark + Associates
Completed in 1960, this Alexander home was designed by William Krisel for Robert Alexander and his wife Helene, however, it’s most famous as the location where Elvis and Priscilla Presley spent their 1967 honeymoon.
Landscape Design by Land Morphology
Front of semi-detached house
The home's courtyard is ideal for indoor/outdoor living. By opening the sliding glass doors, the kitchen space is connected to a courtyard dining space, which is ideal for family gatherings and entertaining.
Visitors experience the beauty of the courtyard upon entry as they step atop large pavers leading up to the wood deck.
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