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All Photos/outdoor/patio, porch, deck : large/landscapes : shrubs

Outdoor Large Patio, Porch, Deck Shrubs Design Photos and Ideas

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.
The family spends much more time together in the rear yard since the renovation.
A small backyard camper makes for a fun hideaway when friends and family come to visit.
A firepit and an inflatable hot tub with a wicker surround add a bit of luxury to Joe and Rachel’s Venice Beach rental.
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.
FMT Estudio renovated the pool deck with sanded red bricks manufactured in central Mexico.
Although previous owners built a pool at a lower part of the yard near the piano room, the couple decided to build a new one just off the kitchen. “We thought, it would be amazing to have a pool that was kind of jutting out, with the backdrop of the city,” John says. The patio doubles as entertaining space for summer parties.
Situated on a gentle slope, the tiny home features a gable roof, a rectangular silhouette, and an expansive wood deck that extends from the front facade.
The fire pit area displays a 48-inch concrete fire bowl, woven chairs, and upcycled tree stumps for kid-friendly-seating.
Turning a shipping container into a home is rarely as simple as it sounds, but design studio LOT-EK set out to prove that these vessels could become the raw material for an efficient prefab construction process with a house in upstate New York. Victoria Masters, Dave Sutton, and their daughter, Bowie, live in the six merged containers.
“The roof overhang extends the living space,” says Boyer, so the deck becomes a spot to entertain visiting friends and family. The couple have been working to restore the surrounding land, as well.
The Smiths’ new cabin, designed by Risa Boyer Architecture and completed in 2020, sits in the same spot as their previous home, on five acres on Mount Veeder, in Northern California. Somehow, the red chicken coop, which is constructed of wood, survived the fire with the chickens still alive inside.
The backyard is a protected retreat out of the wind. The team added a balcony off the kitchen at the third floor. It has a ship’s ladder to access the roof deck, in order to service solar panels installed there. The balcony also has a grill for cooking al-fresco. “You gotta be able to go out back and barbecue – this is the beach after all,” says Levy.
A sheltered verandah between the living room and kitchen beckons outdoor appreciation of nature.
The house's short, east-facing walls extend out to the terrace, blurring indoor and outdoor spaces.
The terrace outside the common areas overlooks the picturesque Shiribetsu River.
The living space opens out to a large, plant-filled terrace where the couple often eat breakfast. "My balcony is the perfect sanctuary,
The beanbag chairs and outdoor sofa and chairs are from West Elm and the Case Study Museum Bench is from Modernica.
Darkwood Residence resides in a biophilic paradise for Matt and Eloise Collins, enabling their children Trixie, Raf, and Roscoe to endlessly explore and adventure within the pristine native bush. The eco-friendly design-build allows the family of five high-quality low-maintenance surroundings the year-round. The Arcadian wonderland now realized proved consequential, Eloise Collins, "The process taught us resilience and the ability to push past our comfort zone. We also learned the true value of family and friends and the support systems we were lucky enough to have around us."
The expansive, covered patio that extends from the living space features an outdoor kitchen and adjoining pizza oven. “My favorite aspect of the project was that the clients embraced the idea that home can be more than just shelter,” says architect Cavin Costello. “It can be a place that incentivizes you to socialize, think, eat, work, create, and play differently.”
In addition to its rear deck, which features an outdoor kitchen and hot tub and capitalizes on stunning ocean views, the Surf House in Santa Cruz, California, includes a sunny front patio that’s tucked between a customized surfboard storage unit and a garage.
Ridge Mountain Residence was designed to blend into the existing Palm Springs landscape. Cor-Ten steel cladding provides a naturally weathering material, while the concrete structure and flagstone terrace complement the light tones of the surrounding mountains.
“The intention of the landscape design was to create a tranquil refuge in a vibrant neighborhood for the family to entertain, play, and spend quality time together outdoors,” says the team at The Green Room Landscape Architecture. “The architecture produced multiple lines of sight that penetrate through the home, connecting the front and back yards with similar plant materials, creating a feeling that the house was planted in a scenic Sonoran meadow.”
Now, an eight-foot sliding door brings light into the kitchen and enables fluid movement between inside and out. The wider steps can serve as seats during a party, and they make for a graceful transition to the yard.
The roof deck, anchored by a gas fire pit from Paloform, boasts an incredible view of the water.
"It's a big property, so we had space to spread out,
"The view," recalls Todd, "was a driving factor in purchasing this lot." Designed with outdoor living in mind, the roof deck includes ample space for al fresco dining, lounging, and soaking in the Southern California sunshine.
The back garden is a perfect metaphor for what the couple hoped to achieve with their project. "We feel a part of the city, but there’s still this sense of privacy," says Ali.
"You can see [with] this building how the design is in the small details and at the urban scale," says Cynthia.
The family enjoys the outdoor lounge.
A concrete walkway connects the living and dining rooms to the exterior, and concrete forms a built-in bench for lounging by the Solo Stove fire pit.
"Even in March and April, on a sunny day, we can open up those doors and eat outside in the sun," says Denise.
Hay outdoor furniture sits underneath the steel pergola.
A sunken courtyard at the front of the home provides a private lounge space that connects to the dining room.
The garden path, lined with potted citrus and towering eucalyptus trees, leads from the carport to the deck and front door.
"Hosting this way kind of forces you out on the limb of human trust, and it’s always amazing to me to see how others receive what we are giving, with such kindness and respect," says Tarah. "One of our favorite quotes came from a guest who said, ‘Is it possible to be homesick for an Airbnb?’ That sentiment was so sweet to us, and has rung true for so many other guests as they have commented on the warmth and welcome they have felt while staying at The Lofthouse."
The ceiling of the exterior patio and soffits is crafted from inexpensive sheets of plywood cut into smaller pieces, assembled in a custom pattern, and stained.
The pool and fire pit in the courtyard are at the heart of the home. The olive trees and native Ironwood trees planted around these spaces soften the rectilinear architecture.
Before the home was built, the lot was almost entirely grass—however now the landscape is composed of desert and native vegetation. It also includes productive gardens of numerous types, including herb and vegetable plantings and citrus and stone fruit groves. These, in combination with the chicken eggs, provide a healthy, local food source.
Photo: Willem-Dirk du Toit
The decorative screen casts playful shadows across the front terrace.
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