• Home Tours
    • Dwell Exclusives
    • Before & After
    • Budget Breakdown
    • Renovations
    • Prefab
    • Video Tours
    • Travel
    • Real Estate
    • Vacation Rentals
  • Photos
    • Editor’s Picks
    • Bathrooms
    • Kitchens
    • Staircases
    • Outdoor
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • All Issues
  • Shop
    • Shopping Guides
    • Furniture
    • Lighting & Fans
    • Decor & More
    • Kitchen & Dining
    • Bath & Bed
  • Projects
    • Editor’s Picks
    • Modern
    • Midcentury
    • Industrial
    • Farmhouses
    • Scandinavian
    • Find a Pro
    • Sourcebook
    • Post a Project
  • Collections
    • Editor’s Picks
    • Shopping
    • Recently Saved
    • Planning
SubscribeSign In
  • FILTER

    • All Photos
    • Editor’s Picks
    • outdoor
  • Locations

    • Back Yard(15)
    • Front Yard(159)
    • Rooftop(6)
    • Side Yard(13)
    • Garden(12)
    • Slope(12)
    • Field(6)
    • Woodland(10)
    • Desert(4)
  • Landscapes

    • Trees(102)
    • Shrubs(63)
    • Grass(59)
    • Hardscapes(46)
    • Gardens(30)
    • Flowers(10)
    • Vegetables(4)
    • Boulders(11)
    • Raised Planters(14)
    • Walkways(45)
  • Pools, Tubs, Showers

    • Large(18)
    • Small(7)
    • Plunge(3)
    • Swimming(11)
    • Lap(8)
    • Infinity(12)
    • Salt Water(1)
    • Concrete(5)
    • Prefab Container
    • Standard Construction
    • Hot Tub(2)
    • Shower
  • Patio, Porch, Deck

    • Large(159)
    • Small(6)
    • Wood(54)
    • Concrete(43)
    • Metal(12)
    • Stone(35)
    • Decomposed Granite(7)
    • Pavers(7)
    • Tile(8)
    • Decking(20)
    • Planters(6)
  • Fences, Walls

    • Horizontal(24)
    • Vertical(26)
    • Wood(30)
    • Metal(16)
    • Wire(4)
    • Concrete(16)
    • Stone(14)
    • Retaining(3)
  • Lighting

    • Hanging(15)
    • Landscape(34)
    • Post(4)
All Photos/outdoor/patio, porch, deck : large/locations : front yard

Outdoor Large Patio, Porch, Deck Front Yard Design Photos and Ideas

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
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.
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.
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."
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.
The new blackbutt timber deck is designed for entertaining, al fresco dining, and enjoying views of the garden and surrounding bushland. It features a large dining table, a hanging egg chair, and a barbecue.
The new blackbutt timber deck has been designed for entertaining, al fresco dining, and enjoying views of the garden and surrounding bushland. It features a large dining table, a hanging egg chair, and a barbecue.
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.
Initially, the idea was to seed the planter below the oculus with native grasses and shrubs, adding to the dwelling’s connection to the landscape. “Instead, the owners came up with a brilliant idea of placing a stone cairn there that will grow over time by inviting visitors to add a stone with each visit,” explains architect Hunter Gundersen. “Again, the owner wanted this special place to be all about time and connection.”
Close to Sugarbush’s Mount Ellen and the Mad River Glen ski area, Fayston, Vermont, is the prime setting for Little Black House. Giving the retreat its name, Elizabeth Herrmann Architecture + Design only had 1,120 square feet to work with. Sitting just below the top of a hill, the black-stained cabin flaunts a classic gable structure with a stripped-down interior melding white walls and pale wood floors.
Even as the square footage of this cottage in Fayston, Vermont, shrank in response to budget constraints, architect Elizabeth Herrmann remained focused on making the space feel warm and functional for a family of four and their dog and cat. "I think the trick to making small spaces feel much larger is to design the experience of being there,
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.
An award-winning, modern masterpiece inspired by Neutra
Residents Amy and Greg built a removable, modular deck on the front facade using reclaimed wood from shipping pallets. A counter with a serving window opens to the kitchen and creates a bar area.
With its driveway to the north, the home faces west toward the Pacific, with its courtyard breaking up the house's mass.
The Shurtzes framed the windows and doors with oak timbers that offsets the glossy black-painted corrugated siding of the home.
Troy and Dianna Shurtz used the doors of the shipping container to create a screen that offers privacy for the hot tub.
The home features 200 square feet of outdoor living space that includes a bed swing, a fire pit area, a hot tub and a large gas grill.
Castaños House by Arch. Ekaterina Kunzel & Arch. María Belén García Bottazzini
Castaños House by Arch. Ekaterina Kunzel & Arch. María Belén García Bottazzini
The timber deck is split over two levels—a ground level, which is built around existing trees, and another at the same level as the living space.
The relationship between the house and the circular grass lawn is key to the way the home sits in the landscape. Architect Belinda George gave much consideration to the way the steps lead up to the deck.
The home features more covered deck space than interior living space, evoking a feeling of living in the landscape.
The home is situated on a steep site and is accessed from a cedar stair that leads to a wraparound deck on the east side of the house. The construction all follows the shape of the cliff. “The vision was to hold to the expansive and unobstructed feeling of the land,” says the owner. “If I were to build something else, I would consider finding a flatter space or building near a field. Sometimes it’s just nice to walk on a flat surface.”
The secondary living space in the service wing completely opens up to the enclosed timber deck through sliding glass doors.
The outdoor fireplace is one of the defining features of the home.
With views of the San Jacinto Mountains, the half-acre lot serves as an idyllic setting for entertaining and relaxing. In addition to the pool, the fenced-in area also includes an outdoor kitchen,  fire pit, and detached guest house.
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.
The home is divided into three distinct pavilions. Orange box gutters break up these three forms, and a green pergola unites them. Instead of downpipes, rain chains are used as a visual element.
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.
The large social space at the center of the home opens out to views of the surrounding trees and the pool.
After: The Front Porch
Landscape Design by Land Morphology
The central patio acts as an introspection space
The mirrored glass creates a game of reflections between the old and new elements.
"To dress the concrete up a bit, we did a burnished face to expose the aggregate—you get a really nice detail when you see them up close," says designer Robert Sweet. "To add some texture, we randomly rotated the blocks to use their cavities as planters." The row of cacti, aptly called "fence-post cacti," acts as a privacy wall between the entrance and courtyard.
The house is broken up so that the natural site flows through the courtyard, which has a fire pit and a hot tub.
123Next

The Dwell House Is a Modern Prefab ADU Delivered to Your Backyard

Learn More

About

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Editorial Standards
  • Careers
  • Advertise
  • Media Kit

Subscriptions

  • Subscribe to Dwell
  • Gift Dwell Magazine
  • Dwell+ Subscription Help
  • Magazine Subscription Help

Professionals

  • Post a Project
  • Sell Your Products
  • Contribute to Dwell
  • Promote Your Work

Follow

  • @dwellmagazine on Instagram
  • @dwellmagazine on Pinterest
  • @dwell on Facebook
  • @dwell on Twitter
  • @dwell on Flipboard
  • Dwell RSS

© 2025 Recurrent Ventures Inc. All rights reserved.

  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • DMCA
  • Sitemap