The courtyard acts like an outdoor living room, where the Arnolds’ daughter, Josie, plays freely, safe from nearby traffic. The family dines here most of the year at the custom-designed wood-and-steel table. The picnic table set reappropriates the century-old eucalyptus tree that once grew on the site.

A Bay Area landscape designer works her yard like a jigsaw puzzle, packing a bevy of distinctive destinations into a steep and diminutive plot. Photo by: Morgan Rachel Levy Read the entire article here.

You'd never designed for special needs children before the Bancroft residence, how did you interpret the clients' needs? Jack Hawkins, architect: I would like to say I did tons of research, but I didn't. I went with the parents' lead. I took most of my design cues from them. They're the immediate caregivers, they know their children and about autism. They did all the research and told me what was important.

These wood-wrapped spaces take oriented strand board to new heights.

A picnic table from Janus et Cie sits off the kitchen; the landscape architecture is by Richard D. Wood. In addition to passive solar, says Hawkins, “there is the added benefit of a thick concrete slab as a thermal mass that absorbs and stores the heat from the sun.”

Backless picnic-style benches stand in for chairs at the refinished Milwaukee Public Library table where the family eats their meals. The sofa and armchair are from Luminaire.

In the foreground, museum visitors converse at a picnic table constructed by resident artists Aaron Anderson and Eric Timothy Carlson to form a point of communication in the gallery setting. The duo used the museum’s studios to create a new material, which they then applied to the table. In the background is On Display, a plethora of printed ephemera used to create talking points for the public. Through conversation, the display of the materials is covered, revealed, and changed to show the course of the dialogue about the museum and its role in design. On Display was created by Superscript and designers HAO and Neil Donnelly. Photo by Ed Watkins.

Just browsing the cheery selection of enamel-coated steel charcoal barbeques from Bodum boosts our spirits with thoughts of the next summer afternoon spent grilling hot dogs and hamburgs in the breeze.

Iron Dog by Scott Molampy of Geppetto Studios.

Picnic Basket by Mike Perry Studio.

Puzzle Box by WABI Design.

Much like great design, great meals are considered by most to be an art. Dwell has long supported the work of innovative designers regardless of their canvas or craft because creativity challenges and propels further ingenuity. Thus, it is with great pleasure we announce our exclusive media sponsorship of DIFFA’s Picnic By Design, an event that couples charitable donation with original design on August 21st. Out of the 45 contributing designers, Dwell has picked our five favorites after the jump. Disco Picnic by Jose Fernandez of 17A Creative.

Motown by Corey Damen Jenkins.

A true, original classic, the Liberty Americana Picnic Basket is sturdy enough to hold an entire feast, but light enough to lug around from home to park.

The family takes full advantage of their sylvan yard, Sarah Baird and her children Bo and Sky read a book out on the picnic table.

The sides of the table then fold down and connect with the benches to create bases for the beds. Photo by Sadamu Saito.

Pic-Nic beach towel by Paola Navone for Crate & Barrel, $40 each The Italian designer’s second collaboration with the American retailer yields over 100 summer-ready pieces, like these graphic towels.

Gant says that the design for their clever Canvas Picnic Bag began shortly after a six-month stay in Stockholm. “Although I loved the experience there, the winter left me especially appreciative of spending as much time in the sun and parks of San Francisco as I could.” The design is a blanket that folds into a bag, making it easy to transport. It “was inspired by the desire to take a break in the park on a whim, so your bag could always provide that dry spot and carry snacks from the market.” As for Gant and Deming, she says “it’s a common ‘problem’ for us to find ourselves with a sudden urge to take lunch in a park or on a weekend hike, so we’ve found ourselves using the bags often.”

“We knew we had to connect the exterior to the interior,” says Juilland, who added the large window to the living room and French doors to make it easy to get in and out from the kitchen. The custom picnic table is custom-made from Ben Dagitz.

The renovation also introduces an indoor-outdoor connection through a 19-foot sliding door from Fleetwood. The picnic-style table is from Crate & Barrel and the chairs were bought from an old church. An umbrella from Room & Board shades a seating area on the concrete patio.

A long-weekend essential: The Hopper table from Janus et Cie is a turbocharged version of the traditional picnic table, with modern materials (powder-coated aluminum, iroko wood), a bent form that facilitates easy entry and egress, and four sizes that can seat up to ten. $11,300

In the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco interior designer Nicole Hollis successfully renovates this 1940s home. The kitchen opens up to the dining room, where Hollis played with size and shape. She designed the solid French oak dining table and bench, which were fabricated by B Serota Furniture and Architectural Design, and flanked the table with a Host and Hostess chair from Coup d'Etat San Francisco. Photo by: Ben Mayorga Photography

Throughout the weekend at Dwell on Design in Los Angeles, attendees relaxed in the beer garden at Dwell Outdoor. Don't miss Dwell on Design in New York, happening in October 2014.

Here's a cool detail in one of the outdoor picnic tables.

A Cold Picnic rug and Coil + Drift mirror warm up a restored fireplace relocated from the basement.

Beach days, park picnics, and backyard barbecues—wherever your Fourth of July weekend takes you, these products will elevate your event with ease.

Each Getaway location features multiple cabins (complete with picnic tables and fire pits) that are spaced far enough apart to preserve privacy.

Aalto also designed the picnic grill in a double-wide size.

The Fyrkat Charcoal Picnic Grill by Bodum in red, steel, and blue.

A wooden picnic table is located off one end of the living room, creating a tranquil setting to enjoy alfresco dining while soaking up the sunshine.

Custom bunk beds in the kids’ room were designed by ALAO and fabricated by Amber Construction & Design. The quilts are from Cold Picnic and the stool is by Alvar Aalto for Artek.

The apartment is filled with designerly touches, from a cutout of a Michael Graves drawing (Owen’s mother, Karen, is a principal at Michael Graves Architecture & Design) to a Cold Picnic rug.

The miniature backyard was landscaped and now accommodates a Viking grill, a custom picnic table and benches by Ohio Design, and a nook which buttresses the small garden.

The Cityboy Picnic Grill by designer Klaus Aalto for Finnish manufacturer Selki-Asema.

The 510 Cabin is one of Leggitt's designs, executed with the help of student apprentices.