The Room Outside
A good outdoor space doesn’t feel like a consolation prize — it feels like a room. 163 outdoor projects that treat courtyards, porches, terraces, pool decks, and plain backyards with the same rigor as the rooms indoors.
The Backyard That Became the House’s Best Room
Landscape architect Maria Valdez wanted one thing: a space where the family would actually spend their evenings. Eighteen months later, the result is a loggia, an outdoor kitchen, a plunge pool, and the garden that makes the rest of the Ojai property defer to it.
Read the StoryThe Outdoor Spaces Our Readers Want to Copy
The Courtyard That Saved the Plan
A 1920s Spanish-style home in Pasadena had three wings and no center of gravity. A central courtyard, reimagined by a landscape architect, gave the house its missing room.
Read the tourThe Southern Porch, Updated
Haint blue. Tongue-and-groove ceiling. Ceiling fans. This Charleston porch respects the tradition while adding exactly the modern details it needed.
Read the tourA Roof Terrace Rebuilt for Year-Round Use
A Brooklyn terrace that sat empty eight months a year was reworked with a pergola, a gas firetable, and a lighting plan that turned it into a favorite room.
Read the tourThe Plunge Pool Over the Full Pool
Real estate keeps shrinking. The plunge pool keeps winning. A round-up of eight pools under fifteen feet that prove size isn’t the thing.
Read the storyThe Outdoor Kitchen Mistake That Costs the Most
It’s not the grill. It’s the ventilation. A designer walks through the five most common outdoor kitchen mistakes — and how to avoid each.
Read the storyAn 18-by-22-Foot Backyard That Feels Infinite
Tight yards don’t have to feel tight. A Brooklyn backyard, redone by a landscape architect, uses mirrored walls, layered planting, and a single tree to feel twice its size.
Read the tourPlanning an Outdoor Space?
Download our Outdoor Planning Guide — hardscape specs, planting zones, lighting layers, and the three decisions designers wish you’d make first. Free to subscribers.
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