Outdoor Home Living

Outdoor Home Living

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50 Backyard Ideas That'll Transform Your Space Into Paradise

So much better than hanging out inside.

spanish style home with contemporary pool

Trevor Tondro

As much as I love to get cozy in the living room and lounge around in bed, a backyard is a true sanctuary—especially if it's prepped with all the right backyard bells and whistles. Indeed, your outdoor space can just as inviting, comfortable, and stylish as your interiors, but it also offers fresh air and nature. So it's the best of both worlds. From manicured landscapes to stately patios and paradise-status pools, get ready for some al fresco bliss with these 50 backyard ideas to help you get yours in shape for the warmer months ahead. And make sure you bookmark your favorites so you can bring them to life at home.

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Complement the Architecture

Whether you're starting a project from the ground up or you're adding a swimming pool to your backyard, make sure it's consistent with the style of your home's architectural roots so that everything flows and works together. On this property designed by Catherine Kwong, the modern, dark pool tiles and clean lines reflect the open-air structure beyond.

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Build an Outhouse

Leave it to Commune Design to convince us that we need a stylish outhouse in our own backyards. With pretty florals, nature-inspired materials, a pop of color, and polished artwork, it seems like a nice place to meditate, too.

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Shrink Your Pool

This small backyard in designer Fitz Pullin's Jacksonville, Florida, home was destined for majestic greatness despite its modest size, thanks to the dramatic tree and climbing vines.

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Break Up Zones With Hedges

This backyard in a home by Amir Khandwala has it all: A lush lawn, a swimming pool and adjacent lounge area, and an outdoor dining room under a pergola. Low hedges are a great visual signifier, allowing you to keep each activity zone separate.

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Set Up a Yurt

If your space allows, set up a yurt in the backyard. It'll have so much functional range—use it as a glamping guest room, a pool house, or even just an outdoor living room/ entertaining area. Because they're more well-insulated than tents but less permanent than an actual building, you can still hang out in them during the cooler months.

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Make It Multi-Purpose

Set up distinct zones to get more use out of your outdoor space. Here, Studio Robert McKinley used different flooring materials to distinguish the separate hangout spots. The concrete flooring under the fire pit sitting area is durable and sturdy while the lawn functions as a nice segue to the pool. The concrete planter with red flowers and lush green plants is a nice transition, too.

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Set Up an Outdoor Mudroom

Secure some hooks and slide in a bench or pair of chairs to let your beach and pool gear dry instead of dripping throughout the house. Think of it as an outdoor mudroom. Romanek Design Studio opted for casual, minimalist furniture and decor for an understated, stylish impression in this Malibu home.

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Focus on Landscaping

The backyard is your space to reconnect with nature and unwind in the fresh air. So instead of saturating it with furniture and decor, focus on landscaping and florals.

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Invest in an In-Ground Swimming Pool

This in-ground swimming pool surrounded by a sun-dappled garden and canopy of trees is a backyard dream. Hang some string lights in the seating area for extra style points.

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Set Up a Work Studio

Build a separate workshop in the backyard if space allows. Reath Designs opted for a floor-to-ceiling glass window design, which helps boost productivity and creativity and doesn't disrupt the visual flow of the landscape.

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Upgrade Your Seating

Swing sofas are the perfect blend between benches and hammocks. Not only are they relaxing and comfortable, but they can also be visually intriguing, especially if you play with scale and proportion. Designed by Studio Life/Style, these swing sofas with super long ropes are the perfect example.

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Create a Flower-Covered Pergola

The only thing more heavenly than this cottage's pool is the wisteria growing beside it. Shading a group of bistro chairs, the pergola provides the perfect lunch spot.

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Get Inspired by Your Surroundings

This dining area blends in beautifully with the natural landscape. Opt for a rustic dining table with wooden tree trunk stools as dining chairs. It's, edgy, sleek, and sophisticated while still being approachable.

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Lay Fun Pool Tiles

Designer Madeline Stuart gave the backyard of this SoCal home by architects Wallace Neff and John Byers plenty of personality, from the eclectic tiles lining the pool to the blooming bougainvillea and whimsical umbrella.

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Build a Tree House

If your backyard opens up into an expansive forest—or even if you just have a few trees—now's your chance to build a treehouse. Or, if you don't want to build an entire house, just build a banister around it as a peaceful lookout deck.

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Hang a Hammock

If you have a tiny outdoor space, you can still take advantage of the fresh air in style. Hang a slim hammock and then make it pop with a jute area rug, fun throw pillows, and floor cushions for extra seating.

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Add Grass Strips

The best backyard flooring materials near a pool are nonslip tiles and water-resistant decking. But that doesn't mean you can't also reap the beautifying benefits of greenery. Breegan Jane added strips of grass separating the loungers and the swimming pool patio for a pop of green.

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Consider an Outdoor Kitchen

Alfresco dining is great, but cooking outside is even better. At a Key West house, the outdoor kitchen cabinets are made from old cypress shutters.

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Install a Fountain

Wendy Owen used local fieldstone and water channels to create a scenic fountain on her Sonoma property. She took inspiration from historic structures in Provence.

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Build a Small Greenhouse

Leanne Ford built this A-frame garden shed to function as an outdoor playhouse for her child and plans to turn it into a greenhouse once they outgrow its current use-case.

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Build an Outdoor Bar

Build a bar for more stylish entertaining outdoors. Choose an eye-catching tile design and hang string lights for a romantic, summery vibe.

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Channel an English Garden

Designer Podge Bune went with traditional roses and hedges for her Hamptons cottage, but didn't worry about a color scheme. "I thought, 'Well, let's just have a riot,'" she says. "I'm so bored with all white."

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Design a Clubhouse

An outdoor clubhouse like this one will make your backyard feel like a luxury resort in some far-away tropical destination. The built-in sofa and drum pendants make the rustic touches (like the straw roof) feel a little more elevated in this space.

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Hang String Lights

Designer Jill Sharp Weeks used string lights to make her garden feel like an extension of her home. The space even includes an outdoor privy, the only bathroom on the ground floor.

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Plant Your Own Citrus Trees

Elevate your backyard garden by cultivating a small citrus grove. Not only do the bright hues create a gorgeous visual landscape, but your fruit will also come in handy in the kitchen.

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Keep Things Minimalist

For a sleek, minimalist patio, whitewash your wood paneled deck and keep things tonal with a gravel garden instead of grass. Bring a heat lamp outside for warmth, so you can still hang out there during the chillier months. Floor cushions will be great for extra lounge seating.

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Compromise With a Grill and Wet Bar

Designer Maria Augusta Luoro of Guta Louro Designs brought her neglected childhood home back to its former glory, and then some. Locally-sourced materials in the backyard allow it to blend right in with lush São Paolo countryside. A covered grill and wet bar allow for alfresco dining without the fuss of all the plumbing upgrades required for a full kitchen.

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Spotlight a Garden Shed

Rebecca Vizard used a post office in Seaside, Florida, as the model for her petite garden shed. The spruce-colored fence is stained Sherwin-Williams's Shade Tree.

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Make It Kid-Friendly

If you want to make your family home the go-to house in the neighborhood, take notes from this backyard situation. With an epic play structure, twisty water slide, and plenty of greenery, it has child-like glee written all over it.

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Transform a Terrace

So you don't have a backyard but you do have a rooftop terrace? That can be just as magical when styled well. Bring in plenty of greenery, and then set up a little sitting area for dining or reading.

Senior Editor Hadley Mendelsohn is House Beautiful's senior editor, and when she's not busy obsessing over all things decor-related, you can find her scouring vintage stores, reading, or stumbling about because she probably lost her glasses again.

Health Editor Caroline is the Health Editor at GoodHousekeeping.com covering nutrition, fitness, wellness, and other lifestyle news.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io

Outdoor Home Living

Source: https://www.housebeautiful.com/room-decorating/outdoor-ideas/g1243/amazing-backyard-escapes-0512/

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Living Room W Hotel Hoboken

Living Room W Hotel Hoboken

The W doesn't have staff, it has insiders (that's really the title on their business cards). Flanked by designer boutiques and minutes away from the Dolmabahçe Palace, the W's décor—aquamarine lighting, gleaming chrome, slick surfaces—is equal parts neo-Ottoman and neo–Stanley Kubrick. (Think Sultan Mehmet V: A Space Odyssey.) Almost all the 134 units (in categories ranging from Wonderful Rooms to Extreme Wow Suites) come with private patio cabanas or landscaped terraces; all sport pillow-top beds, high-tech gadgetry, and baths furnished with Bliss toiletries. The W Lounge is a bit heavy on the self-consciously hip trance music, but its mojitos are the best in the city; Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Spice Market restaurant is justifiably popular.

Room to Book: In summer, a Spectacular Room with a cabana for private sunbathing; in winter, a Fabulous Room with a skylight and terrace.

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Four Seasons Bosphorus Hotel in Istanbul

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Nearby Things to Do

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Living Room W Hotel Hoboken

Source: https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-guide/istanbul/hotels/w-istanbul

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Living Lake Country

Living Lake Country

Lakestone Named Canada's Community Development of the Year for 2020

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Explore the Beauty of Lakestone

Whether you prefer to hit the trails, paddle on the lake, or watch glorious sunsets from the lake club deck, the good life is right outside your door.

Watch Aerial Tour

Lakestone has been recognized Nationally as the Community Development of the Year by the Canadian Home Builders' Association National Award for 2020.

At Lakestone, a beautiful community is budding, while still maintaining over half of the site in its natural state. Enjoy 28.8 kilometers of trails leading from the lakefront to the summit, weaving through approximately 250 acres of preserved natural open space and connecting to the Lake Country trail system.

Our Vision

No Speculation Tax

Unlike the city of Kelowna, the district of Lake Country is exempt from the speculation tax.

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The Amenities

No other community combines such a stunning landscape with a wealth of desirable amenities.

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Unique Location

Lakestone is just 25 minutes to downtown Kelowna but nestled in a peaceful rural environment.

Community Map

Our Vision

The masterplan for Lakestone was developed with a promise of active living. Forested, active lifestyle combined with the sense of neighbourhoods and community through the amenity buildings is what you will discover in Lakestone.

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Location

Only 25 minutes from downtown Kelowna in rush hour, Lakestone has ease of access to all the city amenities but without the city congestion. Wineries, golf courses, hiking, biking and a host of things to do are practically at your doorstep at Lakestone.

Learn More

Real Estate

Highlands Neighbourhood is now SOLD OUT!

Stay tuned for more information on our next lot release or register on this site to receive our newsletters.

The Summit Phase is coming soon. This neighbourhood will feature homesites at some of the highest elevations at Lakestone. Beacon Park will be at the centre of the area and will offer some breathtaking views of Okanagan Lake to the south/west and Wood Lake to the North.

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Amenities

From the serenity of Lake Okanagan, and the vibrant culture of Kelowna, Lake Country is a world-class leisure destination. Lakestone is ideally situated to be the perfect base for relaxation and endless recreation adventures all year round. No other community combines such a stunning landscape with a wealth of desirable amenities. Watersports, cycling, golf, hiking, skiing, the arts, wineries, and fine dining – it's all right here. Right in your backyard.

Learn More

  • The Lake Club
  • The Centre Club
  • Waterside Park
  • Trail System
  • Benchland Parks

Real Estate

Stunning and diverse homesites featuring natural settings are coming soon in our Summit Phase. Register today to receive updates on lot information.

Learn More

Developer

Macdonald Communities is a family owned company that has been delivering exceptional properties for thirty years.

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Blog & News

Stay up to date by reading our blog and news articles. We update our blog regularly in order to keep the communications open with our clients.

Learn More

Living Lake Country

Source: https://www.lakestoneliving.com/

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Raised Ranch Living Room Decorating Ideas

Raised Ranch Living Room Decorating Ideas

The new interior design for this 1970's ranch home is inspired by the extensive art collection of the client. When the client purchased this home for the first time, it was dank and dark. Studio VARA updated the dated interior to modern standards by considering the art placement and sightlines during the design process. It is a 2016 project located in Kentfield, California.

Design

Kentfield 1

Kentfield 2

The main stair in the kitchen disturbs the house flor to the dining area and make the kitchen feels cramped and small. This stair is relocated to the front area of the house, allowing the architect to enlarge the kitchen space without creating an open passage. The light is brought into the house interior by removing the inner eaves and also the decks.

Interior

Kentfield 3

Kentfield 4

The wood ceilings of the house are painted in white, reflecting the light and also create a good focus on some interior elements. The interior design is made by arranging the awesome art collection of the client. It becomes one of the design challenges for the architect to consider the best art placement for the whole interior space.

Furniture

Kentfield 5

Kentfield 6

The architect also chooses the furniture carefully in responding to the art collection. They also work together with the client of the house on the various custom pieces to decor the house interior. The chosen furniture comes in a simple look and soft colors such as grey sofa, black table, and wooden cabinet in the kitchen. A custom rug in the living room can add more unique details and textures to the house interior.

Kentfield 7

Kentfield 8

There is also a machined aluminum dining table in jet black, creating an awesome drama to the small dining room. A custom breakfast nook table can be found in the kitchen, covered by 1960's vintage French tiles by Roger Capron, a famous artist, and also flanked by a charcoal blue linen banquette. In the master bedroom, the bed is made from solid walnut with a modern design.

Kentfield

Kentfield 9

Kentfield 10

Kentfield 11

Raised Ranch Living Room Decorating Ideas

Source: https://www.futuristarchitecture.com/58496-kentfield-new-interior-design-for-a-1970s-ranch-home-inspired-by-clients-art-collection.html

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