Tag

Outdoor

Browsing



When it comes to paths and steps, lighting needs to be practical to prevent trips and falls. Fortunately, there are plenty of options that look good, add ambiance and safely light the way. Fixtures can be subtle at night and nearly disappear during the day, or they can make a statement and enhance the overall design when the sun’s up.

Whether you choose hard-wired, battery-powered or solar lights, the key is to avoid fixtures that create glare, which could dazzle and disorient. It’s also worth considering timers or motion sensors, so lights turn on when needed but don’t disrupt wildlife all night.

Scroll down to see how designers on Houzz have lit steps and pathways across a range of landscapes.



This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



Outdoor renovations typically begin with a similar wish list: places to kick back, room for gathering and spaces for cooking and dining outdoors. For ideas on weaving those elements into your own backyard, explore this countdown of the five most-viewed outdoor makeovers of the year. Each project shows how architects and designers thoughtfully integrated flexible seating, fire features, outdoor kitchens and more into welcoming landscapes that feel like natural extensions of the home.

Changras & Frey Construction Inc.Save Photo
5. Indoor-Outdoor Dream

Outdoor seating areas that echo the comforts of indoors — cushy furnishings, shade, heat and bug control — tend to be the spaces people use most in a yard. In this inviting Los Altos, California, backyard, KNR Design Studio and Changras & Frey Construction created multiple flexible seating zones with varying levels of comfort to make indoor-outdoor living feel effortless. A covered veranda just off the living room can be fully enclosed with motorized screens or opened wide through black-frame sliding glass doors. Nearby, an outdoor dining table enjoys partial shade, while an adjacent lounge area offers views of a putting green.

Read more about this backyard

Find a landscape contractor on Houzz

Himsben Design Studio, LLCSave Photo
4. Flexible Urban Patio

In compact city gardens, every square inch counts, and an adaptable design can greatly expand how a space functions. This Chicago backyard, tucked between the house and garage, once served mainly as a pass-through. Landscape architect Benjamin Himschoot of Himsben Design Studio reimagined it as a versatile patio framed by lush plantings. Lightweight plastic Adirondack chairs and a portable smoke-free fire pit allow for quick rearranging. When the seating area isn’t in use, the homeowners’ two children can clear the furniture and set up a soccer net.

Read more about this yard

See why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software

Rock Paper Scissors Landscape, Inc.Save Photo
3. Sloped Sanctuary

This serene hot tub, part of an Oakland, California, landscape designed and built by Barry Sacher of Rock Paper Scissors Landscape, gives the homeowners a peaceful retreat within their sloped backyard. Once short on level, usable space, the yard now features a series of decks and terraces that work with the grade rather than against it. The 7-foot-diameter Alaskan cedar tub sits in a prime spot facing redwood trees, with an outdoor shower tucked close by. A few steps up, a larger deck provides lounge seating beneath an umbrella, while additional stairs lead farther up the slope to an outdoor kitchen and dining area conveniently close to the house.

Read more about this yard

Before and After: 3 Creative Solutions to a Sloped Yard

Lindgren LandscapeSave Photo
2. Backyard Built for Enjoyment

This Timnath, Colorado, backyard, designed and built by Lindgren Landscape, has plenty of features packed into a modest footprint. After downsizing, the homeowners wanted to replace a patchy lawn with a space built for lounging, dining and entertaining nearly year-round. Landscape designer Jamie McCarn delivered a highly functional layout, adding a solid-roof shade structure that covers both dining and lounge areas, along with a nearby fire pit patio for cozy evenings. Just off the back door, a slightly elevated deck houses an outdoor kitchen with a grill and smoker, while a kit-built barrel sauna beside the fire pit offers a relaxing all-season retreat.

Read more about this backyard

New to home remodeling? Learn the basics

Stucchi Landscape & DesignSave Photo
1. Elegant Retreat

This striking backyard in Needham, Massachusetts, claimed the top spot as the most-viewed outdoor space of 2025. When the homeowners first consulted landscape designer Jim Stucchi, they were considering buying the home and installing a pool. Stucchi ultimately reimagined the entire backyard, adding a pool, a cabana, a spa, a dining terrace and an outdoor kitchen. The landscape’s modern-meets-traditional style complements the home’s architecture, while carefully chosen plants soften the hardscape’s clean lines, adding color and other visual interest at every turn.

Read more about this backyard

More on Houzz
Read more landscape stories
Browse outdoor photos for ideas
Find a home professional



This article was originally published by a
www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



3. Cozy Fireside Lounge

Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: Trevor Fulmer, who also designed the space, and his husband, Jim Mattus, a corporate attorney
Location: South Boston
Size: 585 square feet (54 square meters); 15 feet wide by 39 feet long
Builder: B H Brown Landscape Design

Before: This South Boston home’s original side yard was functional and sunny, but it felt boxed in by the perimeter fencing. There also was nothing to break up all the hard surfaces. Still, interior designer Trevor Fulmer and his husband immediately saw the potential. “Being in Boston proper with this square footage of outdoor livable space is very rare,” the designer says.

Fulmer quickly started dreaming up ideas for the space, including a lounge area with a fireplace. Plenty of plants also sat high on the list. “We wanted the space to feel very lush and green, like a little oasis in the concrete jungle,” he says.



This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



3. Handsome Outdoor Hearth

This elevated indoor-outdoor lounge is positioned on the back side of a luxury mountain home in Big Sky, Montana, just outside of Yellowstone National Park. The team at interior design firm Hive Home brought the same attention to detail to the outdoor space as they did to the home’s interiors, with a rich, earth-tone color palette and a focus on natural materials. A stone hearth serves as the focal point of the outdoor lounge, anchoring the seating arrangement. Overhead, integrated lighting and a heating element keep the lounge warm and inviting on cool evenings.

See why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software



This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



These Austin, Texas, homeowners have daughters in elementary and middle schools, and they wanted to create more usable space in their steeply sloped backyard to encourage outdoor play. They also wanted space for entertaining their friends.

José Roberto Corea of Austin Outdoor Design transformed the yard into a series of outdoor rooms featuring a pool, a spa, an outdoor shower, a fire table lounge, a play area, a renovated two-story porch and a pergola-covered dining and grilling area. At the same time, he preserved several existing live oak trees. The result is a cohesive, beautifully terraced modern yard that the whole family and their friends enjoy.



This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



Laurie Demetrio InteriorsSave Photo
9. Social Graces

The initial goal of this Illinois project was to build an outdoor pavilion and kitchen on a newly purchased lot next to the homeowners’ existing lot. But one thing led to another, and a team including Joey Rossa of JMR Landscaping, Nick Shaver of Century Bay Builders and interior designer Laurie Demetrio ended up giving the homeowners a pool, a spa, a two-level guesthouse and a two-car garage as well.

The generously appointed pavilion has ceiling heaters and a fireplace to keep things toasty on cooler days, plus ceiling fans to stir up breezes when it’s warm. Cushy seating surrounds a coffee table, promoting conversation and connection. The outdoor kitchen is party-ready with a grill, smoker, pizza oven, wine cooler and more. There’s also a five-seat bar with plenty of countertop space, and a TV above the fireplace.

Read more about this project



This article was originally published by a
www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



“A wood-burning fire pit is the old-school way to go, with crackling wood, the hypnotic smell of smoke and as much heat as you can handle,” Langhorne says. Gas fire pits offer the convenience of just turning a knob to start or adjust the flame and create no ashes, soot or smoke, he says. Unlike wood fire pits, however, they require a gas line or fuel tank.

Portable fire pits can be easily added to most outdoor spaces, coming in many sizes and costing less than a permanent installation. “They’re relatively inexpensive, easy to relocate, require minimal cleanup and have little or no smoke to deal with,” Langhorne says.



This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



Peregrine Design BuildSave Photo
Roofs and overhead structures. Having something overhead will protect both the kitchen area and guests from the elements, whether it’s harsh sunlight, rain, weather extremes or snow. This, in turn, will mean you can use your outdoor kitchen far more often. As a design feature, it sets the kitchen off as a separate space from both the house and the rest of the landscape. It allows you to easily add amenities like overhead lighting, heating and cooling.

A roof or overhead structure also has some drawbacks. An overhead structure is not recommended above many grills, for safety reasons. If you do have one, be sure you have the appropriate ventilation around the grill and an overhead vent installed. A patio roof can also close off the space unnecessarily.

A fully covered space is both more expensive and permanent, but it will ensure that both your kitchen and those using it are out of the elements. It will easily allow you to add in overhead lighting, heating and fans.

A partial roof can give you some shelter while still allowing you to keep the grill and other cooking areas safely ventilated and away from flammable materials.



This article was originally published by a
www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



Alison Hall AIASave Photo
2. Gorgeous Countertops

Counters help define your outdoor kitchen’s style. “Choose a stone [or other material] that ties the whole look together or provides a fun accent,” says Kara Gorski of Landed in Alexandria, Virginia.

Practical considerations. Add plenty of countertop area around the grill. “No matter how small an outdoor kitchen is, it needs to have adequate counter space,” says landscape designer Deborah Gliksman of Urban Oasis Landscape Design in Los Angeles. Douglass recommends leaving enough room for utensils as well as your cooked and uncooked food.

New York-based landscape designer Todd Haiman says you’ll probably need to seal the countertop when it’s installed and then reseal it every few years. “Fats from cooking as well as staining from metals left on top of it can stain it, and the elements can take their toll,” he says.

Finally, make good use of the cabinetry the counters sit on. It’s a prime space for storage as well as other amenities, such as an undercounter refrigerator.

Find a landscape contractor near you on Houzz



This article was originally published by a
www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



Stucchi Landscape & DesignSave Photo
Stucchi collaborated with architect Karen Howard on the new pool cabana, which measures 14 by 18 feet. It contains a TV and lounge seating, as well as cabinetry and counters that match the outdoor kitchen (just out of view to the left). It also has two refrigerated beverage drawers. Stucchi placed the steel-framed structure where it would create privacy from the neighbor’s yard.

The landscape design includes smart features. “We used a Sonance sound system with two subwoofers and six speakers within the garden spaces, as well as speakers in the cabana that are controlled by a home automation system,” Stucchi says. “The landscape lights, the bistro lights and the lights in the cabana are all controlled by a Lutron system app on the homeowners’ phones.”

Paperbark maples (Acer griseum, USDA zones 4 to 8; find your zone), which are multistemmed trees with beautiful bark, frame the cabana. “About a million resident wild bunnies severely limited our plant palette with their insatiable appetites for herbaceous perennials. No amount of rabbit deterrent would help us there. We tried everything,” Stucchi says.

He used trees, flowering shrubs, evergreens and grasses for structure, color and texture. These include a mix of hydrangeas, ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, zones 4 to 9) and both Blushing Knock Out roses (Rosa ‘Radyod’, zones 5 to 11) and Knock Out roses (Rosa ‘Radrazz’, zones 5 to 11).



This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .

Pin It