Outdoor Living Spaces that Really Work

Meaningful outdoor spaces are becoming a primary starting point for all of our new home and remodel designs. It doesn’t matter if we’re designing a spacious modern home, or a small efficient cottage, our clients are expecting outdoor rooms that support their lifestyle and become a true extension of their indoor living experience.

 

 

“Our Favorite Spaces”

It’s no surprise that the outdoor spaces we create become the centerpiece of the home’s composition and are meant to be enjoyed from many rooms throughout the house. This way we give our clients access to the fantastic California climate and magical western light we all love, while also making their home feel more spacious and open. It’s no wonder these outdoor spaces are often our client’s favorite places in the house.

But a great outdoor room isn’t just any space that happens to be outside. A really great outdoor room is one that is created by, and held within the edges and boundaries that we use to shape them. Those edges and boundaries take different forms with each project. Often they are the walls of the home themselves, which serve as a dramatic backdrop to a significant landscape object like a pool, water feature, or striking planter element.

Equally important is a sense of ceiling to an outdoor room. We’ve found that, when there’s an element over your head, such as a tree canopy, a roof overhang, or a thoughtfully placed awning, the feeling of security and enclosure is heightened and the outdoor experience becomes more meaningful.

 

Linking Ideas

Universally, the outdoor rooms we create are strongly connected to their indoor counterparts through generous openings of floor to ceiling windows or folding or sliding glass doors that help bring the outdoor space into the home and extend the indoor space out to the landscape. In this way the exterior rooms become inextricably linked to the indoor spaces and are truly a meaningful part of the home design.

 

 

Accenting The Main Idea

Protected by the entry courtyard wall a shimmering pool becomes the focal point of this inner courtyard and defines the boundaries of the protected living space. The entry canopy above helps define the outdoor room and reinforces the long, horizontal expression of the house.

 

 

Intimate and Private Areas

A stately olive tree defines the edge of this outdoor room and shades the inner courtyard from the western sun. The courtyard is visible from the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms, bridging the public living areas to the more intimate private spaces of the home.

 

 

Protected Spaces Feel Safe and Valuable

This courtyard works twice as hard by being both an entry path to the front door, as well as the backdrop to the kitchen space inside. Wide sliding doors open up to connect the kitchen to the courtyard which serves as a protected outdoor living room and lounge.