We are pleased to present Hearth & Home’s 7th Annual Outdoor Room Design Ideas special section, a showcase of some of the most fabulous and awe-inspiring Outdoor Rooms around. This year, like every other, our talented readers – including manufacturers, retailers, architects, landscape architects, designers, and builders – have amazed and impressed us with their work. Their outdoor living projects feature smart design, indoor-like esthetics, and an ever-growing list of amenities that add fun, function and beauty to the backyard.

Like always, we faced the near-impossible task of selecting projects from the many more submitted than we had room to print. And, as usual, when the task was done, we were left daydreaming about what could be done in our own backyards.

But what’s different this year, of course, is a pandemic crisis that’s fueling a desire – or, in some states, a mandate – to shelter at home. One consequence of this: interest in the Outdoor Room is higher than ever, as families look for ways to add backyard amenities to improve quality-of-life for their new at-home lifestyle.

An outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven makes for a fun, hands-on option on Friday pizza nights. A beverage bar with counter seating is a great spot to host happy-hours with neighbors. A pergola, set over some new outdoor furniture, creates a delightful, alfresco office for remote working or learning. An outdoor fire pit or fireplace and outdoor television, could provide endless hours of movie-night entertainment.

Perhaps you are already noticing more calls from customers looking for these or other outdoor upgrades. If not, we predict you soon will. Either way, we hope these pages provide you and your customers with Outdoor Room design ideas and inspiration. While the featured projects represent the crème-de-la-crème, and many are not for the faint-of-wallet, the concepts can be tailored to a family’s specific needs and budget to achieve the same goal. Whether it’s created in a sprawling backyard, a tiny terrace, or even an urban rooftop, an Outdoor Room is an essential shelter in these stormy times.

Quick Links

AMS Landscape Design Studios 1	AMS Landscape Design Studios 2	AXIS Productions
Derviss Design	Land & Water Design	Nick Williams and Associates
Orren Pickell Building Group	Ryan Hughes Design Build	SAOTA
Skii Landscape Architecture	Texas Custom Patios 1	Texas Custom Patios 2
Urban Design Associates

Fire & Water

A tranquil courtyard for relaxing and outdoor entertaining extends from the interior rooms of this Dana Point, California, home. Multiple seating, dining, and lounging areas surround an infinity pool and spa located at the center of the space. A pavilion with tongue-and-groove ceiling shelters a large U-shaped outdoor kitchen island with a built-in gas grill, sink, and ample storage cabinetry. On one side of the island, the quartzite counter extends for bar seating with views of a wall-mounted television.

Steps away, a fire/water wall anchors a seating area beside the pool. Water spills from cutouts in the smooth plaster walls that extend from either side of a large fireplace. The onyx used on the decorative panel above the mantel is repeated on the back-lit veneer of a show-stopping L-shaped fire pit on a separate backyard patio overlooking the vast Pacific Ocean.

A steep and fragile rear-yard slope, and strict city and state Coastal Commission requirements, necessitated extreme care during planning and construction, and prevented the installation of irrigation systems. Drought-tolerant plantings were used to stabilize the integrity of the slope, and a natural hedge was added for privacy.

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Through the Looking Glass

Surrounded by glass walls on three sides, and accessible through five sets of flush-on-grade, floor-to-ceiling glass doors, the outdoor courtyard of this new-construction contemporary home is visible from nearly all interior spaces. As such, landscape architect Candace Dillingham designed an outdoor space that is, by necessity, visually stunning from every possible vantage point.

She solved grading and runoff challenges by raising the pool and spa 14 inches above the paving elevation, and installing a custom drainage system around the perimeter. Beyond its practical purpose, the raised pool wall provides seating for guests when entertaining. Likewise, the utilitarian drain grates do double duty by adding visual interest.

Dillingham created custom designs for the grate covers, which were laser cut by the homeowner’s metalworks company. The unique patterns are repeated in other artistic structures throughout the property, including two entry gates, the driveway security gate, and a backdrop for a turtle sanctuary pond.

At the far end of the pool, a modern horizontal fireplace, built into a clean Cultured Stone surround, is an attractive focal point, day or night. To minimize the footprint of the fireplace, a slim, 5-inch foot ledge of Pennsylvania bluestone substitutes for a larger hearth. Two more fireplaces are incorporated into sheltered outdoor living rooms located on the upper and ground levels of the space.

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Bocce Belle

This delightful backyard renovation offers bocce and a beautiful bay view. A regulation bocce court provides fun for the family, along with the opportunity for some friendly competition. Running alongside the court, a unique walkway with large bluestone pads set within a sea of gray pebbles, creates a spot for players to wait their turn without putting wear-and-tear on the lawn.

More bluestone patios dot the yard amid landscape beds planted in joyous, showy colors. One patio is outfitted with comfy seating flanking a rectangular fire table, and another features a ring of deep-seating chairs around a gas fire pit. An outdoor kitchen has been added to the existing raised deck off the back of the house. The grill is built into a modular, storage-cabinetry system, finished in white powder-coat that coordinates with the white trim and pergola on the home’s exterior.

Eighteen months after the project was completed, the homeowners sent a letter to designer Michelle Derviss, expressing gratitude for their lovely outdoor living space during the shelter-at-home period due to COVID-19. “It was a small silver lining during this sad time in our nation’s history,” Derviss says. “It lifted my spirits to know that as designers and builders, we can and do provide quality-of-life experiences.”

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Backyard Wonderland

This formerly empty backyard was an ideal blank canvas on which the team at Land & Water Design created a wonderland of family fun. Construction was delayed six months to engineer and install a 6-ft. high by 60-ft. long retaining wall, with a 5-ft.-wide concrete footing poured below the frost line. Once completed, the design vision unfolded to include a natural, freeform pool with an oversized, raised, stone-veneered spa, a large tanning shelf and a 25-ft. tubular waterslide.

Surrounding the pool is a series of multi-level outdoor living and entertaining spaces with lovely sunset views. A custom, open-gable porch is home to a dining area and a 35-ft. outdoor kitchen outfitted with a grill, warming drawer, trash and recycle center, ice machine, refrigerator, sink, and more, all built into an L-shaped bank of storage cabinetry. Tucked beneath this porch on the ground level, is a covered poolside seating lounge with a granite-topped bar and sink. Recessed lighting, recessed infrared heaters, and ceiling fans in both these sheltered spaces, along with a two-tiered fire feature on the pool deck, ensure comfort day or night, nearly year-round.

With practicality in mind, a full bathroom with walk-in tile shower keeps wet feet out of the house. And, use of composite decking, railing and pergola materials, as well as simple, low-maintenance landscaping, ensures the emphasis remains on fun, not upkeep.

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Multilevel Marvel

Expansive glass walls, and extensive use of the same stone and wood materials inside and out, blur the lines between the interior and exterior of this custom transitional home in rural Woodstock, Illinois. The home has a series of upper and lower outdoor terraces, combining for more than 2,000 sq. ft. of outdoor living space. Each of the cohesively designed Outdoor Rooms has been strategically situated to maximize the sweeping views of the rolling valley below.

The upper terrace features a swimming pool with integrated spa, and a 400 sq. ft. covered lanai with stone columns and a stained tongue-and-groove wood ceiling. A large-screen TV is mounted on a Cor-Ten steel panel above a double-sided fireplace visible from the lanai’s comfy seating and dining areas, as well as from the chaise lounges that line the pool. The lanai also includes an outdoor kitchen with gas grill, warming drawer, and refrigerator built into a base of teak cabinets.

A unique water feature, reminiscent of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic home Fallingwater, links the upper and lower terraces, unifying the spaces. A wide sheet of water cascades over two waterfalls until it reaches its final destination in a stone-walled base. The lower terrace encompasses four separate seating areas. The largest is a sunken patio tucked into the landscape, with deep-seating couches surrounding a large, custom, gas fire pit.

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Tranquil Oasis

Each of the multiple Outdoor Rooms within this California backyard feels distinct, but together they form one exquisite, cohesively-designed outdoor living environment. A new poolside pavilion is the center of the action. It features a sunken fireside living room and an outdoor kitchen outfitted with a grill, double burners, warming drawer, and refrigerator. Stained tongue-and-groove on the ceiling and a sizeable raised-hearth fireplace add a sense of interior luxury to the space.

Another area, created under the shelter of the home’s existing rear loggia, includes a unique bar counter that hides a TV lift system so the family can enjoy sports or movies while dining. A third seating nook in a covered courtyard is framed by arched openings and columns. A collection of deep-cushioned chairs positioned by the fireplace in this area, makes it a quiet spot for conversation or reading.

Beyond the infinity spa at one end of the pool, a large patio seating area is elevated to maximize the stunning ocean views. Infrared heaters, deep-seating furnishings, limestone paving, see-through fencing, fountains, and a wide variety of specimen plantings throughout this tranquil oasis enhance both comfort and beauty.

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Desert Dream

After visiting for years, an East Coast couple found a home of their own in Arizona. Though the Desert Highlands location, situated off a golf course, was perfect, with spectacular views of the mountains and city lights, it came with a less-than-ideal, outdated, Santa Fe-style home. Architect Jessica Hutchison-Rough reimagined the home, opening up the boxy floorplan, so the interior rooms flowed seamlessly into the newly created outdoor living spaces.

Situated around the existing pool, the outdoor spaces are designed to take full advantage of the vistas. An outdoor kitchen is set against a custom backsplash and within reach of the dining area. After dinner, guests can gather around the fire pit to enjoy the sparkling city lights, or retire to the cozy “cigar patio.” A large flagstone patio underfoot unifies all of these distinct Outdoor Rooms along the rear of the house. In front of the home, an elegant new entry courtyard features a “secret garden” with a unique gate, trellis, and sculpture garden.

Though fitting everything into the small backyard was a challenge, sizing the spaces for intimate entertaining and everyday living helped achieve everything on the client’s wish list. “This is a perfect example of ‘Jewel Box Architecture,’” says Hutchison-Rough. “It might be small, but the special shines through in every detail.”

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Modern Serenity

The name of this outdoor retreat – Modern Serenity – is inspired by the chic yet calming vibe of the space. Completely enclosed by a glass structure, the secluded private oasis is a peaceful escape for year-round enjoyment. A covered outdoor living room along the rear of the house makes a seamless transition from the interior space, thanks to indoor-style furnishings, a large television, and a cooling fan that hangs from the richly stained wood ceiling.

At night, the space is aglow with dramatic firelight. Two fire-bowl fountains tumble into the pool water beside the two partially submerged loungers on the sun ledge. Water spouts incorporated into a custom, contemporary, linear fireplace, spill into a spa lined with decorative glass tiles that extend from the side of the pool. The third fire feature – a linear, gas fire pit table – adds coziness to a pergola-topped lounge area with a deep-seating outdoor sectional.

A gourmet outdoor kitchen, sheltered under a solid roof, includes a premium gas grill with ventilation hood, a refrigerator, and storage built into a ledgestone island with bar-height seating. Other special features of the Outdoor Room include a sophisticated outdoor shower and a poolside lounge bed, the perfect spot to relax with a nap.

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Family Affair

When winter rains dislodged boulders from the mountainside and sent them tumbling to the road, the homeowner’s sons used a bobcat loader and truck to transport the four- to six-foot-sized rocks to their backyard. There, the rocks became the cornerstones of a rustic outdoor living environment that seems carved from its natural surroundings. The centerpiece of the space is a lodge-style pavilion structure built by the homeowner’s family and a friend; designer Nick Williams was called in to create the rest of the space.

Anchoring the pavilion is a natural-gas fireplace, crafted from the reclaimed rocks. Above the wood mantel, a large-screen TV is the one modern exception in the space, and great for watching a game from the comfort of the deep-seating furnishings. Adjacent to this Outdoor Room, a U-shaped outdoor kitchen emerges from the rocky hillside. It is designed with a six-inch step-down in the work area to ensure the granite countertop, finished with a suede texture and a chiseled edge, is at counter height in the work zone, and table height for seating along the outer perimeter.

A waterfall spills over two enormous and very realistic faux boulders into a fish pond that appears to run beneath the floor of the outdoor pavilion. The family’s collection of antique birdhouses, garden tools, and one-of-a-kind accessories, add the finishing touches to this eclectic space.

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Wow Factor

Created to replace a deteriorating poolside pergola, this stunning Outdoor Room adds a “wow factor” to this Texas backyard. The freestanding structure features a covered patio at the center with pergola extensions off both sides.

A dramatic, curved, barrel ceiling, finished with stained tongue- and-groove, shelters the covered portion of this outdoor living space. Standing seam metal, bent to fit the barrel shape, clads the exterior roof. Another highlight of the outdoor space is a custom, wood-burning fireplace, finished in Granbury Chopped stone with a cast-stone mantel and surround.

Cast stone is repeated on the hearth and the tops of the wood boxes that bookend the fireplace, while the Granbury Chopped stone is used again on columns throughout the space. A trio of matching chandeliers, luxury furnishings with thick, burnt-orange cushions, and a huge television, hung above the mantel and proportionate to the oversized fireplace opening, add indoor comfort and style to this outdoor retreat.

Flooring, in a blend of Arizona and Blue Mist flagstone to match the existing flagstone around the pool, ensures the new space blends cohesively with the overall backyard design.

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Mountain Retreat

This remote retreat is nestled in the mountains by the Ruedi Reservoir outside Aspen, Colorado. The home is the full-time residence of a bachelor who loves to entertain, and is designed to be as comfortable for large groups as it is when the owner is by himself.

The interior Great Room opens to an outdoor living area covered by a soaring gabled roof with exposed beams and recessed lights. The shelter protects the outdoor space from the area’s harsh winter elements, including snow that typically falls from October through May. An outdoor kitchen is carved into the exterior side of a wood-burning fireplace that opens to the indoor Great Room. Made of local Ruedi red sandstone, the massive chimney is a striking feature in the Outdoor Room. Beside it on the semi-circular patio is a custom picnic table in keeping with the home’s rustic design. The warm waters of an eight-person spa, sheltered by the roof and partially recessed into the cement patio, provide an inviting spot for star-gazing. A large custom fire pit, built into the ground just outside the covered space, is another gathering spot.

The project uses spruce beetle kill wood on the ceiling and walls. The wood, salvaged from thousands of acres of Colorado forest decimated by a beetle infestation and fungus, has beautiful and distinctive colorations and can be left untreated.

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Made in the Shade

The homeowners wanted a covered Outdoor Room that would lend some much-needed shade and help them more fully enjoy their pool and backyard. This 450 sq. ft. sheltered space checks all the boxes with plenty of room for alfresco relaxing, dining, and entertaining.

The tongue-and-groove wood ceiling and wood-look porcelain-tile flooring throughout the space mirror each other in rich, stained finishes and unify the separate living and dining areas. A see-through, custom fireplace in the lounge functions as a wall to create a sense of enclosure in the space while maintaining views, and the raised hearth provides extra seating for guests. Mounted above the fireplace mantel, the TV can be enjoyed from both the living and dining areas. Creamy tones in the stone-veneer finish on the fireplace, and column supports, provide a light contrast to the dark ceiling and floor.

Since the covered Outdoor Room is attached to both the house and garage, the design needed to tie into both structures, incorporate a breezeway path beneath the roof, and maintain proper pitch while staying below the second-floor windows. These challenges were met, as was a solution to a drainage issue, courtesy of a new custom French drainage system. It is cleverly disguised as a black star gravel walkway that links the Outdoor Room to the pool area.

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Hollywood Hillside

This 20,000 sq.ft. hillside estate, located on a promontory above Los Angeles’s famed Sunset Boulevard, features 300-degree views of the city skyline. The silhouette of the neighboring Stahl House, the iconic, modernist-styled house in the Hollywood Hills, frequently used as a movie set, served as design inspiration.

Projecting roof planes create a series of covered outdoor terraces along the exterior walls of the home. These outdoor living spaces connect to the home’s open-floorplan-interior through sliding glass walls that capitalize on the spectacular views and maximize indoor-outdoor living. The outdoor spaces are enclosed by a vast infinity pool and lush landscaping that subtly screens neighboring properties for privacy. Wood platforms, dotted with luxurious chaises, jut into the pool as peninsulas for sunning and relaxing. A sunken, open-air lounge, lined with low sofas surrounding a sleek, horizontal fire pit, is positioned just beyond a covered outdoor living and dining room. Connecting to the indoor kitchen, this space is home to a stylish outdoor kitchen with bar seating, and is sheltered by a ceiling of rich wood slats, an architectural feature carried throughout the home. A rooftop entertaining deck quite literally takes this amazing property to the next level.

Furnishings, materials and finishes used in the outdoor areas are as sophisticated and chic as those used indoors, further blurring the lines between the Outdoor Rooms and the elegant interiors.

Lead Designers: DMark Bullivant, Philip Olmesdahl, Alwyn De Vos, Eugene Olivier & Conrad Martin

Company: SAOTA, Cape Town, South Africa

Website: www.saota.com

Other Contributors: Architect of Record – Woods + Dangaran, www.woodsdangaran.com; Project Manager – Park Lane Projects, www.pioneermillworks.com; Contractor – Fortis Development; Landscape Architect – Chris Sosa, www.chrissosa.com Lighting Design – Lux Populi, www.luxpopuli.com; Interior Designer – MASS Beverly, www.massbeverly.com; Furnished by – MASS Beverly, Los Angeles, CA www.massbeverly.com and Minotti, Los Angeles, CA, www.minotti-la.com

Project Size: 5,534 sq. ft. (outdoor living areas)

Materials: Feature Ceilings – Thermory wood; Feature Walls – French limestone, Petra Grigio marble; Floor – French limestone, Esthec composite decking in Emotion; Pergola – Thermory wood

Brands: Fire Pit – Top Fires by The Outdoor Plus

Budget: Not Available

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