Step Outside to the Most Popular Decks of 2019

See if these smart designs for lighting, shade and seating arrangements might inspire your outdoor setup

Lauren Dunec Hoang December 30, 2019

Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and in-house designer for Sunset's Editorial Test Garden. Her garden designs have been featured in the Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping, Sunset Western Garden Book of Easy-Care Plantings (cover), Inhabitat, and POPSUGAR.

Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and... More

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This Trending Now story features the most-saved deck photos uploaded to Houzz since Jan. 1, 2019.

From a leafy rooftop deck in Chicago to a stylish hot tub set into a deck in Los Angeles, there’s plenty to ooh and aah about in this year’s most-saved deck photos on Houzz. While your own outdoor space may be less extravagant, these clever deck designs offer ideas to implement in a backyard of any size or style.

Big House Little House

10. Indoor-Outdoor Lanai

This handsome deck design by Big House Little House for an Australian home takes advantage of a year-round mild climate by offering the homeowners an indoor-outdoor lanai for cooking and dining. Sliding glass doors allow the outdoor area, which sits under the cover of a second-story overhang, to be closed off from the home when not in use, or they can be thrown open for easy flow from the living room to the outdoor deck and the pool beyond.

European Architectural Supply

9. Artistic Angles

This contemporary home in Michigan features strong angular rooflines and has a floor plan spread across two wings. The architects used the triangular space between the two wings to build a deck and expand the home’s living area. The deck looks perfectly in keeping with the style of the home, with angled, ledge-like seating and an inviting smoke-free fire feature to draw the homeowners outside.

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Boyce Design + Build

8. Stylish Lighting

Outdoor lighting can often be an afterthought, but this Atlanta backyard shows how it can add to the design. Boyce Design & Contracting used two pairs of subtle LED stair lights to draw people across the yard to a Trex deck and a larger entertaining space. The lights also help prevent tripping. Inset lights dot the deck’s perimeter, while twinkling cafe lights looped on a pergola above an outdoor dining table beckon people to come take a seat.

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Michael Lee Architects

7. Swimming Hole

With blue-green tile and nearby tropical dragon tree and philodendron foliage, this sunken hot tub feels like a tranquil natural swimming hole. The design, by Michael Lee Architects and Jones Landscapes, benefits from pale decking, which makes the pool tile appear even darker and more inviting by contrast.

Read more about this coastal California courtyard

OPRCH

6. Side Yard Stunner

Slotted into the side yard of a Boston home, this dining deck designed by OPRCH proves that you don’t need much space for a deck to add major backyard utility. The homeowners can easily carry plates of food out from the kitchen to the dining table to enjoy dinners outside all summer.

Jordan Iverson Signature Homes

5. Fireside Seating

This stylish covered deck sits right off the kitchen of a contemporary Portland, Oregon, home designed by Jordan Iverson Signature Homes. The location allows the outdoor room to act as an extension of the living area, offering the homeowners and their guests a place to step out in the evening and enjoy a fireside drink. The deck features a smoke-free gas-burning fire feature in custom fabricated steel with matching metal planters mounted along the adjacent concrete wall.

Chicago Specialty Gardens, Inc.

4. Going Green

Chicago Specialty Gardens used a combination of latticework siding and climbing hydrangea to transform an open deck into a private, leafy retreat. A cushy outdoor sofa under a shade pergola, along with a ceiling fan to provide a soft breeze, sets the stage for outdoor relaxation.

Chicago Specialty Gardens, Inc.

3. Dazzling Roof Deck

Every comfort is provided on this roof deck designed by Chicago Specialty Gardens. Comfortable seating wraps around a fire feature, which doubles as a table for resting drinks. The pergola overhead features mechanical louvers that can be closed for full shade or shelter from raindrops, and outdoor heaters cast a pool of warmth over the entire area on chilly evenings.

dSPACE Studio Ltd, AIA

2. Multipurpose Oasis

A mix of blackened-steel planters, natural ipe wood decking and verdant plantings dominates this stunning Chicago backyard designed by dSPACE Studio. The yard consists of four distinct areas: a deck for dining, a plunge pool, a lounge and a side yard. An idea to steal: Use planters to separate a large deck into multiple zones. Here, the team used Dura Heat river birch (Betula nigra ‘BNMTF’) in a built-in steel planter to separate the dining terrace and plunge pool.

Boyce Design + Build

1. Floating Bench

This second view of the same Atlanta deck by Boyce Design & Contracting seen in number eight above is the most-saved deck photo of 2019. This party-friendly outdoor dining and lounge space has a shaded dining table and an L-shaped floating cedar bench arranged around a gas-burning fire feature. Freestanding cedar fences pick up the warm tones of the bench and pergola and provide privacy for the seating area.

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