The Most Popular Outdoor Living Photos of 2015
See 20 ways to transform your yard into a whimsical, wonderful outdoor oasis
Annie Thornton
December 29, 2015
Houzz Editorial Staff
The experience of outdoor living was on the minds of Houzz readers this year. The 2015 Houzz Landscaping & Garden Trends survey revealed that Houzzers are making their outdoor spaces beautiful and low-maintenance to enjoy outdoor living, but the most popular outdoor photos of 2015 went beyond flagstone patios and built-in fire pits.
In addition to being relaxed outdoor living spaces, this year’s most popular landscapes conjure up visions of fantasy, whimsy and surprise, whether through dramatic lighting, secluded seating nooks, planted screens or all of the above.
In addition to being relaxed outdoor living spaces, this year’s most popular landscapes conjure up visions of fantasy, whimsy and surprise, whether through dramatic lighting, secluded seating nooks, planted screens or all of the above.
1. Mood lighting. The waterfront view and impressive tree sculpture don’t hurt, but the mixture of tea lights, hanging lanterns and oversized floor lamps, along with the oversized comfy furniture, makes this expansive deck in Alys Beach, Florida, feel intimate, mysterious and inviting. It’s no wonder this photo, the most popular outdoor space uploaded in 2015, was saved to more than 80,000 ideabooks this year.
Patio furniture: Club Woven collection in resin, Summer Classics
Patio furniture: Club Woven collection in resin, Summer Classics
2. Hanging bed swing. There’s nothing that invites lingering on the front porch like a porch swing — unless it’s a hanging bed swing, like this one in Charleston, South Carolina. The line between outdoor furniture and indoor furniture design has recently started to blur, and this cushy outdoor bed just might persuade someone to spend the night outside.
3. Meandering path. Paths are necessary to get from place to place in the landscape, but the designers of this wandering path in Melbourne, Australia, used a mixture of poured-in-place concrete pavers and river rock to create a playful game of hopscotch across the yard.
Coral bark Japanese maples (Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’) line the path, with their bright pink trunks glowing against the path’s subtle but effective lighting.
Path lighting: Gardens at Night
Coral bark Japanese maples (Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’) line the path, with their bright pink trunks glowing against the path’s subtle but effective lighting.
Path lighting: Gardens at Night
4. Modern garden folly. Though traditional English follies were typically faux ruins or fanciful bridges, this free-standing hammock and pergola on the path toward the shore of Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada, induces the same feeling of surprise and discovery.
5. Breezy curtains. All the elements of this enclosed outdoor living room in South Carolina, from the oversized wicker furniture to the elegant wall sconces and ceiling fan, appeal to the senses, but the dreamy white drapes, with the afternoon light filtering through, take the space to another level.
Tall Linear lanterns: Circa Lighting; curtains and furniture: Restoration Hardware
Tall Linear lanterns: Circa Lighting; curtains and furniture: Restoration Hardware
6. Play furniture for adults. When the kids whose family owns this garden grew up and no longer used their childhood swing, landscape designer Jane Harries installed an adult-size swing in its place. “The area catches the early evening sunlight, and my clients already sat on the swing here to make the most of it,” she says. The swing and planted trees also conceal an irregularly shaped boundary.
Soft plantings in purples, grays and greens surrounding the nook partially conceal the swing, creating a loose, romantic but still tidy garden in the United Kingdom.
Garden swing: Garden Furniture World
Soft plantings in purples, grays and greens surrounding the nook partially conceal the swing, creating a loose, romantic but still tidy garden in the United Kingdom.
Garden swing: Garden Furniture World
7. Outdoor great room. This fully decked-out outdoor living space on Lake Minnetonka, in Minnesota, takes what we love about the great room and brings it outside. Food prep and cooking happen close to the house, with a TV above the fireplace and an outdoor lounge nearby. A step down from the covered bluestone terrace is an outdoor dining area, creating a complete outdoor living and dining experience.
Wood stain: Foghorn, Cabot; bluestone: Orijin Stone
Wood stain: Foghorn, Cabot; bluestone: Orijin Stone
8. Seat among the plants. Raised beds bring up the level of the plants, making the beds easier to access and observe. Designer Sean Dowling took the reverse approach with this beachfront garden in Aspendale Beach in Victoria, Australia, instead sinking the seating down to the level of the planters. “By lowering the level of the area, it gives the opportunity for smaller plants to play a bigger role and have more impact,” Dowling says.
Poured-in-place concrete, Cor-Ten steel and wood make up the bench, with Tuscan toppings used for the patio floor. Bluestone steps lead down to the seating area, while a mixture of lush perennials, agave and olive trees (Olea europaea ‘Tolley’s Upright’) frame the patio.
Poured-in-place concrete, Cor-Ten steel and wood make up the bench, with Tuscan toppings used for the patio floor. Bluestone steps lead down to the seating area, while a mixture of lush perennials, agave and olive trees (Olea europaea ‘Tolley’s Upright’) frame the patio.
9. Artful backyard nook. Decorative wall plates and antique-style birdcages create an artful retreat in this backyard in Perth, Australia. A platform deck with simple cushion chaise longues set the scene for afternoon gazing at clouds or a night under the stars.
10. Built-in furniture. Nestled at the base of a bank, and concealed from view, this built-in wraparound seating area also doubles as a retaining wall in this Australian garden. A winding path paved with terra-cotta stones leads to this secluded nook.
Stone flooring: Eco Outdoor; fire pit: EcoSmart insert in custom rusted metal base
Stone flooring: Eco Outdoor; fire pit: EcoSmart insert in custom rusted metal base
11. A mini-destination in an urban yard. Making the most of space is important in an urban garden. Landscape designer John Davies also inspired a journey with a secondary destination in this London backyard, something often reserved for larger gardens. Floating pavers of basalt stone traverse a water feature back to a raised gravel terrace. “This was designed as a destination — a place where you might sit with a glass of wine,” Davies says.
A multistemmed Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) in the background, a burkwood osmanthus (Osmanthus x burkwoodii) in the foreground and dramatic lighting offer sculptural intrigue. Domed plant sculptures surround the outdoor area, along with an iroko wood fence.
A multistemmed Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) in the background, a burkwood osmanthus (Osmanthus x burkwoodii) in the foreground and dramatic lighting offer sculptural intrigue. Domed plant sculptures surround the outdoor area, along with an iroko wood fence.
12. Planted pavers. The climbing rose and planted pavers here show how plants can enliven and soften the landscape. Dwarf mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus ‘Nana’) grows between flagstone pavers, creating a permeable planted path in this North Carolina garden.
13. Screened-in seating. In certain climates, at certain times of year, sitting outside for hours at a time just isn’t possible. This narrow screened-in porch provides the homeowners of this Wisconsin property the opportunity to do so, and the seating has been arranged to face out so that they can watch the world go by from comfy wicker patio furniture.
14. Planted borders. This meandering backyard boardwalk inspires a journey through this yard in Australia, and also introduces a layer of discovery with its planted edges and winding curves. Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) clambers over a steel arbor that was built onsite.
15. Bold furniture. Patio furniture, arranged in mini outdoor rooms, creates the accent and exclamation point for this outdoor entertaining area in La Jolla, California. Tying the color and materials of the metal stools, poufs and dining chairs in with the architecture of the space has created a cohesive and playful outdoor entertaining area that draws people in.
See more of this Southern California patio
Finn dining chair, Montego dining table, Boyd ottoman, Montego sofa and Montego lounge chair: Room & Board
See more of this Southern California patio
Finn dining chair, Montego dining table, Boyd ottoman, Montego sofa and Montego lounge chair: Room & Board
16. Secluded poolside cabana. Mix two of the most desired outdoor living amenities — a covered cabana and an outdoor fireplace — and you have a premier outdoor destination, day or night, winter or summer. This Mediterranean-style nook in Miami sets the scene for intimate conversations, a gathering of friends or even an afternoon nap.
17. Garden as theater. Dramatically lit golden bamboos (Phyllostachys aurea) frame this garden terrace in London, with a single serviceberry (Amelanchier lamarckii) taking center stage. “I imagined the garden as a theatrical stage, with the sliding doors of the house effectively becoming a proscenium arch,” landscape designer John Davies says.
The retaining wall in the back of the garden lifts the plantings up so that they can more effectively screen this terrace from the surrounding apartments. Additional layers of interest include evergreen plants and herbaceous plants that change and remind of the changing seasons. “I wanted people to be able to step into this garden and experience an intensified world entirely different from their normal day-to-day lives,” Davies says.
10 Designs Bring Theatrical Drama to the Garden
The retaining wall in the back of the garden lifts the plantings up so that they can more effectively screen this terrace from the surrounding apartments. Additional layers of interest include evergreen plants and herbaceous plants that change and remind of the changing seasons. “I wanted people to be able to step into this garden and experience an intensified world entirely different from their normal day-to-day lives,” Davies says.
10 Designs Bring Theatrical Drama to the Garden
18. Fire pit nook. “Before this space was renovated, it belonged to a little dog and a couple of dead plants,” landscape designer Sean Dowling says. Now the homeowners have a full living experience outside, including a fire pit, fridge, TV and dining area in their yard in the Melbourne area, Australia. Careful maneuvering and creative curves on the designer’s part ensured all these features fit into the tight outdoor space. Bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) plants frame the seating area.
Fire pit: EcoSmart
Fire pit: EcoSmart
19. Garden swimming pool. The pool is the focal activity of this East Coast backyard lawn, and it’s also a visual focal point. By inserting a functional feature into a traditional garden scene, where you might otherwise see a koi pond or another water feature, you extend its usefulness.
20. Classic indoor features outside. Pennsylvania bluestone coping and an ipe deck surround this traditional pool in Maryland, but the custom brick fireplace is the real standout feature. “I think the success of the space is based on having a true seating area in the exterior space which includes what is typically an interior feature, the fireplace,” builder David Carlisle says. “I think people can achieve this by thinking of outdoor spaces and indoor spaces a bit more interchangeably.”
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All of these outdoor rooms are beautiful but I particularly love the urban garden #11
Stacy Koch
www.CarmelDecor.com
I wish I was there, absolutely gorgeous!
Thank you Annie for selecting #13 as one of your most popular outdoor living photos for 2015! This project was truly special to me and we do spend most of our summer family time relaxing in the screened porch while enjoying the summer weather months. I appreciate the compliment and enjoy reading your beautiful articles on houzz.com. A special thank you to SunArc Studios who designed our home and Colby Construction who built it!