152 Contemporary Outdoor & Garden Design Ideas

Landscape Design: AMS Landscape Design Studios, Inc. / Photography: Jeri Koegel

An additional challenge for the design team was to ensure that the kitchen would withstand the harsh Chicago elements; the countertop was done in honed granite and the cabinetry is marine-grade teak. To bring the modern design into harmony with the natural surroundings, a neutral palette was selected to complement the aesthetic inside the home without detracting from the lush green of the outdoor space.

Grab Photography

Dion Robeson

Tim Turner

The Pavilion is a contemporary outdoor living addition to a Federation house in Roseville, NSW. The existing house sits on a 1550sqm block of land and is a substantial renovated two storey family home. The 900sqm north facing rear yard slopes gently down from the back of the house and is framed by mature deciduous trees. The client wanted to create something special “out the back”, to replace an old timber pergola and update the pebblecrete pool, surrounded by uneven brick paving and tubular pool fencing. After years living in Asia, the client’s vision was for a year round, comfortable outdoor living space; shaded from the hot Australian sun, protected from the rain, and warmed by an outdoor fireplace and heaters during the cooler Sydney months. The result is large outdoor living room, which provides generous space for year round outdoor living and entertaining and connects the house to both the pool and the deep back yard. The Pavilion at Roseville is a new in-between space, blurring the distinction between inside and out. It celebrates the contemporary culture of outdoor living, gathering friends & family outside, around the bbq, pool and hearth.

Photography by Linda Oyama Bryan

The new owners of this West Village Manhattan townhouse knew that gutting an historically significant building would be a complex undertaking. They were admirers of Turett's townhouse renovations elsewhere in the neighborhood and brought his team on board to convert the multi-unit structure into a single family home. Turett's team had extensive experience with Landmarks, and worked closely with preservationists to anticipate the special needs of the protected facade. The TCA team met with the city's Excavation Unit, city-appointed archeologists, preservationists, Community Boards, and neighbors to bring the owner's original vision - a peaceful home on a tree-line street - to life. Turett worked with adjacent homeowners to achieve a planted rear-yard design that satisfied all interested parties, and brought an impressive array of engineers and consultants aboard to help guarantee a safe process. Turett worked with the owners to design a light-filled house, with landscaped yard and terraces, a music parlor, a skylit gym with pool, and every amenity. The final designs include Turett's signature tour-de-force stairs; sectional invention creating overlapping volumes of space; a dramatic triple-height steel-and-glass elevation; extraordinary acoustical and thermal insulation as part of a highly energy efficient envelope.

Divine Nature Landscape Design, Johnna Brooks

Charlotte Rowe Garden Design. The new high-spec kitchen with limestone flooring opens out seamlessly on to the courtyard. Around the water rill are raised beds and bench seating, playing with the change in levels, all clad in the same pale limestone.

Sustainable home design by H2D Architects. Featured on the Northwest Eco Building Guild Tour, this sustainably-built modern four bedroom home features decks on all levels, seamlessly extending the living space to the outdoors. The green roof adds visual interest, while increasing the insulating value, and help achieve the site’s storm water retention requirements. Sean Balko Photography

Stunning contemporary coastal home which saw native emotive plants soften the homes masculine form and help connect it to it's laid back beachside setting. We designed everything externally including the outdoor kitchen, pool & spa. Architecture by Planned Living Architects Construction by Powda Constructions Photography by Derek Swalwell

A beautiful outdoor living space designed on the roof of a home in the city of Chicago. Versatile for relaxing or entertaining, the homeowners can enjoy a breezy evening with friends or soaking up some daytime sun.

Denise Wright of Janine Pattison Studios