Here at Gardenista, we're embracing warm weather by venturing outside with a good book and a cool beverage. We've found a handful of outdoor living rooms that are perfect for that, all from the Remodelista + Gardenista Architect/Designer Directory.
Above: San Francisco–based Creo Architects made this backyard in San Francisco's Lake District accessible and fun for the client's young children, but kept in mind that adults would also be dining and entertaining here. See the rest of the garden in To Lawn or Not to Lawn? With Kids, That is the Question. Photograph by Kayo Shibano.
Above: Los Angeles landscape designer Judy Kameon (owner of the firm Elysian Landscapes and author of Gardens Are For Living) calls this project Room With a View. The lawn is set with large concrete squares that "make a graphic composition and lead to a built-in bench, sited for enjoying a favorite view." Photograph by Erik Otesa.
Above: This SoHo terrace was designed by NYC-based Gunn Landscape Architects. The client asked for a green oasis in the midst of a concrete jungle, so the designers sourced furniture made from recycled materials. Photograph courtesy of Gunn Landscape Architects.
Above: The Ackley Residence in Atherton, California, is the work of Andrea Cohan Landscape Architects. The designers installed a long fireplace that "divides the geometries of the house, creating a gracious outdoor dining area." Photograph by Marion Brenner.
Above: This San Francisco backyard was transformed by Arterra Landscape Architects. The steel balls and soft grass "provide a constantly changing source of light, spherical movement and reflected sky." Photograph by Michele Lee Willson Photography.
Above: At the end of a dirt road in the Northern California surfer town Stinson Beach, Blasen Landscape Architecture created an outdoor living room, fire pit included, that welcomes the sea without capitulating to its harsh demands. Photograph by Marion Brenner.
See more from the Gardenista + Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory in Architects' Roundup: 10 Garden Stairways and 10 Outdoor Pools from Members of the Remodelista Architect/Designer Directory.
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