The most memorable outdoor spaces are designed with intention, offering far more than a beautiful lawn or a collection of plantings. Today’s exceptional landscapes seamlessly blend lush gardens with thoughtfully integrated hardscape elements to create distinct destinations for relaxing, dining, entertaining and quiet reflection.
By incorporating a variety of “outdoor rooms”—from inviting fire pit lounges and alfresco dining terraces to serene garden retreats and poolside escapes—homeowners can maximize both the beauty and functionality of their property. We flipped through our archives as well as the pages of our sister publications and curated the following collection of outdoor spaces to inspire your next backyard revamp.
In this Montclair yard, the team at Scenic Landscaping with Tapestry Landscape Architecture and Tranquility Pools combined flowering plants and lush landscaping with features such as a planter urn for a garden that’s visible from the home’s sunroom and the pool.
A family with three boys can enjoy the backyard paradise of their Washington Township home. Designed by Arapahoe Landscape & Pool Contractors, the yard has five tiers of gardens and outdoor living, including a lagoon-style pool.
Thomas Flint Landscaping turned a “torn-up” Ridgewood yard into a masterpiece, complete with four tiers of greenery and stonework that includes a patio, fireplace, pool and seating areas.
Experts from Wantage’s Farmside Landscape & Design and B&B Pool and Spa in Chestnut Ridge, N.Y., created an oasis in a Chester backyard that was constrained by local conservation laws. Multiple levels were installed to accommodate a pool, pergola, plantings and other garden features.
Rich Andreau of Exclusive Stoneworks established three entertaining zones—the firepit, the kitchen and the dining area—on this Pompton Plains property. The lush plantings flanking the three areas serve two purposes: They offer aesthetic beauty and are natural buffers between each zone.