Outdoor Living Space Ideas: 10 Great Inspirations

Coming up with the perfect design for your outdoor living space can be a challenge, simply because there are so many awesome ideas out there. Creating a space that marries the natural landscape, the design of your home, the needs and wants of your family, and the given space means a lot of moving parts. In this article we’ll round up some of our favorite outdoor living space ideas that can inspire you to put the puzzle together. Enjoy these 10 great inspirations for spaces large and small, from casual to grand and boho to industrial chic.

1. Keep the Light Soft and the Feel Cozy

The primary objective of a cozy outdoor living space is to make your friends and family feel welcome. It should immediately be a place where they feel comfortable, complete with luscious textures, comfortable seating, muted colors that don’t command attention, and soft lighting. A pergola hung with translucent outdoor curtains diffuses the strong sunlight that washes through the space, making the light easy on the eyes; the perfect scene for an afternoon with a good book. Whether your cozy outdoor hangout is on a deck or patio, cover the floor space with a hand woven outdoor rug that provides interesting visual textures. To keep the focus on tranquility, opt for monochromatic plants. Soft, billowing ornamental grasses make the perfect backdrop for this bright yet cozy retreat.

2. Natural Materials for an Open Feel

A successful outdoor living space in a natural setting maintains a high degree of harmony with the surrounding landscape. In this welcoming backyard, note how the outdoor living space is anchored by the gorgeous deep tones of the brick pavers that blur the line between the patio and the lawn. Even the patio shape seems free-flowing even though it is rectangular: the curved step up to the home and the “random” laying pattern serve to soften the look. The patio is well shaded by mature trees and bright floral arrangements add pops of color. The color pairings are subtle, which creates a marvelous space that feels connected to nature.

3. Simple Yet Elegant Entertaining Space

For an outdoor living space to be everything you envision, it must be designed to cater to your needs. This excellent entertainment space is anchored by two main sections and closed on two sides by privacy walls that give the space an intimate feel. The outdoor dining area is central and immediately adjacent to the outdoor kitchen for convenience. What really sets this space apart is the liberal use of wood on both horizontal and vertical surfaces, which help the dining set blend in to make the space feel larger. The outdoor kitchen is tightly fit against the wall to keep the food preparation space open and communal. A fun and festive outdoor umbrella provides lighting at night and shade during the day, and the uncluttered deck feels spacious enough for large parties.

4. A Natural Backdrop

Part of living in harmony with the natural landscape is sometimes intentionally letting it encroach ever so slightly so that you feel surrounded by greenery. That doesn’t mean you and your guests need to sit in the grass or perched in a tree. In this compact outdoor setting, the brilliant green shrubs come right up to the backs of the seats, acting as a beautiful backdrop for relaxing and entertaining. Though small, this space is all about one thing: comfort. Where denser greenery might block views, shrubs that offer privacy while seated open up to reveal the view when you’re standing.

5. A Private Oasis

One of the most essential features of any outdoor living space is a fire feature: humankind’s original “creature comfort.” In this spacious backyard, notice how community is prioritized with a masonry seating wall that partially surrounds the fire pit, giving plenty of opportunity for friends to gather for great conversation. Meanwhile, a privacy fence blocks the view from outside and keeps the space intimate. A small pavilion shades the outdoor kitchen and earth-toned pavers help the space create a beautiful transition between the home and the landscape. 

6. Extend the Home and Create an Outdoor Room

There doesn’t need to be much distinction between your indoor and outdoor spaces, especially when the seasonal weather allows. In the spring and summer, relaxation, entertainment, exercise, and even work can be moved outside as long as there’s an outdoor “room” that gives you the conveniences and comforts of home (roughing it isn’t what we’re doing here). Notice how this outdoor living space is so integrated that it’s practically an extension of the home without being included in the four walls. One of the best ways to create a seamless indoor/outdoor transition is to keep the flooring colors similar: in this case, the deck is only slightly darker than the hardwood floors to create the illusion of a single space. Creating an outdoor living room feel with comfortable furniture will encourage you and yours to spend more time outdoors. Remember to install a couple of electrical outlets and USB ports so no device goes uncharged!

7. Smaller Activity-Focused Spaces

The classic image of a patio is a fairly large space directly adjacent to the home where all aspects of outdoor living take place. In many cases, however, this approach might make your backyard feel as paved as a parking lot surrounded by a bit of greenery. To make the most of the space both visually and functionally, you can create several mini interconnected patios. This smaller patio space is dedicated solely to a quiet dining space, free from the clutter of other outdoor living activities. Another patio could host a fireside seating area; another, the outdoor kitchen; and another, a hot tub area. Create a series of specific activity spaces that each beckon with a singular purpose, just like the rooms in your home. It’s also an opportunity to use different materials in each mini-patio (perfect if you just can’t decide which material to use).

8. Perfect Proportion and Scale

When you’re working with a relatively small section of a backyard, it’s important to pay attention to the proportions of the vertical and horizontal features and scale of the entire space. Notice in this example how everything harmonizes: the low vertical height used by the seating along with the long plank flooring (which could be achieved with decking or plank-style pavers) helps the space to feel open and dynamic without sacrificing coziness. The tall outdoor fireplace balances the home. Keeping everything monochrome also helps to create a sense of cohesion. 

9. Embrace Natural Curves and Shapes

There’s one thing you’ll never see in a natural landscape: straight lines. In fact, straight lines are a work of man, and they rarely feel at home in the natural world. Even the most modern designs that embrace precise simplicity can work with the natural curves of a landscape, accenting them in complementary ways. See how harmonious this outdoor living space appears in its surrounding environment as a result of abandoning the harsh, arrogant push of straight lines in favor of a curved seat wall and pavers with rustic rounded edges. Large patios will feel more intimate and small patios will feel much larger when working harmoniously with the natural environment.

10. Choose a Fire Feature for Your Outdoor Living Style

Since fire features always end up being some of the most attractive and useful components of outdoor living spaces, it’s important to choose the correct one for you. In this setting, a wood-fueled fire pit would be an impossibility due to the small space and abundance of combustible materials. Instead, this elegant fire table perfectly fits in the space, enhancing the space with safe warmth and light without intense flames and smoke. That, and it doubles as a place to rest your drink.

Most people will end up taking a little inspiration here, and a little there. These cozy outdoor living spaces are perfect examples of how to do outdoor living right.