Name: Ariela
Location: Burlington, Vermont

I've been gardening in containers for a few years but this year my 2-yr-old was able to help me. We live in an apartment with a relatively small balcony, but I still wanted to create a special place for him that he'd enjoy spending time in. The result was a "toddler snacking garden" (plus my herb garden) with a few magical touches and a play space for little hands.
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Name: Valerie
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Type of space: Backyard

Tell us about your outdoor project and how you enjoy it: We use our backyard for lounging and playing and growing food. It's fenced in, which is great for our dog and little kids. Additionally, off to one side of the deck we have an herb and vegetable garden, and the kids love to help out. We want our outdoor space to be beautiful and functional. It will always be a work in progress. More

Name: Rachel
Location: Silverlake, CA
Type of space:: backyard and porch

Tell us about your outdoor project and how you enjoy it: Whether in large groups or small, adults or kids, for barbeques or for brunches, early morning until the wee hours, from the upstairs porch, just off the kitchen, shaded with hanging vines, to the patio table to the bench around the fire pit to the hot tub, the whole space has been designed around my frequent entertaining. More

Name: Chris & Diana
Location: Red Hook, Brooklyn
Type of space: Roof Garden

Diana Richards is an interior designer living and working in Brooklyn. Together with her boyfriend, Chris Miller, Diana has turned a builder's standard roof deck into a special place to hang out, and she's done it all on a budget! Nearly everything on the roof has been scavenged, recycled or reused. More

Name: Maggie B
Location: Silver Lake, California
Type of space: Front porch

Tell us about your outdoor project and how you enjoy it: When I first moved in this was nothing more than a storage area, and slowly it has evolved into the perfect place for an afternoon of lounging and an evening glass of wine with friends. I love being outside, especially when it's too hot to stay inside...the porch is like a whole extra room. More

Name: Leeann Lewis
Location: Portland, Oregon
Type of space: Covered Patio

Tell us about your outdoor project and how you enjoy it: We wanted a comfortable, practical and colorful space to sit outside and appreciate the garden in all the different weather situations in Portland, Oregon. Perfect for morning coffee or an evening cocktail for one person or a with group of friends. More

Name: carma358
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Type of space: Front Porch
Tell us about your outdoor project and how you enjoy it: My front-of-house project has been a very slow, but very rewarding one. When we bought the house two years ago, it had awnings a shade of green that even a green-lover like me couldn't live with. More

Name: Pamala
Location: Sand Key, Florida

We live in a high-rise condo on Sand Key, surrounded by water. Our balcony is our favorite 'room', and we eat, read, and sometimes nap there — hence the sofa. Our home is beachy-eclectic, with furniture and accessories collected over time and from various sources, including junk/thrift stores, Craig's List, family, etc. We love that every item in our house has a 'history'! More

Family: Eric, Sandra, Gus (9) & Bea (4)
Location: Wichita, KS

One day, my husband and I were reminiscing about the rocketship slide we used to play on in our hometown when we were growing up. He made the mistake of saying out loud: "I could probably build a rocketship slide out of wood." More

Name: Lynne
Location: Rural countryside outside of Durham, Ontario, Canada

We are a family of 6, living in the countryside 2 hours northwest of Toronto. I am an interior designer and I love to travel. Most of my designs are inspired by travel and by the use of organic, natural elements. Two years ago, a friend of ours lost their barn to a tornado. The barn was beyond repair. Rather than see it burned, we bought the barn boards, beams and tin roof — and hired the local Amish to help us to transfer the barn to our property. More