How To Turn Your Backyard into an Outdoor Room

What if you stopped thinking of your backyard as a tiny bit of lawn, trapped by a fence, and instead began thinking of it as an outdoor room, with dirt for a floor and the sky for a ceiling? This is an approach that works particularly well for townhouse backyards, and it can work for you, too. Here’s a little inspiration.

Designer Megan Pflug, in creating the backyard of this Brooklyn home, treated the fence not as an eyesore but as another feature, and used it to hang mirrored trellis panels, which enhance the feeling of an outdoor living room. String lights, plenty of seating, and a gravel ‘floor’ complete the effect.

A trellis is a great way to define an outdoor living area in a larger backyard. Paired with stone pavers and a border of rocks and herbs, this trellis creates a perfect spot for lounging, and also a focal point for the whole yard. Image from Lilla Villa Vita.

At her Brooklyn home, Sofia eschewed grass and instead covered the ground with gravel and pavers. The addition of furniture, including a sofa shaded by an awning and a table that seats 10, creates a perfect spot for outdoor entertaining in the city. See the rest of Sofia’s backyard here.

A trellis defines (and also shades) and outdoor dining area at a Tuscan hotel spotted on The Style Files.

→ Live Outside this Summer: 9 Inspiring Outdoor Kitchens