Seamless design and lush landscaping create spaces that feel inviting long before the full heat sets in, writes Elizabeth Fazzare

Pacific Palisades, California | Sotheby’s International Realty – Brentwood Brokerage

Though summer is typically considered the time for peak outdoor living, a well-designed home can not only extend the season of alfresco dinner parties and starlit nightcaps, but exude a sense of calm and harmony with nature.

Even in the crisper spring months, strategically planned indoor-outdoor spaces create a comfortable environment outside while also drawing sunlight into a home’s interior and establishing a biophilic visual relationship with the surrounding landscape. 

In luxury homes, such courtyards, terraces, decking and balconies have moved beyond “nice to have” to become a must, with careful planning, planting and decorating going into making these transitional zones transformative.

Pacific Palisades, California | Sotheby’s International Realty – Brentwood Brokerage

“At the high end, it’s not just about having a patio; it’s about creating a seamless extension of the home and promoting an environment of wellness,” explains Shamon Shamonki, global real estate advisor at Sotheby’s International Realty – Brentwood Brokerage in Los Angeles. 

“Buyers aren’t looking to step outside; they want the [indoor] living experience to continue, whether that opens to ocean views, a landscaped yard or a fully built-out entertaining environment.”

Madrid, Spain | Spain Sotheby’s International Realty

A 1972-built hillside home, renovated and expanded by Claudia Janet on a lush site in California’s Pacific Palisades captures the concept beautifully, with expansive folding glass walls on every floor providing light and an indoor-outdoor connection. while canopy-immersed balconies offer privacy or space for entertaining, depending on mood.

In Madrid, meanwhile, a four-story abode opens out to a leafy courtyard, surrounded by mature trees and potted planting, while a large upper-level terrace is shaded by a vine-covered pergola and conjures a secret-garden atmosphere.

“Post-pandemic, outdoor space isn’t secondary anymore, it’s part of the core living experience,” says Shamonki. When done right, it “can elevate a home to something that feels experiential and memorable,” and therefore more desirable.

Budva, Montenegro | Montenegro Sotheby’s International Realty

To create spaces that achieve this across the seasons, it is crucial to select the right site and integrate the architecture and landscape teams right from the start.

“For spring and early summer, orientation and how the site handles light and wind are crucial. We want to pull in morning sun and the softer afternoon angles, and screen out the harsh western exposure,” explains Michael McGowan, associate principal and project landscape architect at multidisciplinary Los Angeles firm KAA Design Group. “Layering shade is part of that, relying upon trellises, deciduous planting or light overhead structures that let the space breathe without baking.” 

For design longevity, indoor-outdoor palettes should be natural, with “materials that age well, like wood, linen, leather and patinated metals,” adds Grant Kirkpatrick, architect and KAA Design founder.

London, England | United Kingdom Sotheby’s International Realty

Floorplan location is also important. Indoor spaces that open directly to their outdoor counterparts are most effective, says McGowan—so pair kitchens with dining terraces, indoor with outdoor living rooms. Courtyards between public and private spaces encourage mingling. 

When architects Caireen O’Hagan and Base Associates converted a former London aircraft factory into a luxurious seven-bedroom home, they centered the design around an outdoor dining terrace accessible from the kitchen and main living areas through step-free sliding glass doors.

Bay Area, California | Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty

Physical and visual barriers impede indoor-outdoor living. As such, Kirkpatrick suggests “aligning floor elevations, minimizing thresholds and extending material palettes”. 

In a 19th-century home in Sausalito, California, a large covered porch off the open-plan kitchen and dining room offers an intimate, weather-resistant space to view San Francisco Bay. The bedrooms also enjoy waterside decking. “The house does not open to the outdoors; it instead feels as though it was always part of it,” concludes Kirkpatrick.

These epic rural homes offer outdoor living with ‘Wuthering Heights’ style and drama