The Great Outdoors

Image courtesy Sunset Magazine

It was boiling hot yesterday in New York and all I wanted to do was step outside through our imaginary screen door and hang out on the terrace/deck/patio/yard that exists only in my mind. We are lucky enough to live a few blocks away from Central Park, which we treat like our own backyard. But, sometimes we wish all those strangers would get the HELSINKI off our lawn!! In our next life (or later in this one, if we can make it happen) Oliver and I will have a little bungalow with a yard/patio/front walk/tiny square of private outdoor concrete on which we can sit and sip coffee in the mornings, frosty drinks in the afternoon have bar-b-ques, tend to some herbs and flowers, and soak in the sun.

So, today, we are going to see some gorgeous, enviable outdoor "rooms." Most of them are inspiration images I've collected to guide me when I finally do have a little patch of land outside in which to play. What I love about all of them is that the designers managed to carve out spaces that feel like they're inside, using trees and foliage as floor, ceiling and walls, then embellishing with breezy textiles, trellises, interesting seating options, lighting and, of course, beautifully set tables - it looks like you could just step into the picture, sit down and pour yourself a lemonade, or mojito, whatever your poison.

So simple, and yet, so elegant:

From Domino Magazine

From Elle Decor

The trees make a perfect canopy - and a great place from which to hang a romantic pendant! And that brick flooring is to die for!

From House Beautiful

I'm always game for a sunburst mirror, a splash of zebra and a ceramic drum. Sign me up for this garden party!

Windsor Smith, via Traditional Home

So, the grass might get a little scratchy, and it's kind of an invitation to mosquitos, but it sure does look beautiful:

Photo by Amanda Pratt

Photo by Lisa Hubbard

Styled by Brian Andriola

Via Belle Chic

This looks so easy to achieve and low-maintenance:

Photo By Jessica Claire

I've always been enraptured by Victorian wrap-around porches. I love a porch with a swing, but I suppose this one would do:

Via Southern Accents

This set up could just as easily be inside, in a living room. The daybed, the textiles, the tray, the seagrass side table - love it all:

Via Belle Chic

Via Vogue Living Australia

Don't you just want to pull up a chair and get your s'mores on?

From Domino Magazine

I don't have a credit for this photo, which is a shame, because it is GORGEOUS. I love the mixing of blue and white stripes with the flowers and their patterned containers, the black metal lights above, and the hint of gold detail from the chairs, all offset by what looks to be a stunning yard.

If every evening came to a close with this set up, I wouldn't complain.