Outdoor Forecast 2024: The Professional’s Guide to Today’s Backyards

Presented by Big Ass Fans and Universal Furniture

No matter their size, outdoor spaces have a renewed importance in our lives at home. Nature is a proven salve to our mental and physical health, and homeowners have taken note—prompting designers to up the ante on the backyards, covered porches, gardens, terraces, and patios that can support this wellbeing.

For AD PRO’s first member-exclusive trend report of 2024, we dive into the topics crucial to beautiful and beneficial design for outdoor living. Consider this as your definitive guide to future-proof outdoor design, supported by trend analysis, expert reporting, and insights from industry practitioners. We tapped AD’s extensive network of designers from around the globe, including AD100 talents; AD PRO Directory members; and garden, landscape, and product specialists for advice, predictions, and real-life statistics on what matters now—and will still matter tomorrow. Be sure, too, to bookmark our outdoor trend edit, which is chock-full of Directory member–approved furniture, lighting, and accessories. Ready to take the plunge? —Elizabeth Fazzare

Table of Contents

WATCH: AD PRO’s Outdoor Forecast Virtual Panel

5 Tips for Creating the Outdoor Living Room of Your Client’s Dreams
Designers reveal how to maximize indoor-outdoor living—in any kind of weather. By Lauren Gallow

Are These Frills Forever? What Amenities Are Here to Stay
Post-pandemic, our yards serve more purpose than ever before. What will stick? By Jesse Dorris

Is Outdoor Tech Worth the Investment?
The market for sophisticated home technology can no longer contain itself within four walls. Today tech is outward bound—and headed into the garden. By Bridget Moriarity

8 AD PRO Directory Experts Reveal Their Top Outdoor Products
Designers from the AD PRO Directory share their favorite outdoor furnishings and garden gadgets to spec for exterior spaces. By Dan Howarth

The Alfresco Floor Plan Rules That Designers Swear By
Pros weigh in on how designing for an open-air space differs from an interior—and what they share. By Jessica Ritz

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With the change of seasons in the air, many are eager to shake off winter’s coverings and get outdoors. But we can’t blame it all on the weather, as from coast to coast, indoor-outdoor living has become one of homeowners’ greatest demands today. If you don’t live in a temperate climate, achieving at-home outdoor spaces that can be utilized year-round is certainly possible—with a healthy dose of creative, intentional design. AD PRO turned to top design experts for their tips on creating an outdoor living room that will unlock its fullest potential—transcending seasonal limitations and maximizing the health benefits of being close to nature, even when the weather might be less than ideal.

Understand a client’s garden goals

Blame it on the pandemic lockdown or the growing interest in mental and physical wellness, but the drive to connect to nature and create a more seamless relationship between homeowners’ indoor and outdoor spaces has never been stronger. “I think the demand for indoor-outdoor living in our homes stems from a desire for a healthier lifestyle, and the need for maximized living space by extending it outdoors,” reflects designer Annie Ritz of Los Angeles–based And And And Studio. While there might be something in the air culturally, it’s still important to understand what’s driving the client’s personal want for outdoor living. Consider “desired activities, entertaining needs, preferred aesthetic style, and specific climate considerations,” advises Ritz, and design accordingly.

Create connections however possible

Sometimes, though, a designer may need to read between the lines of what their client says they want. “Our perception is when clients use the term indoor-outdoor what they are really saying is ‘positive flow,’” insists David Godshall, principal and owner of AD100 landscape firm Terremoto. “Meaning, there’s a fluid and inviting connection between interior and exterior spaces, whether visually or in terms of human circulation.” Often, this connection begins with a view. “Who doesn’t want to experience garden views from interior spaces? If a landscape or garden is composed thoughtfully around a view, a person should feel compelled to go outside—that’s positive flow,” he adds. This philosophy can be applied widely but may be particularly useful when designing terraces, balconies, or smaller green spaces where access is limited.

Embrace design ambiguity

Unlike inside a home, not every outdoor space needs a specified function. “A garden is not architecture,” proclaims designer Roderick Wyllie of San Francisco–based Surfacedesign. “Garden spaces are not static and are much more intentionally flexible. The outdoor spaces we design are more about exploring.” In many cases, this translates to aspects of outdoor rooms that are meant to be seen and not touched. “If a fair amount of the garden can only be accessed visually and not physically, it can still be immersive,” continues Surfacedesign principal Michal Kapitulnik. The idea is to create a total composition and consider the outdoor room holistically, which often involves designing for a range of different experiences. Combining spaces for prospect and refuge, distant and intimate views, and different types of sensorial engagement keeps an outdoor area dynamic and inviting, no matter the activity.

Plan for natural disaster

Just as we may want to get closer to nature, we can’t ignore the fact that our environment is changing before our eyes. It’s important to acknowledge climate realities when planning outdoor spaces that will function well into the future. “Air quality and forest fires have certainly been a big topic for a lot of our projects,” explains designer Zach George of Workaday Design, based in Montana and Oregon. “To consider air quality, we’ve done things like incorporate large overhead fans and make sure covered spaces have at least two open sides to take advantage of wind and keep air moving.”

Expect unexpected weather

While the dream of outdoor living usually involves sunny skies and warm temperatures, the reality is these spaces need to function for more than just a few days a year. To design solutions for all weather possibilities, designer Kristina Khersonsky of Los Angeles–based Studio Keeta looks to architectural history. “We like to plan loggia-type spaces, which have an open-air transition to the outdoors,” she says. Italian for “lodge,” loggias are covered corridors running the length of a building that nestle along the exterior wall on one side and are open to the elements on the other. For Khersonsky, these types of liminal spaces are ideal inspiration for all-season living. They offer a range of exposure and allow different lighting solutions to be easily integrated. “It’s one part room, one part porch or sunroom, but with a big, refreshing dose of open air,” she says. —Lauren Gallow

Over the past few years, backyards have transformed from that grassy expanse viewed out the living room window or a sitting room extension en plein air to the entire outdoor area you could inhabit during lockdown or a multimedia arena with the latest audio-visual systems. What’s left for a backyard to become now? Maybe a new world all its own.

“People still enjoy having their indoor and outdoor spaces flow seamlessly,” explains Jonathan Paetzel, principal of New York–based Marshall Paetzel Landscape Architecture (MPLA). “However, they often want both. Especially when the property is rambling or has areas that seem like their own destinations.” That latter part is key: A modern backyard just might be the one that feels less like a room without a ceiling, and more like one for which you might score a reservation. A luxury spa, for example, notes Gareth Mahon, principal landscape architect and partner at RKLA Studio Landscape Architecture in New York. In recent garden projects, “we’re including private wellness spaces for workouts, yoga, and quiet meditation,” he says. San Francisco–based designer and AD PRO Directory member Michael Hilal has noticed a similar desire of his clients. “There’s just so much noise and uncertainty in the real world right now that having your spaces provide you with a bit of peace, a bit of calmness, and, really, a warm hug is more important than ever,” he explains.

Often, an invigorating dip is what’s needed. Designers report that clients are obsessed with cold plunge pools. Hilal is currently installing built-in plunge pools for two different projects. “The funniest part of this is to see the dialogue between the clients about whether these [pools] are fads or something that will consistently be used,” he says. Personally, San Francisco–based designer Lindsay Gerber is a fan. “I own a cold plunge and regularly do 3 minutes at 40 degrees,” Gerber says. “It’s such an endorphin rush, so I understand why my clients are looking to integrate these elements into their outdoor sanctuaries.” For those taking the plunge, says Oakland, California, designer Carmen Rene Smith, owner of Aquilo Interiors, be mindful of the material. “One of my clients wanted one completely enveloped in copper, both on the inside and outside,” she says. “It’s interesting how copper in cold plunge pools can offer notable health perks. Its antimicrobial traits keep the water clean, warding off harmful bacteria and fungi [and perhaps] support skin health.” Not everyone thinks the water’s just fine, though. “There’s been an explosion of requests,” Paetzel says. “I joke that it’s one of the few things our clients ask for that I don’t want myself!”

Clients who do want them might look to Studio Collins Weir’s recent 1,000-square-foot guest house project in St. Helena, California, which orients a series of outdoor structures around a pair of hot and cold plunge pools rendered in deep blue stucco and black granite tile. “It was carefully planned with our client to reinforce the importance of water within their personal wellness program,” says Chris Weir, founding principal of the Sausalito, California-based firm. “In use, the plunge pool is the last step in a daily ritual preceded by the use of one of the heated elements or a massage.” For these clients, the plunge is a way of life.

For others, plant life is the way forward—locally grown, of course. “Plants that live long and require the least attention are always the most sustainable,” notes Mahon. “I’m currently into living mulches, where weed-smothering low groundcovers are planted beneath shrubs and other perennials,” says MPLA founder and principal Stacy Paetzel. “It’s more interesting than shredded wood mulch and doesn’t need replacing every year.”

Hilal’s projects tend to be in California, where this winter’s ample rain has recently changed the drought equation. Still, though, “people have mostly learned a big lesson over the past 10 years in terms of trying to keep varieties alive that don’t work in our current climate,” he says. “Why would you want to spend your time tending to your garden, versus enjoying it?”

An outdoor space that can be used year-round is also a popular brief. Weather patterns are increasingly uncertain, so clients are longing to make it through whatever nature has in store. “Everything we design now includes some type of heating element,” says Mahon. Designers are hearing requests for the usual shade structures and blankets but homeowners want iterations that are not just off-the-shelf. “Clients want custom outdoor furniture for their spaces,” says Hilal, who has whipped up everything from Italian (both coastal midcentury and early-1900s Arts and Crafts) styles to sculptural pieces referencing Mexico City Brutalism. “Outdoor spaces are becoming more interesting and magical,” he continues. “And custom furniture that is site-specific will be key. These spaces will act as extensions, but they will also be spaces that transport you.” Forget a garden room, the backyard of the future will be a personalized place of respite. —Jesse Dorris

“Gone are the days of the cheesy speakers that look like fake boulders,” says AD PRO Directory landscape designer Melissa Gerstle of Dallas. Today, tasteful outdoor technology abounds, and it doesn’t have to be a simulacrum of nature to blend in. Instead, fellow AD PRO Directory member Patricia Benner says it has been trending towards the miniature for several years. “We’ve seen big clunky speakers evolve into very small flush disappearing things you barely notice where the source is,” explains the founder of Los Angeles–based Benner Landscape Design.

For many homeowners, discreet technology is the experience they seek in their backyards, and with the outdoor product market more sophisticated than ever, the time-saving ease of the smart home—and its often-inconspicuous aesthetic—can now easily extend into the garden. If invisibility is the new standard, what features clients prioritize as visible has gained particular design significance. With a dedicated budget and intelligent space planning, a home’s outdoor space can be as personally tuned as its interiors, and each project contributes to an expanded definition of contemporary backyard entertainment.

Audio equipment is just the beginning of what the outdoor living room prescribes today. “There’s an appetite to bring anything we can outdoors, although projectors and screens, TVs, speakers, and architectural lighting top the list,” says Nancy Santorelli, associate principal and director at Meyer Davis in New York. The firm is also starting to fit out private residential spaces in the way they do hospitality projects: with fully powered cabanas that include wine fridges, ceiling fans, motorized drapery, and surround-sound speakers.

With the increased demand for outdoor technology has come the push for more sophisticated and automated systems that allow consumers to control everything with their phone, from the lighting to the heaters, to the pool and spa, to the mosquito controls, and irrigation systems. One such model is Crestron Home, a leading single-app platform that is both an operating system and a hardware technology provider.

Interestingly, for Michael Short, a senior director of marketing in the residential and hospitality sectors with Crestron, subtle is not the first adjective that comes to mind when confronted with his clients’ outdoor entertainment projects. “It’s often about bigger, bolder, louder, in the extremity of what some of our clients do,” Short says. “It’s about integrating large unfolding TVs that pop up out of the ground at the end of the garden or around the swimming pool or seeing the speakers that blast across the tennis court.”

No matter the client preference though, smart home technology inside and out is on the rise. According to Crestron’s executive vice president of marketing Brad Hintze, each year sees 10 to 15% growth when it comes to pro-installed homes. In the US alone, he says, there are 20,000 to 25,000 professional installers who support homeowners.

One of those providers who works with Gerstle in the Texas market is Tony Militello of Sound Image, a white-glove operation with a team of integration specialists. Militello’s average project budget is $700,000 to $750,000 to fashion a home inside and outside with smart tech—an investment he estimates falls at about 10% of the overall project budget for a new build. New construction dominates the smart home field making up 90% of Militello’s portfolio.

Gerstle advises that the most important investment on the front end is having a game plan—creating a comprehensive pre-wire structure or electrical conduit plan. This groundwork makes it easy to add network and speaker wire to difficult spaces at any time in the future, even after the garden is installed. “If I know you want a fire feature and I’m putting in a hardscape like poured concrete patio, I’m going to run conduit for a gas line before I pour the concrete, so I don’t have to tear it up after the fact. It’s just planning,” she adds. Some of the other tech asks from clients she frequently receives include requests for pellet grills, electric smokers that slow-cook food and can be monitored from a phone; better functioning and more attractive sound systems that can be heard without being seen; and WiFi systems with access points hidden in garden spaces that ensure continuous coverage to accommodate televisions, internet devices, and speakers outside.

For those who think tech only appeals to a certain demographic, you might be surprised. “People are getting used to having technology support a lifestyle rather than distract from it. It reminds me of the sustainability conversation we had a long time ago, when we only had a rack of beige fabrics to specify. But now sustainability is baked-in to the conversation. Same thing with technology,” says designer Kerrie Kelly, who remembers when her clients initially begrudged dealing with their window coverings operated through their phones. And why the shift outside? “COVID really taught us to get outdoors and to expand the footprint of our home and so people are taking a look at this outdoor square footage and leveraging it,” says Kelly.

Perhaps part of the carpe-diem mindset that our collective pandemic experience wrought is what’s extending the playground even further afield. From the backyard to the waters, the luxury yacht sector has been similarly kitted out with the latest advances. “It’s an incredible separate part of the market. All the same tech in homes on land, can be put in these homes on the water as well,” says Short. Why stop at the picket fence? —Bridget Moriarity

During the pandemic, well-appointed exterior spaces became our respites. They’re still in high demand. Today, many more clients are requesting external “rooms” and open-air extensions to their living areas as part of project scopes, design experts say, and as a result, the outdoor furniture market is booming. According to a recent Fortune Business Insights report, this global industry is expected to grow from $50.73 billion in 2023 to $72.80 billion by 2030, a 5.3% compound increase. With more choice available for weather-friendly products than ever before, we turned to eight AD PRO Directory talents to help navigate the range. From giant umbrellas for hot summer days, to heated loungers for cooler nights, their insider recommendations for furnishing balconies, terraces, patios, pool decks, and gardens can help achieve any client’s outdoor goals, be it a stylish spot for entertaining or a meditation zone en plein air. —Dan Howarth

“If you’re not defining your outdoor space with as much love and intention and the same level of quality as your interior space, I think you're missing an opportunity,” states Los Angeles designer Cliff Fong, founder of studio Matt Blacke. It’s a philosophy that designer Wendy Haworth has noticed registering among her Southern California homeowner clients too. “Especially after COVID, people see that there may have been a lot of exterior square footage that was overlooked,” she observes.

Welcome to the age of renewed outdoor living. Gatherings today feel imbued with a different kind of energy and intimacy, one that calls for rethinking what a lush backyard, high-rise terrace, or covered porch can be. Add to this dynamic a marketplace offering ever-improving weather-resistant goods and technology, the time has never been better to dine, entertain, party, and relax beneath the sun and stars. Here, designers in the know share some of their tips for achieving a fresh and functional outdoor plan.

Good design rules are universal

First things first: Just because you’re designing for the outdoors doesn’t mean that classic rules of good design don’t apply. “I like to think of them as outdoor rooms where the same principles and rules of scale, layered qualities, and creating softness for comfort, arrangements for flexibility, and ease of living and socializing all apply,” explains Eddie Maestri, principal architect and creative director of Maestri Studio in Dallas. Stephen Eich, partner at Hollander Design Landscape Architects in New York, approaches projects with a holistic philosophy as well. “Garden rooms really follow many of the same principles as their interior counterparts,” Eich says.

Keep adjacencies intuitive

To prioritize client wants and needs, identify specific uses for each area of an outdoor space and consider their relationships when fitting them into the overall site layout. “Outdoor kitchens and dining [areas] are all about convenience,” for instance, so Eich ensures there’s proximity to the main indoor culinary space for prep and cleanup. In comparison, shared social zones “want to be pulled away from the bedroom wing of a house” when possible, he advises. No matter the scale or purpose, definition and borders with both soft and hardscape help impose order on a multipurpose yard. Outdoor rooms are best “bounded by some type of wall, whether it be low planting to define the space, or a neat hedge that provides inward focus and privacy,” Eich says.

Create through lines with materials

The sheer variety of outdoor furnishings and performance fabrics available empowers designers to better coordinate indoors and out—and get more creative. “Because technology and development has grown leaps and bounds in the last half a dozen years, outdoor fabrics are no longer just those flat efficient canvases,” says Fong, whose Faire du Vert showroom in LA specializes in vintage outdoor furniture and accessories, as well as rare plants. This range is also conducive to developing coherence within any decor plan. “Now you have fabrics that feel like linen or cashmere that you can use outdoors, and a lot of times we use them indoors because they have a greater level of resilience around kids or pets—or just in general,” he continues.

Maestri, meanwhile, taps a home’s architectural context to establish consistency when choosing materials for outside spaces. “If there’s a lot of glass, I like for it to be very cohesive with a possible complimentary accent color or two,” he explains. “If there is less glass, I like for the space to have the potential to possess its own identity as an outdoor room.”

Use flexible furnishings to define outdoor rooms

As for furnishings, the sky’s the limit. Illinois-based AD100 designer Tiffany Brooks opts for variety. “We like to combine different types of seating, such as reclining lounges and upright chairs,” she says. “We incorporate a sofa/sectional and add clustered coffee tables that can be moved.” If wall space allows and the area is protected, Brooks will hang art to complete a scheme. Maestri thinks of each outdoor composition holistically as he would an interior. “Even when placing furniture, I incorporate lighting, side tables, and anything that would make it an inviting outdoor space.”

Plan systems early

Given the increasing demands placed on outdoor amenities, Haworth points to the importance of planning for plumbing, electrical, and gas systems and clear communication with contractors as early as possible in the process. When it’s time to add features such as lighting and music or even televisions or wiring for projectors (backyard movie night, anyone?), all the front-loaded work eases the completion of an intentional, welcoming environment. Outside, climate control is less within our grasp, but comfort can be managed reasonably. Warmth might come from heat lamps mounted above a pergola or firepits, which Haworth notes “are great for ambiance, especially with a deep enough rim for glasses.”

Choose plants with purpose

Having conversations with landscape designers as early as possible can make all parties are aligned on the plans—and plants—for the garden. That said, interior designers often have their personal favorites. To create a defined alcove, designer Jessica Helgerson in Portland, Oregon, is partial to covering an arbor with a deciduous vine, such as a creeping hydrangea. “It is the perfect refuge for summer dining; leafy and green when it’s hot out and open and sunny in the winter months,” she says.

Ultimately, Eich is ever mindful of how being outside is a richly expansive experience. These spaces “should be invitations to explore the landscape,” so don’t hesitate to place a beckoning vignette or firepit in a far corner of a lot or to activate an underutilized expanse with a bocce ball court surrounded by hedges and plantings. “Interacting with nature through all five senses dramatically reduces stress and leads to better mental and physical health,” he adds. A well-planned green space infuses those benefits with joy. —Jessica Ritz