The Art of Outdoor Living

Season 4, Episode Ten | Transcript

Whether it’s a courtyard in a Mediterranean-inspired home in Missouri Wine Country or a rain-ready covered patio in Seattle, this episode reveals how outdoor living has become an essential part of modern custom home design.

Designing a Home Around the Outdoors

For Lisa Valenti, building her dream home in Augusta, Missouri overlooking the vineyards and rolling hills of wine country was about blending architecture with landscape. Inspired by her travels through Italy, Napa, and Sonoma, she envisioned a Mediterranean-style home that captures the romance of outdoor living.

Working with architect Jeff Day and the Hibbs Homes team, Lisa designed her home around courtyards, loggias, and sweeping views. An interior courtyard became the focal point of the plan, creating an open-air retreat visible from multiple rooms.

Building Dreams on the Bluff

Lisa’s story embodies what makes custom building personal. She and her husband searched for land for years before finding the perfect 29-acre hilltop lot overlooking the Missouri River Valley. The views and setting inspired a design anchored by outdoor spaces anchored by a courtyard for dining and fireside gatherings, a Mediterranean-style pool framed by pencil pines, and even a planned bocce court and grapevines that bring the surrounding wineries home.

While her original design included a full four-sided courtyard, she adjusted to a three-sided layout to meet budget goals through the value-engineering process. For Lisa, the challenge was equal parts exciting and painful when making trade-offs to achieve a dream home that feels authentic to the region yet unmistakably hers.

Orientation, Sunlight & Seasonal Design

Solar orientation and topography are essential considerations of outdoor design. For Lisa’s home, the team positioned the pool to capture sunlight throughout the day and aligned windows to frame sunrise and sunset views.

Seasonal changes add another layer of beauty. In winter, bare trees reveal panoramic vistas; in summer, dense greenery provides privacy and shade. The couple even plans selective tree clearing to reopen their valley views with landscape management as an ongoing design consideration.

Outdoor Living Trends: Form Meets Function

Across all markets, homeowners are treating outdoor living as an extension of their interiors.

Popular trends include:

• Courtyards and loggias connecting from multiple rooms.
• Covered patios with heaters, skylights, and ceiling fans.
• Fireplaces and firepits for year-round enjoyment.
• Outdoor kitchens and dining zones that blur the indoor-outdoor boundary.
• Sports and recreation spaces like pickleball courts, putting greens, and bocce courts.

Kim emphasizes that these amenities require early planning: pool contractors, landscapers, and lighting designers often book 12–24 months out.

Materials & Maintenance

Mediterranean details like stucco walls, red-clay tile roofs, and arched doors create timeless character but must be adapted for the Midwest climate. Lisa and her team chose regional alternatives with accent roofs, durable pavers, and architectural stone to capture the look with less maintenance.

Lighting also plays a key role. Layered landscape and architectural lighting highlights water features, patios, and pathways while extending usability after dark.

From Missouri to the Pacific Northwest

Brenda Gage from JayMarc Homes joined the conversation to share how outdoor design thrives even in rainy Seattle. Every home her team builds includes covered outdoor rooms with fireplaces, skylights, and heaters proving that weather doesn’t have to impede your home's connection to nature.

Her favorite trend is the see-through fireplace linking interior and exterior living spaces, offering warmth and ambience on both sides of the wall. Wood-burning fireplaces are regaining popularity as homeowners repurpose downed trees from their lots for a rustic, sustainable touch.

Accessory Dwelling Units & Party Barns

Brenda also discusses the rise of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which are compact guesthouses or rental suites that serve multiple purposes. In her market, ADUs support multi-generational living, short-term rentals, or future caregiving needs.

Another regional favorite: the “party barn.” These large, open-plan structures host family gatherings, weddings, and celebrations and are often shared by extended families building on adjacent properties. It’s a modern twist on community living and flexible design.

Designing for Climate & Lifestyle

From ski cabins in the Cascades to hilltop homes in Missouri, climate plays a defining role in outdoor design. Brenda’s ski-area clients build cozy, wood-filled spaces that transition seamlessly to the outdoors, while Lisa’s Mediterranean-inspired home maximizes sunlight and open air.

It is important to designing for the way you live now and how you’ll live later. Families should envision how outdoor spaces will function five, ten, or twenty years in the future, ensuring they remain adaptable through all life stages.

Outdoor living is more than an afterthought; it’s central to how modern homeowners define comfort, wellness, and joy.