Design Pros Share Their Top Outdoor Living Products and Trends for Modern Homes
The line between indoor comfort and outdoor living continues to blur. Homeowners no longer see their backyards as simple patches of grass with a patio table. They want fully equipped outdoor spaces that function as kitchens, lounges, home offices, and entertainment zones. According to Brown Jordan Outdoor Kitchens’ 2021 Outdoor Living Report, 82% of surveyed Americans are more interested in updating their outdoor living spaces than before the pandemic. The National Kitchen and Bath Association’s 2021 Design Trends Report found that 65% of residential professionals report an increase in outdoor living projects, with 40% creating entirely new outdoor areas for clients. For builders and designers, understanding which products and trends drive this demand is essential. This article draws on insights from four residential design professionals to explore the top outdoor living products and design strategies shaping the market. For a broader look at how smart appliance trends are influencing new home construction, builders can find additional context on what today’s buyers expect from their homes.
1. The Great Outdoors as a True Living Space
Why Outdoor Living Demand Surged
The pandemic fundamentally shifted how homeowners use their property. With more time spent at home, the backyard evolved from a seasonal afterthought into a year-round necessity. Staci Munic, ASID, principal and lead designer of Staci Munic Interiors, notes that the demand for indoor-outdoor living has skyrocketed, particularly in regions like the Midwest where such design was historically less common. In California, the trend has been consistent, but elsewhere it represents a genuine transformation of the market.
Zoning: Cooking, Dining, Relaxing, and Working
Sarah Jacquelyn Schwuchow, owner and principal designer of Sarah Jacquelyn Interiors, describes a shift from “bringing the outdoors in” to “bringing the indoors out.” Her clients request spaces with clearly zoned and designated areas for cooking, dining, entertaining, and relaxing. Rather than a single patio slab, modern outdoor designs incorporate multiple functional zones that mirror the layout of an interior great room. Kevin Toukoumidis, founding principal of dSPACE Studio in Chicago, emphasizes the importance of connecting these zones through landscape, hardscape, and lighting to create a curated journey through the outdoor space from the kitchen to the pool to the fire pit.
Flexibility as a Design Principle
Brian McGinnis, sales manager for Drees Homes in its Washington D.C. division, highlights the growing need for flexibility. The backyard is no longer just for leisure. It can serve as someone’s office, classroom, streaming area, or yoga studio. This demand for multipurpose space means builders must design outdoor areas that can grow and evolve with a homeowner’s changing needs over time, from accommodating young children’s play areas to providing quiet adult retreats years later.
2. Outdoor Kitchen Appliances and Cooking Essentials
The outdoor kitchen remains the centerpiece of most outdoor living projects. According to the NKBA report, outdoor kitchens are among the top requested features, and the product options available to builders have expanded dramatically.
Specialty Cooking Appliances
Builders and designers are specifying a wider range of cooking equipment than ever before. Toukoumidis reports seeing clients request multiple cooking stations including:
- High-performance gas grills with multiple burners and rotisserie options
- Built-in smokers for low-and-slow cooking
- Wood-fired pizza ovens that add an entertainment focal point
- Outdoor refrigerators and ice makers for true kitchen functionality
Kalamazoo outdoor barbecues have emerged as a premium choice among designers, offering a full line of outdoor cooking products that integrate seamlessly into custom design work. These units deliver best-in-class performance and allow designers to create cohesive outdoor kitchen layouts without compromising on quality.
Alternative Cooking Surfaces
One product generating excitement among designers is the Evo cooktop, a flat-surface cooking system that uses no open flame. Munic describes it as an incredibly hot cooking surface that looks good and performs exceptionally well. These cooktops offer a sleek, modern appearance and eliminate flare-ups associated with traditional grills, making them a strong option for builders targeting the high-end market.
Supporting Appliances and Amenities
Complete outdoor kitchens require more than just cooking surfaces. Designers recommend including the following supporting elements:
- Outdoor-rated refrigeration for food and beverage storage
- Built-in ice makers for entertaining convenience
- Ventilation hoods for enclosed or partially covered outdoor kitchens
- Weather-resistant cabinetry that matches the indoor kitchen aesthetic
- Integrated sink stations with pot fillers for food prep
For further product inspiration, builders should explore the top kitchen and bath product innovations for professional builders that translate well to outdoor applications.
3. Materials, Shade, and Spa Features for Outdoor Living
Tile and Surface Materials
Durability drives material selection in outdoor spaces, but aesthetics remain equally important. Designers have gravitated toward porcelain and terracotta tiles that can withstand the elements while providing a distinctive look.
| Product | Material Type | Best Application | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clé Tile Black Star | Terracotta | Patios, pathways, feature walls | Durable, patinas beautifully over time |
| Roca Tile | Porcelain | Indoor-to-outdoor continuous flooring | Same tile can run indoors and outdoors |
| Large-format porcelain | Porcelain | Pool surrounds, kitchen flooring | Minimal grout lines, stain resistant |
| Patterned cement tiles | Cement | Courtyards, covered patios | Custom patterns, Mediterranean aesthetic |
Schwuchow recommends Clé Tile’s black star and cross pattern terracotta tile for its Mediterranean feel and durable patina. Munic notes that in California, she frequently runs the same porcelain tile from Roca Tile indoors and outdoors to create a seamless transition between spaces. This continuity enhances the perception of square footage and reinforces the indoor-outdoor connection that buyers prize.
Shading Solutions
Flexible shading has become a critical component of outdoor living design. Toukoumidis points to Tuuci Umbrellas as a standout product for their minimalist design and engineering quality. These highly engineered umbrella systems can be fully integrated into architecture so that the base is hidden from view. The ability to retract and store umbrellas during winter months adds practical value for builders designing in climates with distinct seasons. Pergolas with adjustable louvered roofs and retractable awning systems are also gaining popularity as alternatives that provide more permanent coverage.
Swimming Pools, Spas, and Outdoor Showers
The demand for water features in outdoor living spaces has intensified. Toukoumidis reports that nearly every project his firm designs now includes a swimming pool or plunge pool, whether for urban homes or vacation properties. Diamond Spas, manufactured in Colorado, offers a stainless steel spa system that is factory-built for high tolerances and quality control. These units can be delivered to the site as a single piece, simplifying installation and reducing on-site construction time.
Outdoor showers have also become a sought-after amenity. Designers recommend Cea outdoor shower fixtures from Italy, which offer a minimalist aesthetic that is surprisingly rare in the outdoor shower category. These fixtures help create a vacation-at-home feeling that homeowners increasingly expect from their outdoor spaces. Builders interested in high-tech shower systems for modern bathrooms will find similar innovation driving the outdoor shower segment.
4. Technology, Privacy, and Lighting in Outdoor Design
Technology-Enabled Privacy Walls
One of the most practical innovations in outdoor living is the technology-enabled privacy wall. McGinnis notes that these walls have become far more popular since the pandemic because they serve dual purposes. They provide visual and acoustic separation from neighbors, and they integrate built-in outlets and low-voltage cables for powering laptops, phones, smart devices, and entertainment systems. A well-designed privacy wall can transform a generic patio into a functional outdoor room suitable for remote work, streaming, and social gatherings.
Outdoor Lighting and Ambiance
Lighting plays a crucial role in extending the usability of outdoor spaces well past sunset. Designers recommend layered lighting strategies that include:
- Task lighting for cooking and food preparation areas
- Ambient lighting for dining and lounge zones
- Path lighting to guide movement between different areas
- Accent lighting to highlight landscaping, architectural features, and water elements
Low-voltage LED systems are the standard choice for their energy efficiency, longevity, and safety in wet locations. Builders should specify fixtures rated for damp and wet locations to ensure long-term reliability. For insights on lighting product innovations for professional builders, the latest LED and smart-control options offer significant advantages for outdoor applications.
Smart Home Integration for the Backyard
Today’s buyers expect their outdoor spaces to connect to the same smart home ecosystem as their interiors. Key integration points include:
- Outdoor-rated Wi-Fi extenders and mesh networks for reliable connectivity
- Smart lighting controls that sync with indoor scenes and schedules
- Motorized shade systems that respond to sun position and weather
- Weather sensors that automatically close umbrellas or retract awnings
- Outdoor speakers and audio systems integrated into landscape design
Builders who pre-wire for these technologies during construction offer a significant advantage over those who require retrofits. The cost of adding conduit and rough-in wiring during the build is minimal compared to the expense of trenching and surface-mounting later. A forward-looking approach to smart home product innovations from CES 2021 helps builders stay ahead of buyer expectations in this rapidly evolving category.
Planning for Future Flexibility
The most successful outdoor living designs anticipate change. Builders should consider how a family’s needs might evolve over the life of the home and design outdoor spaces that can adapt. Strategies include:
- Designating utility zones with pre-plumbed and pre-wired connections for future additions
- Specifying modular furniture and kitchen components that can be reconfigured
- Installing adequate electrical capacity for future appliances and technology additions
- Creating hardscape pads that can later accommodate structures like pergolas or pool houses
By planning for flexibility from the outset, builders deliver outdoor spaces that remain functional and desirable for decades, adding lasting value to every home they construct.