What is it about August?

Every year, I find myself wanting to squeeze every last bit out of summer. Maybe it's because we know the seasons are about to change, but the rhythm shifts. Morning coffee outside. Later dinners that turn into lingering conversations. Watching the sun set and finding any excuse you can to be outside before heading in.

Even though we don't have school-age kids at home anymore, I still feel that familiar transition. Summer isn't over, but you feel it beginning to wind down.

We recently wrapped up a long-overdue project in our own backyard, and it reminded me of something I often discuss with clients: sometimes the smallest changes create the biggest impact on how a space is lived in.

Design Dispatch: Don't Just Add Features. Improve the Experience.

When people think about upgrading their backyard, they often start with a wish list.

• An outdoor kitchen.
• A fire pit.
• A pizza oven.
• A larger dining table.

Those additions can certainly be worthwhile, but before adding more, I like to ask a different question:

What's keeping you from using the space you already have?

For us, the answer wasn't the grill itself. It was the environment around it.

We waited sixteen years to build this structure. Six weeks later, we couldn't imagine the backyard without it. The project wasn't about creating something we didn't need, although both Chris and I had ideas that needed to be reined in. (He wanted to integrate a smoker, I wanted a sink… with water piped to it.) In the end, we knew it was more about making a space we already loved more comfortable, more functional, usable for most of the year, and more connected to the rest of our home.

Now it's shaded from the afternoon sun (which is brutal at our house), usable in light rain, and comfortable well into the evening with integrated lighting and a ceiling fan, and integrated so well, it truly looks like it has always been there.

The lesson isn't that everyone needs a covered BBQ. (Although it surely helps increase the lifetime of the bbq)

It's this:

The best design makes the space you already have work harder.

Whether that's adding shade, defining an outdoor room, improving lighting, or creating better flow, thoughtful design makes your home easier to enjoy.

I documented the project from the original sketches through construction. If you're planning an outdoor project, you may find it helpful.

Designer Takeaway

Before adding a new feature, solve the biggest friction point.

For many homes that means:

• shade

• lighting

• seating

• circulation

In the Mix: Outdoor Rooms Are Replacing Patios

One of the biggest shifts I'm seeing is a move away from "backyards with stuff in them" and patios toward outdoor spaces that are another living area.

Rather than checking boxes with a grill, dining table, and a few chairs, homeowners are asking a better question:

How do we actually want to live out here?

That shift is changing the way outdoor spaces are designed.

I'm seeing more:

• Covered structures that become part of the home's architecture.
• Integrated lighting that extends the evening.
• Fans, heaters, and shade that make spaces comfortable beyond perfect weather.
• Material palettes that create continuity between indoors and out.
• Outdoor kitchens designed for Tuesday night dinner just as much as weekend entertaining.

The goal isn't a bigger backyard.

It's a backyard you'll use. If you are considering a backyard upgrade- consider these before you make any purchases:

✔ shade

✔ lighting

✔ airflow

✔ conversation seating

✔ connection to indoors

✔ storage

✔ music

✔ heating

Wondering what kind of hardscape materials are good to use? my post on hardscape materials answers questions about what to use when and pros & cons of each.

And I have my favorite picks for outdoor season over on my page- you may even find some on sale because we are now into August.

Off the Clock: Why Didn't We Do This Sooner?

The old adage about the cobblers kids never having any shoes is the same for designers; my projects always get bumped to the bottom of the list.

This BBQ cover had been on ours for years. Not because it was complicated, but because client projects, deadlines, and life always takes priority.

Finishing it gave us an unexpected perspective.

Have you ever moved and found yourself rushing to finish all the projects you'd been putting off? Then you look around and think, Why didn't we do this years ago so we could actually enjoy it?

That's exactly how this felt.

The project prompted Chris and me to sit down and make a list of the improvements we'd like to tackle before we eventually sell the house. Not because we're selling anytime soon, but because we'd rather enjoy them ourselves than leave them for the next owner.

We've already started checking things off, and I'm so glad we are.

It's a good reminder that our homes are meant to be lived in now, not just prepared for someday.

Bonus:

One of our favorite summer outdoor foods is ice cream. I usually make a few quarts a season and I thought I'd share the BEST recipe with my loyal readers:

This is my treasured coffee ice cream recipe that has become, bar none, our favorite summer dessert. But only if you use the strongest beans you can get- espresso beans are what make it a standout.

If making homemade ice cream isn't happening (no judgment!), Trader Joe's Coffee Bean Blast Ice Cream is the next best thing. It has completely ruined me for almost every other ice cream. I'm not exaggerating. It's that good. Let me know if you try it- but only after 7/17 otherwise I will just be jealous because I am in the middle of a sugar detox right now. 😳

Until next time,

🤍

Lisa

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