The privacy of this pool and patio designed by Jeff Cartwright is enhanced by natural plantings and trees.
Outdoor spaces are no longer just for special occasions or certain seasons — they have become carefully integrated spaces that complement the rest of the home. Three designers share their insights on the hottest outdoor trends of 2022.
R•Home: How are homeowners making their outdoor spaces more functional for their daily needs?
Jeff Cartwright of Cartwright Landscaping
Greg Koehler, Outdoor Dreams: It starts with things like covers and storage. If you're buying furniture, get covers so you don't have to be cleaning constantly or taking your cushions in and out all the time. The more you make it a chore to use the space, the less you're going to use it.
Mark McAuliffe, Cross Creek Nursery & Landscaping: People with families are looking for ways to expand that space to give the opportunity for the family to have stuff to do at the house. For instance, pools are definitely something we’ve seen an uptick on.
Jeff Cartwright, Cartwright Landscaping: People have become more concerned with privacy because they're spending more time in their backyards. We've got a lot more privacy trees going up. You can also use lighting to create boundaries so you feel enveloped in your outdoor space — almost like a room outside.
According to Greg Koehler, the outdoor kitchens his clients request are very well equipped — with grills, smokers, griddles, refrigerators, beer taps and more.
R•Home: What luxury upgrades have been trending to make outdoor spaces feel more elevated?
Koehler: Expansive outdoor kitchens. They're making outside griddles now, so you can do hibachi and things like that. You can get your own beer taps, wine coolers and ice makers. You name it, you can pretty much get it outdoors now.
McAuliffe: The materials tended to be more modern to keep up with the trends. For patios, people wanted a more sleek design.
Cartwright: We've seen a lot more fire pits, fireplaces, patios and a heck of a lot more requests for pools.
R•Home: How can homeowners remain connected to nature through their outdoor design?
Greg Koehler of Outdoor Dreams
Koehler: You want to have some integrated landscaping — not just landscaping around the border, but landscaping that kind of intertwines the space. If you use native plants in your landscaping, you're going to naturally employ wildlife.
McAuliffe: For vegetable gardening, people definitely took a greater interest in creating spaces where they can produce from their garden.
Cartwright: Nostalgia kind of comes in. They’ll dwell on memories and use it as an opportunity to put some nice trees they might have seen somewhere on a vacation or lilac shrubs from their grandmother’s house.
Mark McAuliffe designed this outdoor space with multiple activity areas to expand the functionality of the property.
R•Home: What can homeowners do to extend their outdoor season?
Koehler: Good lighting will always extend your outdoor season. In the winter, heaters are one of the fastest-growing trends. All-season porches are also becoming a thing.
Mark McAuliffe of Cross Creek Nursery and Landscaping
McAuliffe: We’ve seen a lot of outdoor chimneys and fireplaces. As far as getting some sort of roof, we’ve definitely seen that in pergolas.
Cartwright: A lot of people don't think about it, but they make chillers for pools as well as heaters. When it’s super hot, you can chill the pool to bring the temperature down and make it more enjoyable.
