Get Inspired: Photos of Pools & Outdoor Living Spaces
By Lisa Hallett Taylor, About.com Guide
These galleries are here to inspire: some have projects or ideas that are achievable, while others -- like vintage shots of movie stars' swimming pools -- are here as enjoyable eye candy, an historical perspective, or to spark an idea or two. Hopefully, you'll be motivated to open your eyes and start noticing outdoor design ideas in even the most unexpected places.
Outdoor Furnishings & Accessories
You can have just as much fun, if not more, furnishing your outdoor rooms. Just being outside makes everything less formal, and it's in your yard where you can let your creativity run free. You can go with a theme or style, like tropical or Moroccan, or mix things up for an eclectic atmosphere. Go ahead and express yourself!
- Flea Market Finds: Vintage Outdoor Furnishings
- Shopping for Vintage Garden Furniture
- Michael Jackson's' Neverland: Garden Statues & Furniture
Patios and Outdoor Rooms
Where do great patio design ideas come from? You might see patio designs on TV or get garden design ideas from a local tour. Outdoor patios can be attached to a house, or detached. They are often designed and oriented with the landscape. Patios are versatile: they can take on any shape and be built with various materials.
Landscaping and Gardens
The non-hardscaped parts of your yard - aka landscaping - are one of the favorite and most challenging parts of the outdoor living environment. What to plant where, when and how? From poolside landscaping to xeriscaping (water-wise) and patio gardens to scented gardens, we provide you with photo galleries to spark ideas and get you digging.
- Succulent Garden Design Ideas
- Poolside Landscaping Plants
- Recycled Art in the Garden
- Growing Vegetables in a Patio Box
Outdoor Privacy Screens
Part of enjoying your outdoor living space is using it as an extension of your home. And you don't necessarily want the neighbors or passers-by watching as you dine with your family or take a nap, would you? Thus the need for outdoor privacy screening, which can be anything from a fence to a row of closely planted hedges to a Japanese shoji screen. The possibilities are limitless, as you will see.
- Living Privacy Screens: Trees, Shrubs & Vines
- Fences, Walls & Structural Screens
- Bamboo Privacy Screens
Hardscaping: Design, Spaces & Structures
Hardscaping is so much more than a slab of concrete. It encompasses everything in your outdoor space that is not actual growing plant life, although both garden and hardscape design are integral to landscape design. Simply put, you can't have one without the other. Examples of hardscaping: gazebos, river rock, decomposed granite, patio roofs, fences, porches and trellises.
Swimming Pools & Spas
You can find them above-ground, in-ground, or with vanishing edges. In all kinds of sizes and shapes and for all sorts of purposes -- from swimming laps to entertaining to existing simply as something to intrigue the senses and admire.