Our Favorite Outdoor Design Ideas From HGTV Stars

From clever curb appeal boosters to brilliant backyard DIYs, there’s inspiration for everyone (and every space) in these memorable outdoor projects, created by HGTV's top talent.

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Party-Worthy Pool

When Jonathan and Drew Scott took Brother vs. Brother to Los Angeles, Jonathan made the eco-friendly power move of converting a shipping container to an in-ground pool. The icing on the cake? He plunked it beside a luxe sunken seating area and installed a glass window to separate the luxurious features (and create a bit of drama).

See More Photos: 67 Dreamy Pool Design Ideas

Private Cantina on Command

Jonathan also created an intimate entertaining spot by installing a cantilevered shade structure to surround a tile-fronted, waterfall-edge wet bar atop concrete pavers. Teak slats between its metal ribs (and a pair of leafy palms) provide additional privacy.

See More Photos: 45 Creative Ways to Add Backyard Privacy

Copping an Altitude

For Brother vs. Brother’s San Francisco chapter, Drew mimicked the look of a living wall with a wide, shallow planter that functions a bit like an outdoor console table. Perched high above the ground, these varied succulents provide major visual impact minus the relative gardening difficulty of a wall-based installation. To make the most of a structure like this one, choose trailing plants like the pale burro’s tale shown here. Looking for low-maintenance planting ideas? Learn more about succulents, below.

See More Photos: 15 Succulents Worth Knowing

That's Entertainment

Jonathan and Drew created the ultimate party space in their now-legendary Las Vegas backyard by decking out their dining area with the same bold, contemporary pieces they favor indoors — proof positive that if you’re willing to do a bit of searching, you don’t have to compromise your aesthetic when you head outside. A niche in the fireplace wall between this space and the pool deck features a flat-screen television that’s perfect for big game get-togethers. See more extras in their backyard, below.

See More Photos: 12 Crazy Outdoor Extras at the Property Brothers' Las Vegas Home

Brown Thumb? Go Faux

To add a hint of organic style to her Rock the Block project’s outdoor dining room, Alison Victoria reached for ultra-ultra-low-maintenance plantings. The air plants at the center of the table require little or no attention, and the greenery on the framed “living wall” surrounding the fountain is even hardier (since it’s silk). Get more inspo for outdoor dining rooms, below.

See More Photos: 50 Stylish & Functional Outdoor Dining Rooms

Flea-Market Fabulous

Jasmine Roth, in turn, nailed indoor-outdoor living by outfitting her own Rock the Block patio with affordable secondhand accessories that complement pieces in the great room beside it. The one-of-a-kind bar is composed of three salvaged doors and her kitchen island’s original countertop, and the lights hanging above it are vintage finds made of scrapped airplanes. The wood she chose for the ceiling, in turn, flows indoors to connect the two spaces even more.

Neighborhood Dining

Hidden Potential's Jasmine Roth turned this once-ornamental southern California front yard into a functional outdoor dining room by paring back greenery and centering a gravel-covered space on the lawn. French doors offer a smooth transition to the home’s interior; enjoying meals in the open air couldn’t be simpler.

Fresh Fencing

Jasmine created a handsome border between this bungalow’s lawn and the sidewalk beside it by installing a crisp white fence with gleaming copper caps. The climbing plants she’s trained to trail through its slats offer a visual transition to the native greenery she chose for the bed that lines the path to the front door.

Architectural Arbor

Before Jasmine came to the neighborhood, this home’s front door was overshadowed by an awkward shade structure that made visitors feel like spelunkers. She replaced it with a modern, minimalistic trio of L-shaped wooden beams that will soon support flowering vines and offer the warm welcome this yard deserves.

Multi-Purpose Pergola

Jasmine customized (and modernized) this front patio with a crisp pergola that doubles as a support for a porch swing. That swing and the vines climbing the structure’s support pillars help define the boho seating area she created with layered rugs, pastel accessories and wicker furniture.

All-Weather Lounge

For Help! I Wrecked My House, Jasmine Roth turned a once-desolate corner of this southern California yard into an eclectic, well-appointed outdoor room. The neutral pieces she chose to furnish this wooden pergola complement the structure itself, and the oversized pendant makes the space feel as special as any indoor seating area.

Keeping It Simple

These elementary-but-impactful spaces demonstrate that you don’t need pro-level landscaping chops (or a designer budget) to get your yard party-ready. Here, Jasmine used large gravel to carve out a seating area at the edge of the lawn, then created a fire pit using a simple circular brick arrangement. Want to construct your own stacked block fire pit? Get our tips, below.

Get the How-To: How to Build a Fire Pit in an Afternoon

Grow Forward

Home Town’s Erin and Ben Napier reconfigured this home’s exterior in a way that made a doorway unnecessary … and just happens to provide the perfect setting for a new vertical garden. Built into the former door's outline, a pallet-like wooden structure with well-weathered shelves now supports succulents and leafy trailing plants.

From: Erin Napier and Ben Napier

Hanging Garden

The impeccably coordinated container plants hanging from this porch and perched along the low wall harmonize gorgeously with both the warm-toned trim Erin chose for the home’s windows and the leaves on the Japanese Maple that spread before it. Learn more about this perennially popular ornamental tree, below.

Learn More: Japanese Maples: A Guide to Planting and Care

Made in the Shade

The Napiers performed a budget-friendly transformation on this home’s front yard by demolishing a massive carport and swapping in a “new” arbor (built by Ben with lumber salvaged from other parts of the house). Window boxes made with more salvaged material and eye-catching new patio furniture create a welcoming, cohesive gathering space for visitors.

Porch Personality

Erin Napier made this Mississippi home even more charming by adding curtain rods and durable sheers to the beam above its pillars. Tied back with rustic jute, the textiles create a handsome frame for the front windows; drawn, they add a bit of privacy. As Erin puts it, “everybody loves a porch … because porches are magical.” Ready to freshen up your front porch? Get pretty porch inspo, below.

See More Photos: 40 Eye-Catching Entryways + Front Porches for Summer

Winsome Work Station

Ben Napier created a custom tiered potting bench for this diminutive back porch in Laurel, Mississippi. The piece’s main responsibility is to be functional, but the Napiers’ message is clear: particularly when space is at a premium, everything in that space should be beautiful, too.

A Moveable Forest

If the Napiers had opted to demolish this concrete patio in order to create planting space, their renovation costs would have gone through the roof. Instead, Erin deployed a variety of container plants — from small ferns to trees that will eventually grow quite large — to bring the space to life without swinging a sledgehammer.

Easy-to-Access Veggies

Ben created an L-shaped raised-planter-and-trellis hybrid to frame the back stairs and create an easy-access kitchen garden for his clients. This sturdy piece adds visual interest and gives the chef of the house the ability to reach out the back door and grab whatever veggies or herbs are needed for dinner. Want to start your own kitchen garden? Get our best tips, below.

Learn More: How to Plan a Vegetable Garden

Sunny Day Brunch

Being able to perch a cup of tea on a side table on the porch is great, but have you tried serving a full-fledged meal out there? Erin gave her clients ample space (and handsome furnishings) for dining in fresh air. Get our top tips for entertaining in your great outdoors, below.

See More Photos: 50 Tips for Planning the Ultimate Backyard Get-Together

Patio Perfection

Building an outdoor living room can be as simple as making a few key tweaks. Erin added to this tree-lined space’s ambience by crisscrossing strands of clear bistro lights overhead; after dark, this seating area will be utterly magical. Ben, in turn, built a custom grill station that’s conveniently located just steps from the cushy new seating.

Dramatic Day Bed

It’s tough to settle on a single favorite design moment in Christina on the Coast, but we’re prepared to commit to this ethereal outdoor bower. With an open-air nap space like the one at Christina Anstead's own So-Cal home, who would ever want to head indoors?

Masterful Makeunder

Eye-catching details like the decorative elements on this Arts and Crafts home can disappear behind disproportionate landscaping. Vintage Flip’s Jessie and Tina Rodriguez helped this sweet property put its best face forward by removing most of the plantings from the front yard and placing a pair of perfectly styled container gardens on either side of the porch entrance. Say it with us: sometimes, less is more.

Beams of Light

Yard Crashers maestro Matt Blashaw created a minimalistic yet marvelously atmospheric frame for this cedar-and-zinc outdoor dining table by anchoring pairs of cedar posts, then swagging glass pendant lights between them. A burbling water feature at the head of the table and fast-growing bamboo planted behind it will also help to mask sights and sounds from the outside world.

Indonesian Influence

Matt looked to Bali for inspiration in creating this tropical retreat, where spiral-embellished stepping stones framed in gravel wind past lush plantings to a small patio with an ornate carved bar. Symmetrical container plantings and a floating shelf anchored to the guest house at the far end of the yard frame this garden-party focal point.

Lawn Division

Matt divided this massive lawn into functional spaces by creating a tiered, naturalistic water feature and dry creek bed with river rock. The result? A cozy and dynamic yard that feels like a retreat rather than an empty lot.

The Hills Are Alive

This yard was once a single, forbidding slope with little room for children to play or neighbors to gather — and taming it as Matt did is surprisingly straightforward. He created a raised platform covered with decomposed granite to serve as a gathering place, then replaced rocks on the slope with kid-friendly wood chips, planter boxes and mixed greenery.

Fanciful Fences

Matt carried the Mexican-resort-inspired green, red and blue tones he chose for this yard all the way to its property lines by adding geometric planting shelves to the wooden fence. High-impact touches extend his theme, including the accent tiles that ring the fire pit and embellish the raised planter.

Serene Screen

Matt divided the outdoor living room from the gravel-covered space below this raised deck by installing a staggered series of shelves for terra-cotta pots. All the visual impact of a living wall, none of the hardcore upkeep? Yes, please.

Stateside Palapa

Matt paid tribute to his clients' Fijian heritage by centering a thatched-roof lounging area in lush plantings and interlocking pavers. It's now the perfect place to while away a staycation.