Designing the Perfect Outdoor Living Space

The most successful terraces are planned as rooms. Establish a lounge zone and a dining zone, then decide how people pass between them without walking through either.

Shade is structural, not decorative. A cantilever umbrella or shade sail placed correctly extends the usable hours of a terrace more than any other single purchase.

Specify for exposure. Full sun and salt air are hard on finishes; teak, marine-grade aluminum, performance rope and solution-dyed acrylic are specified precisely because they tolerate it.

Leave circulation space. Outdoor furniture reads smaller under open sky, so plan at least 30 inches of clearance around seating and dining.