When it comes to tackling your outdoor living spaces, it’s always important to think about how they function for daily use, entertaining, and year-round living. Selecting the right materials that can stand up to the weather (and pollen!) is also key to a long-lasting outdoor spot. Here are 7 secrets that’ll help you make the most out of your outdoor living area—plus a few extra tips—from Southern interior and landscape design pros.

Extend Your Square Footage

Space was tight in Jennifer McKissick’s 1930s cottage, so she reimagined its “sad, old patio” into a covered porch that functions as the home’s casual living and dining rooms. “The great thing about the South is that around nine months of the year, we can have dinner out there,” the designer notes. She prioritized memorable details like checkerboard flooring, which was made of concrete that was hand cut and stained to mimic the timeless pattern; Chippendale railings; and custom cabinetry above the fireplace to hide the TV.

Channel the Great Indoors

“Don’t be afraid to bring out any elements that you would use in your home—blankets, glass lanterns, and plants,” says McKissick. In the dining area, she hung a John James Audubon print that would otherwise have been sitting in storage. She did the same with textiles, incorporating throw pillows in Lee Jofa’s classic Althea floral, which was intended for interiors. “If you take a porch and swathe everything in basic performance fabrics, it looks [a bit sterile], like it’s not an extension of the house,” she says.

Rethink an Old Favorite

Painting porch ceilings “haint blue” is a long-held Southern practice. (This tradition came to the region via enslaved West African people, who believed the color would ward off evil spirits, or “haints.”) McKissick wasn’t satisfied with the “million different blues” she tried, so instead, she coated the paneling above in Benjamin Moore’s Celery Salt (OC-136), a warm off-white with green tones.

Welcome Fresh Air—and Guests

This ground-floor kitchen in coastal North Carolina is open to the elements most days via a glass garage door. “We wanted it to feel comfortable, like you’re inside with all the perks of being outdoors,” designer Laura Covington says of the area, which overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway. It’s primed for entertaining with a wraparound island, a built-in XO grill with a Trade-Wind hood, a beverage fridge, and dual keg taps. Open shelves are an affordable way to display items to add personality.

Choose Sturdy but Elevated Finishes

“We were careful to make selections that felt special and polished,” says the designer of the all-weather composite (that reads like wood) from Backyard Specialist, which she used for the cabinetry and island. The sealed concrete countertops reflect light, and the surface has “little flecks of shell in it that give it some texture,” adds Covington. “It’s a really nice material.” The Palecek barstools are outfitted in performance fabrics—a wise choice since there’s a pool nearby and wet bathing suits are a given.

Add Some Surprises

“I like to let one thing lead you to another,” explains landscape designer Peter Falkner, who carved out a terrace and two raised beds on the far side of this lawn and then put a hammock there to encourage folks to stick around. “You wouldn’t necessarily see that until you got to the fireplace.”
Two wooden obelisks provide height and support the vegetable garden.

Make It a Destination

“Our clients typically have amazing homes, so we’re always trying to get them outside and then get them to stay outside,” says Falkner. At this Birmingham house, a linger-worthy moss rock fireplace and a bluestone patio make a convincing case for year-round enjoyment. “We dressed it up with pretty pots,” he says. “It’s a place you want to be.” A couple of cozy woven chairs and a cocktail table help too.