Fall's Best Outdoor Spaces

Outdoor Living Room

Lighting is key to entertaining in a large outdoor space. Strands of light strung overhead create a nice glow for stand and snack gatherings. Comfortable outdoor sofas, a blazing fireplace, and a convenient bar set the scene for the most popular fall party spot.

Candlelit Courtyard

This cozy outdoor space features salvaged iron chandeliers and sconces. Antique candlelight fixtures are the easiest of all salvage to use because no adjustments are necessary.

• 12 Smart Salvage Ideas

Tranquil Porch Escape

This stucco wall contains a fireplace, cabinets, and wood storage cubby for firewood. It gives the porch a main focal point and a screen from neighbors and the harsh western sun.

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Cozy Party Courtyard

Besides several seating areas, this courtyard offers a fully functional outdoor kitchen with a gas grill, mini-fridge, and ice-maker. On axis with the pool and stone wall is a fireplace. Tucked beneath a second-floor balcony that overlooks the courtyard, chairs snuggle near the fire with a bit of overhead protection to increase seasonal versatility. 

Autumnal Fireplace

An outdoor fireplace makes it comfortable to sit outside on cool fall evenings. Touches of the season around the mantle and the hearth feature arrangements of pumpkins, gourds, and fall leaves.

Small Space Outdoor Room

Short on space doesn’t mean short on use. This area is barely 25 feet deep and 50 feet wide, but it includes a place to have a drink and watch the game, a location to dine, and a spot to relax by the fire.

Vintage Brick Patio

The brick in this courtyard came from old buildings that were torn down. The biggest issue with antique brick is there are several different sizes and it tends to get mixed up. So these homeowners set the brick in sand, rather than concrete, to give a relaxed and aged look. Plus, the sand helped level odd-size bricks.

• 12 Smart Salvage Ideas

Comfortable Outdoor Porch

Composed of a brick chimney, mantel, and firebox, this exterior fireplace is covered with stucco as well. This touch not only distinguishes it from the surrounding brick walls, but it also makes a focal point. The hearth is raised for additional seating. Plus, by centering the fireplace between a brick opening and the exterior living room wall, it provided a nook for firewood.

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Poolside Pavillion

Measuring 20 feet square, this pavilion provides shade during the summer and a warming fireplace when the air turns cool. Kitchen conveniences run along a sidewall. Set back beneath a lean-to roof are a bath and areas for prep and storage.

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Outdoor Dining and Fireplace

This outdoor room is situated near the grill so the delicious smells of both can be enjoyed at the same time.

Cozy Outdoor Pavillion

Building a freestanding outdoor fireplace creates an instant cozy gathering place for fall. Decorate the mantle with a row of tea lights for extra sparkle when the sun goes down.

Garage Addition

This seating area and fireplace blend seamlessly with the garage (behind it). The vaulted pitch of the arbor mimics the lines of the garage roof and makes the garage more background than feature. The brick chimney helps to draw the eye up, creating height and keeping the attention on the fireplace, which features a mix of fieldstone and brick for added interest. The entire seating area is elevated, improving views of the pool and surrounding property.

Nature-Focused Porch

Screened windows and doors are essential. This comfortable screened porch is sparsely decorated except for the surrounding woods, perfect for enjoying the weather and nature. Stylish white chairs are a great alternative to outdoor furniture.

Romantic Outdoor Fireplace

For year-round lounging, there’s an enclosed sitting area that boasts candle chandeliers and a fireplace. Filling the fireplace with candles instead of firewood gives this small seating area a very romantic feel.

Backyard Living Room

The large fireplace and hearth in this retreat can serve as an outdoor oven for cooking over an open fire.

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Ultimate Outdoor Kitchen

This open-air kitchen creates the perfect space for family to get together to cook, mingle, and catch fabulous views and breezes of the water.

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Chic Outdoor Dining Room

Stylish, weather-resistant pieces make this dining porch an easy way to take the party outside. The white finish of the long trestle table maintains a minimal look. The hanging lantern adds a touch of elegance.

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Old-World Dining Courtyard

This dining courtyard is adjacent to the interior dining room and features a wood-burning fireplace to warm up outside dinner parties, especially in cool fall months.

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Autumn's Outdoor Room

A stone fireplace creates the perfect area for fall gatherings in this backyard. A cluster of pumpkins and mums warms up the sitting wall.

Stepping-Stone Entry

Randomly placed stepping-stones crafted from local granite lead to the front porch’s wide steps. Hand-hewn posts and railings, along with graceful brackets, are crafted from regionally harvested locustwood to further enhance this cottage’s connection to the land. Local fieldstone clads the porch walls.

Church-Inspired Pool House

An entry arbor at Christ Church on St. Simons Island inspired the design of this pool house.

Inviting Patio Makeover

Humble materials can pull off a high-end look. This backyard transformation began by installing a 10-foot-wide by 30-foot-long iron pergola. Then, wisteria was planted, which in time turned into a leafy canopy overhead. To anchor the space, an outdoor fireplace was constructed from cinder blocks lined with fireproof brick and covered in stucco. And all the furniture and accessories that decorate the space were chosen to withstand the elements but age gracefully, resulting in an inviting spot for alfresco entertaining.

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Calm, Classic Outdoor Living Room

A Sunbrella-covered sectional and ottoman, plus a nearby dining table that seats eight, make this covered porch ideal for outdoor entertaining. The high coffee table is also perfect for al fresco dining.

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