Landscape Design
9 Comfy Covered Patios for Lounging and Entertaining
See how overhangs can expand outdoor living space with all the comforts of the indoors
Shelter and protection from the elements are obvious benefits of a covered patio. After all, a roof keeps the sun at bay and any rain as a backdrop. But go beyond that and you’ll find that a roof also allows for ceiling fans, lighting and space heaters, increasing comfort and usability in offseasons. A covering also makes it easier to get a real living room vibe, because the furnishings don’t have to stand up to the brunt of the weather. Have a look at these nine thoughtfully designed covered patios perfect for entertaining, relaxing and enjoying the beauty of nature without full immersion. If you already have a covered patio, show us or tell us about it in the Comments.
2. In the Round
Decamping from compact New York City quarters to a spacious home in suburban New Jersey, these homeowners found themselves with more than an acre of land but only a small, uncovered patio and deck. Also, the 1970s home had an outdated look. The owners brought on interior design firm Nicole Forina Home, which they found on Houzz, as well as J L Walker Architects and Takk Enterprises, for the makeover.
The new covered patio is accessed though sliding doors off the living room, and a new in-ground pool sits nearby for warm-weather fun. The covering allows a ceiling fan to stir breezes in the warmer months, while a gas fireplace creates a cozy vibe on chilly days. The seating options include a curved lounger that can nicely cradle any nappers. Throws and pillows enhance the ambiance and can be swapped out depending on the season.
Rug: Couristan
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Decamping from compact New York City quarters to a spacious home in suburban New Jersey, these homeowners found themselves with more than an acre of land but only a small, uncovered patio and deck. Also, the 1970s home had an outdated look. The owners brought on interior design firm Nicole Forina Home, which they found on Houzz, as well as J L Walker Architects and Takk Enterprises, for the makeover.
The new covered patio is accessed though sliding doors off the living room, and a new in-ground pool sits nearby for warm-weather fun. The covering allows a ceiling fan to stir breezes in the warmer months, while a gas fireplace creates a cozy vibe on chilly days. The seating options include a curved lounger that can nicely cradle any nappers. Throws and pillows enhance the ambiance and can be swapped out depending on the season.
Rug: Couristan
Read more about this project
3. Stylishly Space-Savvy
With two young kids but disconnected and dysfunctional outdoor spaces, these Canadian homeowners decided to undertake an outdoor makeover along with building an addition. They wanted places where they could cook, dine, relax and play. Designer and builder Swick’s Landscaping collaborated with the homeowners using Houzz ideabooks to give them just that, including several amenities while still maintaining an open feel.
A fire feature can double as a table for drinks or noshes, and the outdoor kitchen is relatively compact. It hugs a corner to make use of space next to a long wall of windows and a sliding door. The overhang extends off the newly expanded kitchen and family room and allows the family to easily enjoy the patio come rain or shine.
Fire table and kitchen counters: DreamCast Design and Production
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Shop for fire pits on Houzz
With two young kids but disconnected and dysfunctional outdoor spaces, these Canadian homeowners decided to undertake an outdoor makeover along with building an addition. They wanted places where they could cook, dine, relax and play. Designer and builder Swick’s Landscaping collaborated with the homeowners using Houzz ideabooks to give them just that, including several amenities while still maintaining an open feel.
A fire feature can double as a table for drinks or noshes, and the outdoor kitchen is relatively compact. It hugs a corner to make use of space next to a long wall of windows and a sliding door. The overhang extends off the newly expanded kitchen and family room and allows the family to easily enjoy the patio come rain or shine.
Fire table and kitchen counters: DreamCast Design and Production
Read more about this project
Shop for fire pits on Houzz
4. Love of Country
This covered space in the Canadian countryside has a rustic style in keeping with the barn whose overhang shelters it. But no hay bales for seats here: Furnishings include a hanging chair, coffee table and pendant lights, creating a comfy living room vibe. Wentworth Landscapes completely redesigned the previously empty space, which lies on an 18-acre property, and also built a nearby pool and redid the landscaping.
Roll-down bug screens add to the comfort, and a sliding door on the wall opposite from where this photo was taken can be opened to allow for cross breezes and even more of a connection with nature.
Read more about this project
This covered space in the Canadian countryside has a rustic style in keeping with the barn whose overhang shelters it. But no hay bales for seats here: Furnishings include a hanging chair, coffee table and pendant lights, creating a comfy living room vibe. Wentworth Landscapes completely redesigned the previously empty space, which lies on an 18-acre property, and also built a nearby pool and redid the landscaping.
Roll-down bug screens add to the comfort, and a sliding door on the wall opposite from where this photo was taken can be opened to allow for cross breezes and even more of a connection with nature.
Read more about this project
5. Sunshine State of Mind
Done up in sea-and-sky blues and sunny yellow, this patio befits its Tampa, Florida, locale. The color palette, chosen by designer Laura Lee, matches the interiors of the home, which a family of five and a nanny use. Fun fact: One of the homeowners is a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.
While the furnishings lean chic, they can stand up to wet feet from the nearby pool, as well as dog paws and general wear and tear from the active household.
Read more about this project
Browse outdoor cushions and pillows
Done up in sea-and-sky blues and sunny yellow, this patio befits its Tampa, Florida, locale. The color palette, chosen by designer Laura Lee, matches the interiors of the home, which a family of five and a nanny use. Fun fact: One of the homeowners is a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.
While the furnishings lean chic, they can stand up to wet feet from the nearby pool, as well as dog paws and general wear and tear from the active household.
Read more about this project
Browse outdoor cushions and pillows
6. Concrete Cleverness
The sloped roof structure for this Austin, Texas, patio already existed, but the patio itself was smaller and not as stylish. Landscape designer B. Jane Gardens poured concrete for the patio flooring and pads that feel like welcome mats, freeing up the budget for a 12-foot-long outdoor kitchen. Ceiling fans and wall-mounted heaters allow year-round use of the space.
Note how the concrete pads play off the lines of the patio roof and the proportions of the large sliding glass doors. And the new patio’s style of high-contrast neutrals with touches of warm wood connects with the palette of the living room and kitchen, which lie on the other side of those doors.
Outdoor ceiling fans: Big Ass Fans
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The sloped roof structure for this Austin, Texas, patio already existed, but the patio itself was smaller and not as stylish. Landscape designer B. Jane Gardens poured concrete for the patio flooring and pads that feel like welcome mats, freeing up the budget for a 12-foot-long outdoor kitchen. Ceiling fans and wall-mounted heaters allow year-round use of the space.
Note how the concrete pads play off the lines of the patio roof and the proportions of the large sliding glass doors. And the new patio’s style of high-contrast neutrals with touches of warm wood connects with the palette of the living room and kitchen, which lie on the other side of those doors.
Outdoor ceiling fans: Big Ass Fans
Read more about this project
7. Spacious in Southern California
Architect Craig O’Connell removed about 15 feet of the existing porch roof in this Southern California backyard to create an open area in front of a new primary suite addition. That still left plenty of covered porch area to play with, and the outdoor living room and dining room created in the previously empty space have plenty of breathing room.
All of the outdoor spaces at this home act as a kind of laboratory and showcase for the homeowner, landscape architect Travis Gramberg of Koheid Design. Here, Gramberg used Italian limestone for the flooring so clients can experience how the material feels and what it can do. On the porch’s posts and beams, he used Texas limestone, which matches elements in the front and side yards.
Read more about this project
Architect Craig O’Connell removed about 15 feet of the existing porch roof in this Southern California backyard to create an open area in front of a new primary suite addition. That still left plenty of covered porch area to play with, and the outdoor living room and dining room created in the previously empty space have plenty of breathing room.
All of the outdoor spaces at this home act as a kind of laboratory and showcase for the homeowner, landscape architect Travis Gramberg of Koheid Design. Here, Gramberg used Italian limestone for the flooring so clients can experience how the material feels and what it can do. On the porch’s posts and beams, he used Texas limestone, which matches elements in the front and side yards.
Read more about this project
8. Creekside Contentment
Outdoor entertaining played a big part in the design of this new-build cabin-style accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in Colorado, so it was important to have a large covered area that the homeowners and guests could use on sunny, rainy and even snowy days. Mountain Architecture Design Group, Rumor Design + reDesign and Dobell Contracting delivered, with a protected patio that turns a corner to include the main entryway. Bonus: Part of the roof is a green roof.
The ADU’s modern rustic look works with the style of the main home, which faces the entry, and a smaller historic cabin to the back on the right (not seen). It mixes bold elements, such as lounge chairs upholstered in a black-and-white houndstooth fabric, with timber and stone. The lounge area is joined by a dining area, with a nearby creek providing a soothing soundtrack.
Read more about this project
Outdoor entertaining played a big part in the design of this new-build cabin-style accessory dwelling unit (ADU) in Colorado, so it was important to have a large covered area that the homeowners and guests could use on sunny, rainy and even snowy days. Mountain Architecture Design Group, Rumor Design + reDesign and Dobell Contracting delivered, with a protected patio that turns a corner to include the main entryway. Bonus: Part of the roof is a green roof.
The ADU’s modern rustic look works with the style of the main home, which faces the entry, and a smaller historic cabin to the back on the right (not seen). It mixes bold elements, such as lounge chairs upholstered in a black-and-white houndstooth fabric, with timber and stone. The lounge area is joined by a dining area, with a nearby creek providing a soothing soundtrack.
Read more about this project
9. Above Par
A golf course gives this Southern California covered patio a lovely view, while architect Jeffrey A. Dahl and interior designer Laura Brophy gave the homeowners a stylish place for lounging and dining. A custom bench and a concrete dining table lend the tract home a more personalized feel.
Sliding walls enhance the home’s indoor-outdoor living, with ceiling-mounted heaters warming up the space when temperatures drop. A stunning water feature at one end of a pool in another outdoor area helps mask street noise.
Builder: Gonterman Custom Homes
Read more about this project
More on Houzz
Read more stories about patios
Browse thousands of patio photos
Hire a landscape contractor
Shop for your outdoor spaces
A golf course gives this Southern California covered patio a lovely view, while architect Jeffrey A. Dahl and interior designer Laura Brophy gave the homeowners a stylish place for lounging and dining. A custom bench and a concrete dining table lend the tract home a more personalized feel.
Sliding walls enhance the home’s indoor-outdoor living, with ceiling-mounted heaters warming up the space when temperatures drop. A stunning water feature at one end of a pool in another outdoor area helps mask street noise.
Builder: Gonterman Custom Homes
Read more about this project
More on Houzz
Read more stories about patios
Browse thousands of patio photos
Hire a landscape contractor
Shop for your outdoor spaces
Average summer temperatures in Dallas hover at close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so shade is key for alfresco dining and lounging. Urbanology Designs, which the homeowners found on Houzz while admiring some of the firm’s previous work, used an overhang to create plenty of shade on this Texas patio between the living room and pool.
The dining and lounging areas are defined by outdoor rugs, and the furnishings pick up the warm and family-friendly contemporary style of the home’s interiors. Different textures and unusual details, such as an openwork dining chair back that curves forward and down to form the chair’s front legs, infuse the neutral palette with plenty of interest. A fireplace (just visible on the left edge of this photo) helps ward off the chill when the temperatures dip.
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