Landscape Design
Urban Gardens
Makeovers Create More Usable Living Space in 7 Front Yards
Designers transform underused yards and entries into stylish, functional and inviting outdoor spaces
A front yard can be a great design opportunity — though it can sometimes feel like a daunting challenge. Its prominence calls for a one-of-a-kind design that can add valuable outdoor living space, but its size and exposure can make it feel unusable, especially if you live on a busy street or are surrounded by neighbors.
These seven front yard and entry makeovers show how designers worked with homeowners to turn underused spaces into hardworking, attractive ones. Some of the homes required more extensive renovations, while others had some spaces transformed simply with new plantings and clever screening solutions.
These seven front yard and entry makeovers show how designers worked with homeowners to turn underused spaces into hardworking, attractive ones. Some of the homes required more extensive renovations, while others had some spaces transformed simply with new plantings and clever screening solutions.
After: New bluestone-clad built-in planters enclose the yard more without entirely separating it from the sidewalk. “In the summertime, the plants give them more screening. In the winter, there is structure but more visibility,” landscape designer Andrea Nilsen Morse says.
The planters maintain a mostly green, white and purple planting palette to complement the surrounding exterior colors. The plants provide attractive seasonal interest for much of the year, dying back over winter and returning again in spring. “I try to stick with herbaceous perennials that can get slammed with snow and come back,” Morse says. “I didn’t want a lot of woody plants — things that would break or get crushed.”
Drought- and salt-tolerant perennials grow in the parking strip. Stones from the backyard add texture and height.
Plants
The planters maintain a mostly green, white and purple planting palette to complement the surrounding exterior colors. The plants provide attractive seasonal interest for much of the year, dying back over winter and returning again in spring. “I try to stick with herbaceous perennials that can get slammed with snow and come back,” Morse says. “I didn’t want a lot of woody plants — things that would break or get crushed.”
Drought- and salt-tolerant perennials grow in the parking strip. Stones from the backyard add texture and height.
Plants
- Reblooming hydrangea (Hydrangea sp.)
- Aster (Symphyotrichum sp.)
- Geranium (Geranium sp.)
- Ornamental grasses
- ‘Evergold’ sedge (Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’, USDA zones 5 to 9; find your zone)
- ‘Lidakense’ stonecrop (Sedum cauticola ‘Lidakense’, zones 4 to 9)
The redesigned front yard includes a new bluestone patio and teak dining set, giving the homeowners a comfortable place where they can relax and drink coffee outside. All the elements in the redesign were selected for their resiliency and clean-lined aesthetic.
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See more of this New England front yard
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2. Enclosed Outdoor Lounge
Designer: Kurt Krueger Architects
Location: Los Angeles
Before: A retired couple’s 1948 ranch home in the Brentwood neighborhood of L.A. sat mostly exposed on a busy street near a large intersection. They had limited backyard space, so their flat, underused front yard provided them with the best opportunity to create more outdoor living space.
Designer: Kurt Krueger Architects
Location: Los Angeles
Before: A retired couple’s 1948 ranch home in the Brentwood neighborhood of L.A. sat mostly exposed on a busy street near a large intersection. They had limited backyard space, so their flat, underused front yard provided them with the best opportunity to create more outdoor living space.
After: Architect Kurt Krueger, who also was hired to renovate the 2,200-square-foot home, started by paving and enclosing the front yard, essentially adding an outdoor room. A double-sided Douglas fir fence (with rigid insulation) solved the yard’s privacy problem by minimizing the amount of sound — and visibility — coming from the street. The slats on the upper part of the fence are spaced farther apart to allow for more light and visibility.
The outdoor lighting along the house, directional lights in the planting beds and uplights along the driveway are by Hinkley Lighting.
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The outdoor lighting along the house, directional lights in the planting beds and uplights along the driveway are by Hinkley Lighting.
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The two-sided fence provides the homeowners with an attractive view in the yard. A custom shade structure allows them to open and close the roof as they wish. A porcelain tile floor that resembles limestone enables them to move around the patio with ease. The sound from a recirculating fountain gives the space a calm, serene feeling while helping muffle street noise.
Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides, zones 8 to 10) adds a fresh, fragrant touch.
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Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides, zones 8 to 10) adds a fresh, fragrant touch.
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3. Open Porch and Front Yard Seating
Designer: The owners of this home, one of whom is an interior designer, worked with a general contractor
Location: Glencoe, Illinois
Before: Originally the barn for a Victorian home built in 1895, this Colonial-style home was turned into a residence in 1947; it sat vacant for 18 months before the current owners bought it. While the front entry originally had been open, previous owners enclosed it in the 1990s.
The home also lacked any outdoor living space. In addition to improving the entry and front yard, the homeowners worked with Lesa Rizzolo of L.A. Rizzolo Architects on a whole-home renovation.
Designer: The owners of this home, one of whom is an interior designer, worked with a general contractor
Location: Glencoe, Illinois
Before: Originally the barn for a Victorian home built in 1895, this Colonial-style home was turned into a residence in 1947; it sat vacant for 18 months before the current owners bought it. While the front entry originally had been open, previous owners enclosed it in the 1990s.
The home also lacked any outdoor living space. In addition to improving the entry and front yard, the homeowners worked with Lesa Rizzolo of L.A. Rizzolo Architects on a whole-home renovation.
After: The homeowners worked with their general contractor to give the home a look closer to its original design, repainting it white and opening up the enclosed porch. Most of the home’s outdoor space is out front, so the homeowners had a brick patio for dining and lounging installed in the front yard. Overhead string lights and potted plants soften and enliven the space.
The entry porch, which also connects to a sliding glass door on the house, now has a more rustic farmhouse look. The team clad the old iron columns on the porch in cedar.
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See more of this home
4. Tranquil Retreat
Designer: Ian Moore Design
Location: Berkeley, California
Before: This San Francisco Bay Area house near downtown Berkeley lacked a welcoming entry and a usable front yard. The home sits on a busy street, and the owners wanted to create an inviting yet semiprivate front patio where they could relax and enjoy the neighborhood.
Designer: Ian Moore Design
Location: Berkeley, California
Before: This San Francisco Bay Area house near downtown Berkeley lacked a welcoming entry and a usable front yard. The home sits on a busy street, and the owners wanted to create an inviting yet semiprivate front patio where they could relax and enjoy the neighborhood.
After: A new board-formed-concrete planter and retaining wall hold pockets of low-maintenance, California-friendly plants — many of which are edible. A metal mesh fence in front helps keeps dogs out of the planter.
A western red cedar fence on top of the retaining wall provides some privacy for the new outdoor seating area without closing the yard off from the surrounding neighborhood. Designer Ian Moore detailed the fence so that it would tie in with the Japanese-inspired details of the Craftsman home.
Plants
A western red cedar fence on top of the retaining wall provides some privacy for the new outdoor seating area without closing the yard off from the surrounding neighborhood. Designer Ian Moore detailed the fence so that it would tie in with the Japanese-inspired details of the Craftsman home.
Plants
- Kumquat (Fortunella sp., zones 8 to 11)
- Meyer lemon (Citrus x meyeri ‘Improved’, Zone 8)
- Green lavender cotton (Santolina rosmarinifolia, zones 6 to 9)
- Variegated ‘Tony Tiger’ New Zealand flax (Phormium ‘Tony Tiger’, zones 8 to 11)
On the other side of the fence, a 12-by-10-foot gravel patio provides the homeowners with a comfortable and semiprivate place for lounging. Low-maintenance, wildlife-attracting plants surround the patio, and a small bubbling fountain offers the sound of running water, which is soothing and helps block out street noise.
Plants
Plants
- Monkeyflower (Mimulus sp.)
- Foothill sedge (Carex tumulicola, zones 8 to 10)
- Douglas iris (Iris douglasiana, zones 6 to 10)
5. More Parking and Planting
Designer: Beth Mullins of Growsgreen Landscape Design
Location: San Francisco
Before: Much of this urban landscape’s redesign occurred in the backyard, but landscape designer Beth Mullins also worked with the homeowners to transform their front yard. Before the renovation, the San Francisco front yard had minimal curb appeal and no parking. The owners aimed to improve the home’s curb appeal and tasked Mullins with helping on the parking front.
Designer: Beth Mullins of Growsgreen Landscape Design
Location: San Francisco
Before: Much of this urban landscape’s redesign occurred in the backyard, but landscape designer Beth Mullins also worked with the homeowners to transform their front yard. Before the renovation, the San Francisco front yard had minimal curb appeal and no parking. The owners aimed to improve the home’s curb appeal and tasked Mullins with helping on the parking front.
After: A major excavation project turned what had been an unused slope into a usable driveway, garage and basement. Framing the driveway, low Cor-Ten steel planters contain easy-care plantings to soften the concrete retaining walls.
Plants
Plants
- Creeping fig (Ficus pumila, zones 9 to 11)
- Sedge (Carex spp.)
- Echeveria (Echeveria sp., zones 9 to 11)
- Chalk dudleya (Dudleya brittonii, zones 9 to 11)
- Fringe flower (Loropetalum chinense, zones 7 to 9)
6. A Place for Sitting and Relaxing
Designers: Andrzej Kacprzynski of Pro-Plan Architects (architect) and Marek Chaj of HiTec Group (general contractor)
Location: Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago
Before: A couple looking to build a life and a family together bought this fixer-upper as their first home. It had been converted into a duplex at one point, with the upstairs and downstairs completely separate. The couple worked with an architect and contractors to open up the interior spaces, as well as to create a more inviting and usable front yard and entry.
The homeowners ultimately removed the front yard tree seen in this photo. While they loved the shade it provided, they felt that it dominated and overpowered the house. They worked with a tree-removal service to make sure the wood would be responsibly repurposed for something else.
Designers: Andrzej Kacprzynski of Pro-Plan Architects (architect) and Marek Chaj of HiTec Group (general contractor)
Location: Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago
Before: A couple looking to build a life and a family together bought this fixer-upper as their first home. It had been converted into a duplex at one point, with the upstairs and downstairs completely separate. The couple worked with an architect and contractors to open up the interior spaces, as well as to create a more inviting and usable front yard and entry.
The homeowners ultimately removed the front yard tree seen in this photo. While they loved the shade it provided, they felt that it dominated and overpowered the house. They worked with a tree-removal service to make sure the wood would be responsibly repurposed for something else.
After: The new front porch, perhaps most noticeable in the redesign, gives the homeowners a place where they can sit, relax and enjoy their front yard. After living for so many years in an apartment, they welcomed being able to sit outside and take in their neighborhood.
The exterior renovation also included new Hardie board siding, Marvin wood windows, a black front door, outdoor lighting, a concrete walkway and plantings.
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The exterior renovation also included new Hardie board siding, Marvin wood windows, a black front door, outdoor lighting, a concrete walkway and plantings.
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7. Statement-Making Entry
Designer: Laurie JB Stubb of place architecture:design
Location: Brooklandville, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore
Before: “The existing entry was recessed in the elevation and not a prominent element on the house. The porch hung off the front door and had no relationship to the landscape,” architect Laurie JB Stubb says. The original entry also provided minimal shelter from the elements, with much of the landing uncovered. As a result, the owners and their visitors were more likely to enter through the garage than the front door.
Designer: Laurie JB Stubb of place architecture:design
Location: Brooklandville, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore
Before: “The existing entry was recessed in the elevation and not a prominent element on the house. The porch hung off the front door and had no relationship to the landscape,” architect Laurie JB Stubb says. The original entry also provided minimal shelter from the elements, with much of the landing uncovered. As a result, the owners and their visitors were more likely to enter through the garage than the front door.
After: “Getting to a front entry of this nature is always a difficult task,” so it’s important for the destination to inspire the journey, Stubb says. The design team replaced the path, siding, windows and front door and built a covered terrace to create an experience that draws people to the entry. “Now it is interesting, unique and inviting,” Stubb says.
Stairs and landings paved with Pennsylvania bluestone step up from the path to the door, enhancing the entry as a destination and creating an easier transition from the path to the door. “The bluestone terrace conveys even more interest, as it gradually moves upward, morphing into steps, until it reaches the porch,” Stubb says. The risers and adjacent wall are faced with Country Ledgestone by Cultured Stone in the Bucks County color; the same material is used along the base of the house.
Stairs and landings paved with Pennsylvania bluestone step up from the path to the door, enhancing the entry as a destination and creating an easier transition from the path to the door. “The bluestone terrace conveys even more interest, as it gradually moves upward, morphing into steps, until it reaches the porch,” Stubb says. The risers and adjacent wall are faced with Country Ledgestone by Cultured Stone in the Bucks County color; the same material is used along the base of the house.
A custom cherry door adds visual impact and a connection to the landscape. Horizontal CertainTeed fiber cement siding in a contemporary blue-gray replaces the original vertical wood siding.
The new covered porch offers protection, creates a transition from the interior to the exterior and announces the entry to approaching visitors. “It was important for the covered porch to extend past the house so it was visible from the street and the driveway,” Stubb says. She wanted a visual cue to call out to people on the path, inviting them to the home’s somewhat obscured entry.
“The porch was the driving force for this project, but the overall curb appeal of the house was key in making the entire project come together,” says Joseph Smith, managing partner at Owings Brothers Contracting.
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The new covered porch offers protection, creates a transition from the interior to the exterior and announces the entry to approaching visitors. “It was important for the covered porch to extend past the house so it was visible from the street and the driveway,” Stubb says. She wanted a visual cue to call out to people on the path, inviting them to the home’s somewhat obscured entry.
“The porch was the driving force for this project, but the overall curb appeal of the house was key in making the entire project come together,” says Joseph Smith, managing partner at Owings Brothers Contracting.
See more of this space
More on Houzz
Discover other landscape ideas for your yard
Find the right home professional for your project
Shop for outdoor products
Designer: Nilsen Landscape Design
Location: Brookline, Massachusetts
Before: This front yard near Boston had a small, underused patch of lawn, a few shrubs and a concrete paver walkway. It’s the property’s only sunny outdoor spot, and the homeowners wanted to make better use of it. While they wanted the redesign to increase privacy, they didn’t want to completely close off the space to the street and sidewalk.