19 fresh ideas for outdoor rooms

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Windows found in an old barn were reinvented as doors leading from inside the shed to the glass greenhouse. Craigslist is a great place to look for such treasures.

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Frame it

Before turning a shovel of dirt, spend time viewing your garden from all angles to create powerful focal points like this arched view of the fountain.

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Start here

Don't know where to begin? Find one inspiring detail — the green Moroccan tiles that circle the patio launched this landscape — and take it from there.

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Borrowed landscape

Neighbors have something good going on? Incorporate it into your landscape, as with these trees spilling over the wall.

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Add magic

Why not a labyrinth (or tree house or outdoor shower)? It's your world. Live in it!

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Pergola breezeway

The wisteria-draped pergola acts as a shady tunnel contrasting with the open and bright garden beyond.

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Simple transition

A new "room" can be created with a change in flooring. Here a path of fine bluestone shifts gears into rustic gravel.

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Look down

Remember to look down from an upstairs window when designing a garden. This is where you'll best appreciate the overall plan.

Making an island works to slow down foot traffic in the garden. It's an especially good solution for a long, narrow site like this.

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Reduce bills with trees

Consider positioning trees as a windbreak. These piñon pines thrive in the rocky clay soil and provide height and structure. Trees planted as windbreaks can reduce home heating bills by 25%.

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Train them well

Ten flowering pear trees were coaxed over a metal arch to make this striking garden allée.

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Power pyramids

These Japanese boxwoods are shaped to mirror the roof peak.

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Terrace flooring

The owner spread a three-eighths-inch layer of pea gravel on her terrace floor for easy walking.

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Divide and conquer

A long, narrow plot offers a super opportunity to create multiple distinct outdoor rooms in a small space.

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Hedge fund

Don't buy into boxwood's bad reputation for high maintenance. This owner trims hers only twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall.

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Take two

Layering two different blooming vines on one arch extends the wow factor over a longer season.

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Lovely walking

A 60-inch arch (measured by width, not height) is gracious and comfortable for two to walk through.

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Salvaged path

Bits of broken concrete salvaged from cracked walkways are set into concrete to resemble a cobblestone path for the cost of just a few bags of concrete mix.

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Water music

Tuck a small water feature into a far corner of the garden where it can be heard before being seen. Seductive yet simple.

•  Click here for more than 50 ideas for outdoor rooms, including decorating tips, from MyHomeIdeas.com.