The Part of the Home No One Talks About

I have been focused on intentional outdoor living design for a long time. But even in 2025, the industry is still stuck in the same old pattern. It is easy to get a basic patio or deck, and because of that, most homeowners have never been shown what a true outdoor living space can be. There has not been enough education or design leadership to help people see beyond the most common options.

The result is simple. Many backyards across the country are built with quick solutions, materials chosen from catalogs, and layouts that are not connected to the home. None of this is the homeowner’s fault. It is what the industry has offered for decades. When people are not shown what is possible, they choose what is available.

What I find interesting is how outdoor living is still not viewed as part of the home’s architecture. You can purchase a home today with a worn patio, a failing deck, or a backyard with no design at all, and it will barely show up in negotiations. Homeowners will live in the house another ten years before ever addressing the outside, not because they do not care, but because no one has ever explained the value of doing it right.

At the same time, there is a growing group of people who do see the vision. They understand flow, proportion, and the connection between architecture and lifestyle. They want spaces that feel intentional, comfortable, and designed with purpose. These are the people who are quietly elevating the standard of outdoor living, and they are the reason this industry is changing.

My message is for them and for anyone who is starting to see what outdoor living can really be. When a space is designed correctly, it adds value to the home and to daily life. It becomes an extension of how the family lives, not an afterthought in the backyard. It improves comfort, connection, curb appeal, and long term value.

The part that always stands out to me is this. The same person who believes a patio does not add value to a home is often driving a car that loses value the moment it leaves the lot. Cars are now well over fifty thousand dollars, and within a few years, they are worth a fraction of the price. Yet a well designed outdoor living space, something that improves daily life and elevates the entire home, is still seen as optional.

Maybe now, as vehicles approach eighty thousand dollars and kitchen remodels reach six figures, more people will take a closer look at what happens outside the home. Because when an outdoor space is designed with intention, it changes everything. It improves comfort. It supports lifestyle. It strengthens curb appeal. And it adds real, lasting value to the place you live.

The future of outdoor living will not be built on patios. It will be built on vision, design, and intention.

#TheArtOfOutdoorLiving #DesignMatters #OutdoorArchitecture #vizxdesignstudios