Best Outdoor Living Designs of 2025 | Top 5 Luxury Backyard Transformations in Michigan
Our 5 Favorite Builds of 2025: A Year of Bold Design and Transformative Outdoor Living
Lochmoor • Ambleside • Trailwood II • Concord • Cloverly
2025 was a standout year in outdoor living design. From hidden courtyard retreats in Grosse Pointe to bold modern resort-style spaces in Rochester and Ann Arbor, this year’s projects show just how dramatically a property can be transformed through thoughtful design and meticulous craftsmanship.
Below are the five projects that defined our year. Each one represents a unique design challenge, a creative leap forward, or a fresh interpretation of what backyard luxury can look like in Michigan.
Lochmoor: A Hidden Oasis in Grosse Pointe
From the street, Lochmoor appears refined and understated. Sculpted hedges, mature Crabapple trees, and layered landscaping establish a sense of elegance. But step through the side path and the property reveals itself in a dramatic way. At the center of an intimate courtyard is a 10 by 20 foot custom gunite plunge pool with bench seating on all sides. By day, it is a refreshing place to lounge and play. By night, it transforms into a spa with app-controlled heat and jets.
A stucco pavilion anchors the backyard and features retractable screens that lower at the push of a button. Inside, the structure opens into two zones: a fireside lounge with a gas fireplace and all-weather TV, and a fully equipped outdoor kitchen with granite counters, built-in grill and hood, refrigeration, prep space, and bar seating.
With a tongue-and-groove ceiling, recessed lighting, overhead heaters, and an extended dining terrace, Lochmoor feels intimate, functional, and beautifully composed — a space designed to extend outdoor living well beyond the summer season.
Ambleside: Modern Outdoor Living With Bold Design
Ambleside blends striking material selections with a highly functional layout. The custom gunite pool features a crisp sunshelf with bubblers and a raised black-tile spa that creates a dramatic visual contrast. A crisp white porcelain patio creates a clean, modern canvas, a material choice we explore in depth in our guide to porcelain tile patios.
A custom steel-framed shade structure creates a dramatic outdoor kitchen and dining experience. This architectural canopy is not quite a pergola, pavilion, or lanai but something entirely unique. Beneath it, the chef-grade kitchen includes a grill, flat top, pizza oven, refrigeration, storage, and a marble-topped bar with integrated seating. A covered dining zone and outdoor TV complete the space.
Connecting the home to the covered outdoor kitchen, an unenclosed patio was transformed into a four-season room using floor-to-ceiling accordion glass doors and a fireplace. This creates a warm retreat with full views of the poolscape.
With its bold palette of black, white, and natural textures, Ambleside is contemporary, inviting, and designed for seamless indoor-outdoor living.
Trailwood II: A Private Resort at Home
At Trailwood II blends the backyard feels like a boutique resort. A custom gunite pool with a sunshelf, infinity edge, and raised overflow spa is the focal point. Beside it, a sunken fire pit creates a dramatic lounge zone level with the water. Six inlaid pavers along the length of the pool, each hold a lounge chair for soaking up the sun. Beyond the poolscape, you’ll find a series of outdoor zones including a putting green, an open-air dining area, a cabana-style bar, and a fully outfitted outdoor kitchen.
A two-story covered terrace connects everything back to the home. The lower level hosts an outdoor living room, while the upper balcony offers sweeping views of the property. A discreet audio system is integrated throughout.
Trailwood II is high-impact outdoor living that balances style, function, and comfort.
Concord: Historic Character Meets Modern Courtyard Living
Concord is an example of how historic charm can coexist beautifully with contemporary design. The front yard features structured geometric boxwood hedges, beech trees, and an exposed aggregate driveway that ties the architecture to the landscape.
In the backyard, the design centers around a limestone-wrapped custom spa accompanied by a brick-and-limestone lanai, a converted garage living space, and a 14-foot linear fire feature. This creates a courtyard layout that feels architectural and intimate.
An outdoor kitchen extends from the converted garage with a built-in grill, refrigeration, storage, and bar seating illuminated by warm market lights. To blend the new additions with the home’s architectural charm, traditional materials like brick and limestone are paired with modern elements such as glass railings and turf inlays.
The result is a backyard that feels timeless and current at the same time.
Cloverly: A Minimalist Grass Edge Pool That Redefines Backyard Luxury
Cloverly is one of the most discussed projects in our portfolio. Its grass-edge pool eliminates the traditional patio and allows a manicured lawn to meet the limestone coping directly. The effect is sculptural, serene, and inspired by classic East Coast estates.
The custom gunite pool includes a large sunshelf, a hidden integrated spa, a black tile and PebbleTec interior, and an exposed brick beam that accommodates the natural grade of the property. The palette of crisp limestone, dark water, and lush green lawn creates a striking visual balance.
This layout also reduces impervious surfaces, allowing better drainage and permeability. It is a more sustainable approach that still delivers incredible visual impact.
Love it or not, Cloverly challenges conventional Midwest pool design and embraces a minimalist, luxurious aesthetic.
As we wrap up another extraordinary year of design, these projects remind us why we love what we do: every home has a story, and thoughtful design can carry the beauty and intention of the home into the outdoors. It creates spaces that are functional, refined, and built for creating unforgettable memories. From intimate plunge pools to bold contemporary retreats, 2025 pushed our creativity in all the right ways, and we couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead. Here’s to another year of inspired spaces, meaningful craftsmanship, and unforgettable backyards.