The Best Outdoor Spaces of 2020

Every year, we set out to find the best log and timber homes across the globe to showcase in our annual special edition: The Best Log & Timber Homes of the Year. Earlier this year, our readers voted on their favorite outdoor spaces and the results are in! Here are the top five outdoor spaces for 2020:

 

This is a prime spot to rock the day away. A mossy-toned stain and thin ribbons of chinking are the cornerstone of this porch’s casual country vibe. The deep, slanted overhang provides protection rain or shine, while wall-mounted lanterns offer soft illumination that will take you from day into night.

A multi-tiered terrace engulfed in boulders ranging in hue from silver to violet create a platform for outdoor enjoyment at this exquisite cedar log home. In addition to the gracious ground-level oasis, two octagonal gazebos, as well as several decks and balconies, round out the home’s outdoor living space.

A nearly 500-square-foot screened-in porch off the kitchen gives this family a place to enjoy the best of their mid-Atlantic locale. The two-sided, stone veneer fireplace backs up to the kitchen’s fireplace, connecting the hybrid home’s two main entertaining areas. LED lights along the top of the Douglas fir header provide mood lighting for evenings outside.

Nothing beats a screened porch on a summer’s day. This space is made even cozier by the wood-burning fieldstone fireplace, making it snug when the sun goes down. The round half-log exterior is on display while durable, charcoal porcelain tile anchors the porch to its surroundings.

When you have 360-degree views of the iconic Mount Lawrence Grassi in Alberta’s Bow Valley, you need an outdoor space that’s equally as impressive. But it’s the details, like the huge chiseled-granite hearth, the Douglas fir timbers and the exposed metal elements, that enable this multi-tiered patio to hold its ground with the scenery.