Can you design a luxury backyard for any climate?
Yes. We’ve designed yards in desert, coastal, and colder climates, and we approach each one differently. We look at what the weather is like where you live, how you want to spend time outside, and what will make that easier throughout the year. Then we make decisions around things like shade, coverage, feature placement, materials, and local requirements.
Key Takeaways:
Sports courts have become one of the most requested features we design. And as these yards show, there are so many different ways to make one part of a beautiful outdoor space.
— There are options beyond pickleball. We’re designing basketball courts, soccer fields, and multi-purpose courts for families who want more ways to use their yards.
— Every property is different. We’ve put courts on rooftops, tucked them into sloped properties, and designed them right alongside pools.
— The details make a difference. Court colors, landscaping, signage, and the areas around the court can all tie back to the rest of the yard.
— Make it something your family will use. Whether that’s pickleball, basketball, soccer, or a little bit of everything, it gives everyone another reason to get outside.
We’ve designed yards for clients in more than 35 states and counting, along with projects in Canada, Costa Rica, Spain, and other countries around the world. And we’re able to do all of that without ever visiting the property. Our design process is completely virtual, but it’s also totally custom to the client and their individual property.
We start by learning about you, your property, your family, and how you actually want to spend your time outside. Then we start thinking about the design.
Where you live is obviously a big part of that.
A yard in Las Vegas shouldn’t be designed the same way as a yard in New Jersey. And a waterfront property in Boca Raton comes with completely different considerations than a home in Colorado.
Your yard needs to work for you wherever you live. And ideally, you should be able to enjoy it for as much of the year as possible.
No one wants to invest in an incredible outdoor space they can only use for a couple of months out of the year. Or only when the weather is perfect. Or only during a very specific time of day.
You want to be able to go outside and swim, cook, relax, spend time with your family, have friends over, play with your kids, or just get away for a little while.
So when we design a yard, we’re always thinking about what will make those things easier based on where the client lives.
Here are a few examples.
Designing Luxury in the Desert
When we design in places like Las Vegas or Arizona, we know that extreme heat is going to affect how you spend time outside. So early in the design process, we look at sun exposure throughout the day and figure out where you’re going to need shade to actually enjoy the yard.
That might mean creating a full California Room with an outdoor kitchen, dining area, and living space. It could be a pergola over the patio or smaller covered areas throughout the yard. It really depends on the property and how you want to use it.
We think about heat when we plan the rest of the yard too. If you love cooking outside, you might want a full outdoor kitchen, but you probably don’t want the grill right next to the main lounge area when it’s 110 degrees outside.
Wind direction can influence those decisions too, especially with things like fire features, dining areas, and the places where you know you’ll spend the most time.
And in desert locations, we also have to understand local water restrictions before we get too far into the design. On one of our Las Vegas projects, Cielo Nocturne. We knew that from the beginning, so we could account for it when determining the pool size and deciding how to use the rest of the property.
We also have to think about what materials are going to be like in extreme heat.
Something can look amazing in a rendering, but what happens after it has been sitting in direct Nevada sun for six hours?
Can you walk across it barefoot?
Is it going to fade?
How is it going to hold up after years of intense sun exposure?
Those are the kinds of questions we’re thinking about while we’re choosing materials. We still want everything to look incredible. We also want you to be comfortable using it.
There are always going to be things that are specific to where you live. In the desert, we’re thinking about heat, sun, wind, water use, and what will make you comfortable outside. We want to account for those things from the beginning so you end up with a yard you’ll actually want to use, even when it’s hot outside.
Designing a Coastal Outdoor Space
When you live on the water, the view is probably one of the things you love most about your property. So when we design a coastal yard, we pay a lot of attention to how you’ll experience that view from different parts of your home and yard.
We look at what you see from inside the house, where you’ll sit outside, what the view looks like from the pool, and how we can incorporate all the features you want without taking away from what’s already there.
For one of our projects in Boca Raton, the clients live along a busy waterway where boats are constantly passing by. They wanted to look outside from their home and see an incredible backyard, but they also cared about what they would see from the water when they came back to the property by boat. So we thought about the yard from both perspectives and how the clients would experience it throughout the day.
We approached a beachfront project in Costa Rica a little differently. The clients have this incredible ocean view right beyond their yard, and we wanted them to be able to enjoy it as much as possible. We positioned a blue-tiled infinity-edge pool toward the ocean so that when you’re in the pool or looking across the yard, the beach and ocean almost feels like an extension of their space.
That’s something we think about a lot with coastal properties. You can still have the pool, outdoor kitchen, entertaining areas, and all the other luxury features you want. We just want to be thoughtful about where we put them so you can enjoy the thing that made you fall in love with the property in the first place.
Living on the water also comes with practical considerations. In places like Florida, we have to account for hurricanes and major storms when we’re thinking about structures, engineering, and materials. And depending on how you use the water, we may need to consider docks, yacht parking, water access, and how easily you can move between those areas and the rest of the yard.
Every coastal property is going to be a little different. We want to understand how you use yours, what you love about living on the water, and what you want to be able to do outside. Then we can make design decisions around that.
Designing for Colder Climates
When we’re designing a yard for a property in a colder climate, like New Jersey, Utah, Colorado, or Canada, we have to think about multiple seasons. You don’t want to invest in an incredible outdoor space and only be able to enjoy it for a few months every summer.
There are a lot of things we can do to extend your outdoor season. Covered living areas, integrated heaters, fire features, spas, and automatic pool covers can all make it easier to spend more time outside throughout the year.
We also think about what you actually want to use when it’s cold. Maybe you want a spa instead of a pool. Maybe you want both. Either way, we want to make those features easy to use year-round. And that has a lot to do with the layout.
If you want to use your spa in the middle of winter, you probably don’t want to walk across the entire lawn in the snow to get there. If you cook outside year-round, you don’t want to carry food all the way across the yard every time you want to grill.
So we think about the things you still want to do outside when it’s cold and prioritize keeping those areas closer to the house. We can incorporate heaters, covered spaces, automatic pool covers, and other features that make going outside in the winter easier and keep it from feeling like extra work.
We also think about what you’ll see from inside your home.
There are going to be days when it’s too cold or snowy to spend much time outside, but you can still enjoy your yard. Maybe we position a water feature where you can see it through the kitchen window while you’re doing dishes. Maybe you can see a wall of LED candles, a piece of art, a fountain, or another beautiful feature from your living room.
If you live somewhere with a long winter, those views become especially important. We want you to be able to enjoy your outdoor space even on the days when you’re enjoying it from inside.
We Design All Over The World
We’ve designed for clients in more than 37 states and in multiple countries, but every project is different.
We might be figuring out how to give a client more shade in Las Vegas on one project, working around hurricane requirements in Florida on another, and figuring out how someone in Canada can use their outdoor space for more of the year.
And that’s why we don’t start by deciding that every client needs a pool, an outdoor kitchen, a fire pit, or any other specific feature.
We start by figuring out what makes sense for you.
Where do you live?
What’s the weather actually like?
When do you want to be outside?
What do you want to do when you’re out there?
And what would make you use your yard more than you do right now?
Those answers tell us a lot more than a wish list of features does.
Click here to explore our locations map to see where we’ve designed yards for clients.
Click here to get inspiration from our portfolio and to see projects in different climates, locations, and architectural styles.
Transforming Your Yard
No matter where you live, you deserve a yard you love spending time in. And if you’re going to invest in creating an incredible outdoor space, you should be able to enjoy it as much as possible. If you’re ready to start thinking about what your yard could look like, click the button below to book a call with our team. No matter where you live, you deserve a yard you love spending time in. And if you’re going to invest in creating an incredible outdoor space, you should be able to enjoy it as much as possible. If you’re ready to start thinking about what your yard could look like, click the button below to book a call with our team.
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This backyard is a dream come true, with a luxury pool, sports court, spa, outdoor living room, and more.
See what they did with this challenging sloped backyard to transform it into an incredible outdoor space designed for entertaining, relaxing, and year-round family living.
-How a steep, sloped backyard was transformed into multiple usable levels
-A luxury pool with sunken seating, swim-up bar, spa, and custom waterfall
-An enclosed outdoor living room designed for year-round use
-The hidden sports court and lawn built into the upper level
-How thoughtful landscaping and materials connect the entire backyard
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you design an outdoor space for a hot climate?
Start with shade, sun exposure, and how people will use the yard during the hottest parts of the day. Covered living areas, pergolas, material choices, and the placement of features like outdoor kitchens can make the yard much more comfortable in desert heat.
What should you consider when designing a coastal backyard?
Views, weather exposure, local building requirements, materials, and access to the water are all important. For waterfront homes, it also helps to consider what you see from inside the house and how the property looks when approaching it from the water.
How can you use a backyard year-round in a cold climate?
Covered outdoor living areas, heaters, fire features, spas, and automatic pool covers can extend the amount of time you spend outside. Placement matters too. Features you want to use during winter should be easy to reach from the house.
Do outdoor materials need to change based on climate?
Yes. Extreme sun, heat, freezing temperatures, moisture, salt air, and storms can all affect how outdoor materials perform over time. Material selections should account for the conditions where you live as well as the overall style of the yard.
Can Foxterra design a backyard without visiting the property?
Yes. Foxterra works with clients virtually and uses detailed property information and 3D design technology to understand conditions such as sun exposure, neighboring properties, views, and other site-specific considerations before construction.
Behind The Blog
Justin Fox
Founder & Creative Director
Founder Justin Fox grew up with a passion for landscaping. After 15+ years building luxury yards and pools as a licensed contractor, he saw the limits of the design/build model. Homes get detailed, architect-led plans, so why shouldn’t yards? In 2019 he convinced brother Nate Fox to join him and launched Foxterra Design to focus on immersive, luxury outdoor spaces.
Foxterra designs immersive outdoor environments that blend architecture, landscape, and lifestyle into one cohesive vision. Our work is rooted in timeless materials, intentional layout, and outdoor living that feels effortless to use every day.
For this story, Justin shares how Foxterra approaches outdoor design in different climates, from planning for shade and extreme heat in the desert to coastal weather and year-round use in colder parts of the country.
Nate Fox
Designer
Nate Fox helps shape Foxterra’s creative vision, blending architectural detail with a designer’s eye for proportion and flow. His work redefines the backyard as an extension of modern luxury living.
In recent features, Nate’s perspective has been quoted across leading design publications, including Homes & Gardens and Luxury Pools + Outdoor Living, where he shares practical, design-forward guidance on everything from integrating sculptural moments and sightlines to creating “living wall” effects that soften hard architecture and make compact spaces feel more expansive.
