The 2024 Outdoor Living Trends, According to Fixr

Summer is officially here. The flowers are blooming, the sun is blinding, and the hot dogs are ready to hit the barbeque. But this year, there are some new outdoor living trends folks are totally obsessed with, from making our living rooms match our porches to ensuring the sustainability of our gardens. 

To find out just what, exactly, we’ll be seeing outdoor this summer, Fixr surveyed 200 home construction experts, including architects, home builders, home remodelers, and landscaping specialists. Here’s what they had to say.

Matching Indoor Spaces With Outdoor Spaces

We often see our outdoor spaces and our indoor spaces as two separate areas with their own aesthetics and design choices. But, in truth, our outdoor spaces simply become an extension of our indoor spaces once the warmer months hit.

We do similar activities in both spaces, like dining, hosting, reading, and more. Of course, there are some key differences that might make your design choices differ between the two spaces, but you should still have some sort of coherence between these two zones, according to more than 78 percent of experts surveyed by Fixr. Include similar color schemes and aesthetic choices to ensure that your inside life seamlessly transfers into your yard, porch, or balcony.

“After the pandemic, I’ve seen a definitive rise in the popularity of having a cohesive and finished outdoor space, designed in a way that it feels like an extension of the interior living area,” Rachel Street, President of Hestia Construction, told Fixr.

Outdoor Kitchens Are Heating Up

The backyard, porch, and patio serve more than just one purpose. It might be where you garden, where you meditate, where you rest, and where you read, but it’s also likely where you host and where you barbecue.

According to 48 percent of experts who responded to Fixr’s survey, outdoor spaces need to be multi-functional in 2024 and 73 percent said outdoor kitchens are the most in-demand feature in backyard spaces in 2024.

While firepits aren’t a necessary part of an outdoor kitchen, they do make dessert smores quite a bit easier—and 58 percent of experts say firepits are a top outdoor feature for homeowners. Plus, a firepit makes an outdoor space usable for a longer period of time, because you can stay warm when the temperatures dip during shoulder seasons.

Longevity and Sustainability

It should come as no surprise that homeowners want their yards to last—and that includes highlighting sustainable practices. About a fourth of the experts Fixr spoke to said that sustainability is a top trend this year.

“In 2024, outdoor living trends continue to evolve, reflecting a growing desire for connection with nature, sustainable practices, and multifunctional spaces,” Robert Lord, the President of Lord General Contractors Corporation, told Fixr. “These trends reflect a shift towards creating outdoor spaces that are not only beautiful and functional but also sustainable, technologically advanced, and tailored to meet the diverse needs and preferences of homeowners.” 

Sustainability also meas not having to continuously purchase new furniture. 35 percent of experts told Fixr that “low-maintenance and long-lasting furniture is the most popular outdoor living trend in 2024.”

That means protecting furniture with UV sprays and focusing on materials like steel, aluminum, rattan, and hardwoods like Ipe.