How these SLO County homeowners transformed their backyards into luxury living spaces

In San Luis Obispo County, outdoor living happens year-round. Backyards can become extensions of our indoor spaces in both style and function.

Here are three local homes that demonstrate this point. Each have outdoor spaces that that go beyond mere backyards, becoming bona fide rooms where people relax, eat and entertain every day of the year.

SLO home doubles as lavish resort

Doctors Rushdi and Nisha Abdul Cader have hosted a lot of people at their San Luis Obispo home: Tibetan Buddhist monks, SWAT officers and even children from the Los Angeles free medical clinic they co-founded. Most of these gatherings tend to gravitate toward their lavish pool and patio.

That was the couple’s intent – to have a space that “puts guests at ease and creates a ‘venue’ space to bring people together,” Rushdi Abdul Cader said.

Abdul Cader said the approximately 4,000-square-foot home was designed to wrap around the backyard, creating a sheltered and private space. He and his wife purchased the home in 2011 from its original owners, Brian and Chenda Lor Rolph, who designed it.

Among the resort-like luxuries in the backyard are a 66-foot lap pool with diving board and integrated hot tub, a detached pool house, outdoor shower and a sizeable patio that has enough space for 14 people to dine comfortably.

The Abdul Cader family added heaters and custom teak tables to the patio. Outdoor dinner parties remind them of alfresco meals in Italy, a fitting component to the Tuscan-style home.

The patio is wreathed in flowering vines and encircled with Italian cypress and fig trees. Old World-style lantern sconces on the house flicker with vintage-style LED bulbs.

In this Mediterranean-inspired space, one feature was included to reflect Nisha Abdul Cader’s Indian heritage. A stainless steel-covered tandoor clay oven is used to cook everything from naan to tandoori chicken.

Paso backyard is a second living room

Douglas Kilgour and Anne Hilbert have a magnificent view – a panoramic vista that takes in oaks, meadows and valleys in rural Paso Robles. They wanted a backyard where they could connect with this pastoral setting year-round, regardless of the weather.

For those sweltering North County summers, there is a 44- by 16-foot salt water pool. A free-standing hot tub “gives us 12 months of enjoyment,” even on chilly winter days, said Douglas Kilgour.

The great room, master bedroom and dining room all access the patio through commercial-grade French doors with black metal mullions. The patio is covered, offering shelter from both heat and rain.

The couple treats their patio like a second living room. Outdoor speakers, tied into their home music system, allow these music lovers a seamless listening experience as they move indoors and out.

An outdoor fireplace adds to the ambience and warms the space during even the coldest of North County evenings.

The décor echoes the modern-rustic style of the house. The fireplace mantel was crafted from an antique hand-hewn barn beam. Mounted above it is a sun-bleached longhorn skull.

One prerequisite for a relaxing backyard is keeping the landscaping low-maintenance, Kilgour said.

So he and Hibert skipped the traditional, water-hogging lawn and chose an ornamental grass that grows in verdant waves. “We call it our ‘no-mow’ grass and it stays green and lush all year with a minimal amount of drip irrigation and no lawn mower,” he said.

A Mediterranean retreat in Nipomo

Susan and Michael McMillan’s Mediterranean backyard began as a generic patch of grass in the Nipomo Trilogy development. The couple hired Addison Landscape and Design and Sun Pool Construction to change that.

The McMillans wanted the yard to function like an extension of the house, with different zones for different functions.

The primary zone is the kitchen, which is equipped with a sizable grill and burners for pots and pans. Ample counter space allows for small appliances like blenders and crock pots with enough space left over for serving.

The main conversation area was designed to feel like a cozy den. They stayed away from matching sets which scream “patio furniture,” opting instead for a mix of wicker and iron. Dark finishes and red-accented fabric pull everything together.

Smaller conversation areas take advantage of underutilized corners of the yard. On one side is a bistro set that sits alongside a water feature. In another corner, four lounge chairs encircle a fire bowl.

Finishing touches add ambience to the space. A variety of light sources bring the yard to life at night. Accent lights include LED up-lights positioned to dramatically highlight trees and copper LED path lights to illuminate walkways.

A waterfall ledge allows the spa to double as a water feature, adding the multisensory experience of cascading water to this elegant and smartly designed space.

Tips

Inside out. Think of the details that make your indoor rooms enjoyable and incorporate them into your outdoor space. If you love music, install speakers outdoors. A television or projection screen expands your entertainment options.

Mix, don’t match. For a patio that feels more like a comfortable living room, skip the matching patio furniture sets and instead mix materials like wood, wicker and metal — just as you would indoors.

Made in the shade. A patio cover not only protects you from sun and rain, it creates a feeling of seclusion and privacy. If you don’t have a covered patio, consider installing shade sails or an awning.