Planning Guide: Elevate Your Outdoor Living Space into a Bespoke Oasis
Planning
The process of developing an outdoor oasis begins months before breaking ground. During this time, research begins on property line setbacks, easements, building codes, and HOA or neighborhood covenants to help steer the complexities and requirements of the project. Features like natural gas or plumbing that require coordination with local utility providers, and specialized contractors must also be organized in advance. A carefully structured planning schedule ensures sufficient time to reserve building and design materials ensuring a premium assortment will be available.
“Summer may feel a world away during the fall and winter seasons, but these months are actually the ideal time to start planning an outdoor retreat,” notes Van Tine. “By using the colder months to focus on design, material selection, and approvals, construction can begin as soon as the ground warms up.”
At TONO Group, our integrated project delivery process ensures a seamless, single-source experience throughout each project phase. With unified expertise in architectural planning, construction, and interior design, projects are delivered as they were envisioned while remaining on time and within budget.
At Devon Creek, a bespoke community of approximately 400 luxury residences, TONO Group drew from this multidisciplinary approach to master-plan and design all aspects of the development’s amenities-rich clubhouse. The complex includes a café, great room, restrooms, fitness center, and outdoor pool. Paying special attention to the orientation of the site, TONO Group carefully designed the structure to ensure adequate sun exposure over the swimming pool while reserving shaded areas for rest and gathering. Covered and partially enclosed spaces provide shelter from weather and help to extend the usable season of the facility’s outdoor amenities.
Material Selection
Outdoor living spaces require careful consideration to how materials will be impacted by nature and weather. Material selection should be both elegant and enduring, creating a balance that ensures resiliency and simplifies maintenance.
Both hard and softscapes greatly impact the feel and function of outdoor areas. For example, many organic building materials can become food and/or habitats for insects and vermin. Employing finely crafted engineered materials like composites, stone, masonry, and metals can help to mitigate susceptibility to this damage while enhancing a myriad of design styles.
When designing the Mod Lodge, a 9,000-square-foot residence crafted in a contemporary mountain aesthetic, exterior materials were selected to enhance the structure’s longevity while connecting to the surrounding landscape. A combination of extruded aluminum wood grain siding, fiber cement reveals panels, corrugated metal siding, and manufactured ledgestone veneer to ensure durability while enhancing the biophilic appeal of the home design.
Connectivity
Smart home features provide a personalized and intuitive experience that enhances outdoor living. Intelligent sensors connect features like automated shading systems, intuitive lighting, and distributed audio/visual outputs from the home’s interior to outdoor spaces. This immersive experience remains seamless as homeowners move around the home and connected areas of the property.
At Treetops, a bespoke residence in Lancaster County, PA, an innovative home automation system provides intelligent operation throughout the home’s interior and outdoor living spaces. The system intuitively controls all aspects of interior and outdoor lighting, HVAC, audio/visual, and security through proximity sensing and voice and gesture-based commands to simplify operation. The system itself is seamlessly integrated within the home’s design, providing intelligent operation without being obtrusive.
Lifestyle-centered Design
Designing outdoor living spaces requires an understanding of how the environment will be used over time. Thoughtfully designed “zones” create purpose and distinction within open areas however, both layout and amenities should consider how these spaces will be used now and in the future. Designing around enduring features with built-in flexibility ensures the property can naturally evolve alongside its residents.
TONO Group designed this wooded estate in Lititz, PA around a collection of defined areas connected by a design palette of limestone, rich woods, and wrought iron. Throughout the residential property, there are spaces for entertaining and more intimate layouts for family time and wellness activities. Although each space is designed with a particular function in mind, the continuity of materials creates a cohesive experience throughout the home.
Developing a bespoke outdoor living space is a highly personal experience. At TONO Group, our team carefully evaluates every detail to ensure it remains reflective of our clients’ vision and their intended quality of life, both now and in the future.
With integrated planning strategies and a focus on lifestyle-centered design, outdoor spaces are developed for comfort and style while remaining flexible and enduring. Each space is tailored to maximize the beauty of its natural surroundings and cohesively extend the interior of the home. Most importantly, these inspired spaces are designed to elevate everyday living, inviting connection, respite, and memorable experiences.
When you’re ready to take the next step toward building your outdoor oasis, our team is ready to provide the expertise and guidance for a successful and enduring project.
1 University of California, Los Angelos (May 2025), “Seven Benefits of Spending Time in Nature” https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/7-health-benefits-spending-time-nature
