Home Outside: Creating the Landscape You Love

by Julie Moir Messervy

Would you like to make your outdoor living spaces a beautiful, functional extension of your home? Home Outside will give you all the big picture design concepts you need to create an outdoor paradise -- and all the step-by-step details to bring your vision to life. Acclaimed landscape designer and award-winning author Julie Moir Messervy takes you through seven key concepts that can help you transform your landscape -- and your lifestyle. For every part of your property, the author helps you see it through the eyes of a designer -- explaining concepts in simple, understandable language and providing great tips for pulling it all together. You'll learn how to create a front yard that's warm and inviting to friends and neighbors. A backyard that's friendly, functional and relaxing for any kind of entertaining. And for those quiet moments you may need from time to time, you'll learn how to create peaceful spaces that feel like your own private sanctuary. With all the insights of Julie Messervy, 358 photos and 72 drawings, Home Outside delivers everything you need to make the great outdoors an important part of your home.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Design, Reference, Outdoors, How To, Adult

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My spouse and I have long struggled with how to landscape our yard. We have ideas for little areas, but have trouble seeing the big picture and overall layout. This book explains both how to look at the overall area and also how to create outdoor rooms for different purposes and appearances. I really appreciated Julie Moir Messervy's quiz to show what kind of designers we are (taking the quiz revealed why my spouse and I disagree on some areas!). I also appreciated her concepts of creating spaces and features that appeal to us on an emotional level as well as a sensory level (the cave, the ocean, the mountain top). The diagrams, illustrations, and before and after pictures were truly inspirational. I am excited and energized to start working on my shade grotto / reading nook. I borrowed the book from the library but now I want to buy a copy for myself as the transformation of the yard will take more time than the library will allow! :-)

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rare five stars for me. Loved this book. Looked at how houses related to gardens and had great examples and sketches. Plus, the houses were reasonable in scale and a mix of urban, suburban and country. A very usable book. I'll be checking it out again for sure.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pictures in this book are gorgeous. I found them and the explanations helpful on making idea lists and finding new ways to look at my space. I think this is a good reference book and I can see myself revisiting it in the future.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many pleasing pictures of different landscapes and rules and hints on situating different areas outside make this an interesting read. Several ideas are presented as to how you can work with what you have to create outdoor "rooms" for pleasure and utilitarian purposes.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I was looking for. Very good directions and inspiration for designing my landscape. I'll be referring to this one for years!

[Mike Murray]

43. outside oven
106. no-grass yard

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her book, Home Outside: Creating the Landscape You Love, Julie Moir Messervy takes you step by step on how to have, not only a yard which looks fantastic and that you can live with, but one in which you can live. So often American yards are merely accessories to a house, looking pretty but having little to no functionality about them. Messervy challenges readers to change that and create living spaces out of such a precious commodity. This well organized book contains, explanations, diagrams, and gorgeous photos as it encourages you to get out in your yard and live. I am certain to refer to it again as we work toward building our dream home.

Disclaimer: A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher.

[jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a guide to creating outdoor spaces that function as an extension of your living space. if you hear "outdoor spaces that function as an extension of your living space" and you think "that sounds like some weird rich people shit," you're on the same page as me. this book does have a lot of great photos - of yards i would never want to put in or maintain. There are the occasional nods to sustainable landscaping - like, maybe you should consider putting in native grasses and plants that don't need extra watering - but overall, the whole effect is just too polished and weird for me to relate to.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the idea of this book. Unfortunately my home has none of the features that would make the projects in this book feasible. A good bit of the projects seem like they would be perfect when you can build your own home and design outdoor spaces with your own ideas. So I'll keep this book in mind for when I find (and can afford) that perfect house with the wide-open lawn. If you've got the time and money to create your own outside space, take a look at this.

I received this as a digital ARC from Netgalley.

[Erika RS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Home Outside is a book about the principles behind a good landscape. It's full of descriptions of what makes some landscape layouts feel work more effectively (or just differently) than others. Messervy gives you the tools to figure out what you like instead of dictating a particular style or solution.

If you're designing a landscape and don't have any idea where to start or even if you just want to develop a vocabulary for talking to the people you are hiring to develop your landscape for you, I recommend Home Outside.

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not the person that this book is aimed at. I don't have an outside to make a home of, but that didn't stop me from looking at the pictures. Once I started looking at the goregous pictures I also found myself reading what was written.

It's a very interesting book, but I am not sure how realistic it is. I have no concept of outdoor planning.

This book really sparked my creative juices, though they were applied to a totally unrealated project.

[Mary Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful, inspiring book. It takes into account many different landscapes, from rolling hillsides to pocket gardens, and I'd love to wander through every one of them. My backyard is pretty basic (mid-sized, flat, square), but Messervy's ideas have me looking at my square differently now, a place with lots of possibilities. And even though I marked my "finished reading" date at 8/28/2011, I don't think I'll ever truly be finished reading this book!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is possibly the best gardening book I have EVER read. It meets with the English Gardening School workbook on nearly every level but in a practical, American way. Five stars, all the way! *****

And just for the record, I am Reserved, Practical, Personal, Relaxed designer who loves any book with a personality test inside...

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great combination of useful garden design thoughts and fascinating photos that illustrate and often expand upon the text. My copy is bristling with flags to remind me to check out different ideas as I work on enlarging and enhancing my gardens.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to assist with landscaping and planning the outdoor space for the lake house. Also found a fabulous paint color to consider painting my bedroom at home---deep blue! Will plan return to this book in the spring.

[Ruhegeist · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/15/11 Pausing in my reading for now so I can take some of the measurements of my house and yard so I can complete some of the exercises. Besides I already know the plan for the front yard. The back yard and completion of the book can wait a little longer.

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the house pictured on the front and back cover, and was pleased that it was featured inside the book, including a picture of the owner's dog.
This book described the steps needed to go from a blank lot to the outdoor home you imagine.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non-Fiction; Home Improvement
4 stars

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent primer to landscape design. The author does a wonderful job making you think about how different elements work together. Would recommend.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for any kind of inspiration regarding your yard or your outdoor life (...or your life in general) this is a wonderful and thought-provoking book. Loved it.

[Lynda Wilson-Dinino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous book with great ideas for outdoor living!

[Callista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed, great photographs. But I don't have my own yard to do any of it.