Blurring the indoor and outdoor is a trite brief designers hear more than any other – but, in all honesty, it’s easy to see why. In a digital world, we crave a connection to greenery, even if it’s just through the window while we doom scroll. From bathroom trends that borrow the tones of their surrounding context to living room layouts that spill effortlessly into outdoor living, it turns out 2026 is all about spaces. And with that, we have turned to see how designer experts have brought the brief to life and set the tone for the coveted outdoor living trends of 2026.
Photography: Anson Smart | Styling: Jack Milenkovic
It was a meeting of minds when Craig and Jenna Carracher asked Shona McElroy of Smac Studio to give their original Espie Dodds-designed home in Sydney a modern refresh. They loved the clever spatial planning and upscale colour schemes they’d seen in Shona’s previous projects, and were keen to see how she would interpret their brief for a fun and liveable home made for entertaining.
Here, the show-stopping pool is one of Shona’s favourite features. “We knew we wanted to make a splash, if you will, and the fabulous pink chequerboard tiles are probably one of the coolest things we’ve done.”
Photography: Anson Smart | Styling: Megan Morton
Timeworn terrace
Marylou Sobel Interior Design
For three decades, interior designer Marylou Sobel has curated a life and home rooted in enduring elegance, layered style, and a personal narrative that unfolds with every room. Her Sydney residence, known as The Collected Home, stands as both an archive and a canvas: a testament to sophisticated restraint, quietly confident curation, and familial warmth.
The outdoor patio demonstrates Marylou’s passion for mixing pedigree with personal touch; animal-print textiles offer a nod to her South African heritage, while functional bifold doors transform the space for effortless indoor-outdoor entertaining, which she enjoys often.
Photography: Mark Roper | Styling: Olga Lewis
Over the edge
Thomas Hamel & Associates
Entering this beguiling four-bedroom home in Melbourne’s inner southeast is like being whisked away on a magic carpet. “Our inspirations spanned from Kyoto to Marrakech, Paris to Positano, central and northeast Asia to Eastern Europe, with touches of Australia – and, remarkably, all these influences speak beautifully to each other,” says the much-travelled owner, who has also lived on several continents. That multilingual dialogue springs from the design dexterity of interior designers Thomas Hamel and Kirsty McElroy, both of Thomas Hamel & Associates, and Christopher Doyle of Christopher Doyle Architects.
To strengthen this, sitting over the edge of the pool is a custom lounger in Jim Thompson ‘Palm Plain’ and ‘Fez’ fabrics from Milgate, creating a luxurious way for the homeowners to languor by the pool.
Photography: Lisa Cohen | Styling: Tess Newman-Morris
The pool house revival
Adelaide Bragg Interiors
This grand Neo-Georgian property in Melbourne’s southeast possesses an assured feeling of permanence, proudly owning its spectacular site as if it has always been there. But don’t be fooled – it’s three years new, with timeless design and hand-crafted detailing belying its youth.
The addition of a pool house, faced with VJ boards in Porter’s Paints Olive Grove, boasts a pitched roof and lacquered egg-white tones. The addition of gingham curtains allow patrons privacy, the fabrics and tones extending to the umbrellas and sunbeds flanked between the pool and pool house.
Photography: Anson Smart | Styling: Jack Milenkovic
Fence reimagined
Jorge Hrdina Architects
The challenges of a sandy site led to a Japanese-inspired design by Jorge Hrdina Architects, underpinned by a unique wharf-style structure. Who would have thought that such a sense of calm could pervade a home poised over the mercurial NSW Central Coast? Part of the secret is that it has two sides – one scans the ocean while the leeward side embraces a cosy courtyard and bushland views. “We wanted an indoor/outdoor feel, with the downstairs fully open with sliders to the outside, but with separate spaces, such as a study for me and a media room for my wife. And the back, looking to the hinterland, would offer shelter and sunsets,” shares the owner.
In this approach, the addition of the pool was not sheltered with typical fencing, but rather a series of separated timber battens that allow the visual continuity to flow throughout the house, while also complementing the material palette used throughout.
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