Designing an Outdoor Living Space That Works Year-Round in Spokane

The best outdoor living spaces in the Inland Northwest aren't just summer patios — they're designed to be enjoyed spring through fall, and even on crisp winter evenings. Here's how we approach a space that earns its keep all year.

Start With How You'll Use It

Before we pick a single material, we talk through how you actually want to live in the space: quiet morning coffee, big family dinners, kids and pets, hot tub, entertaining. The layout follows the lifestyle, not the other way around.

Anchor It With a Paver Patio

A durable paver patio is the foundation of the whole space. It stays level through freeze-thaw, handles furniture and foot traffic, and gives you design flexibility in color and pattern to match your home. This is the surface everything else builds on.

Add a Fire Feature for the Shoulder Seasons

A fire pit or built-in fireplace is what extends your season. In Spokane, spring and fall evenings get cool fast — a fire feature turns those months from "too chilly" into some of the best nights of the year outside.

Plan for Sun and Shade

Our summers are hot and sunny. A pergola, shade structure, or well-placed trees make a patio usable at midday in July instead of only after sunset. Getting the sun angles right at the design stage makes a huge difference.

Layer in Lighting and Planting

Low-voltage landscape lighting makes the space safe and inviting after dark and stretches every evening longer. Thoughtful planting — with a mix of evergreens for winter structure and perennials for seasonal color — keeps the space feeling alive year-round.

Design It as One Space

The magic is in how it all connects: patio, fire, shade, lighting, and planting designed together rather than added piece by piece. Contact PNW Lawncare for a free outdoor living design consultation in the Spokane area.