Inside/Outside

In Southern California homes, indoor and outdoor blur, the color and light of our gardens spilling into our interiors, the energy of kitchens and living rooms splashing onto patios. Our fabled setting inspires spaces designed to take full advantage of the long seasons when beautiful days slide into gentle, temperate nights. And this year, in particular, forces both interior and exterior are conspiring to put a new emphasis on the outdoor room.

Luxurious life in a reimagined backyard (or its urban terrace equivalent) sounds particularly appealing this summer, as gas prices rise and more of us long for relaxation that's within easy reach--say, a starry candlelight evening on the deck with friends and family.

"There's definitely a brain shift" when we go outside, an almost primal pull toward pleasure, says Westside psychologist Linda Trozzolino. "When we're children, we go outside to play," she says. "On some level, there's a learned association between the two." But nature and good company aren't more restorative just because you've taken an expensive trek to reach them. Thus, trend maven Faith Popcorn, who coined the term "cocooning" in the '80s, sees us increasingly opting for the "staycation." "That's where people take a vacation--at home," says Popcorn, founder and chief executive of BrainReserve, a strategic trend-consulting group.

The good news is that technology has brought a new level of comfort to alfresco living. The old portable grill and folding lounge chairs are being replaced by an aesthetic that makes the outdoor room an extension of the family and living rooms. The transition from the home's interior to the exterior is being designed with wider doors--or those that slide completely out of sight--to tie together the two environments. And outdoor spaces are being outfitted in ways that encourage lingering.

The cardboard-stiff canvas fabrics that once wrapped lounge cushions in plain-Jane solids and stripes have been usurped by sexier solution-dyed acrylics with the feel of chenille, cut velvet, linen and even leather. And they're complemented by an array of trim cords, tiebacks and tassels.

Once made of cast iron, wicker or rattan, outdoor furnishings are being turned out in sleek stainless steel and polished aluminum, with colorful powder-coated finishes. French designer Philippe Starck's new high-polished aluminum and teak RobinWood Deluxe collection is a case in point. Designed for outside use, its high-back settee and four-poster tester bed look as if they were made for a master bedroom or tony boutique hotel. And large-scale furnishings such as sectional sofas have migrated outdoors as well.