This is one of the many reasons I love outbuildings; they make outdoor rooms like this possible. I took this shot from a driveway between the corner of a house off-camera to the left and a slightly offset outbuilding to the right. The narrow passage compresses entry into the outdoor room which the buildings and landscaping frame. The vine-covered tree and its offspring of sorts, the twig bench, flanked on one side by a blossoming topiary and by climbing roses on the other become the focal point for those en route around the corner to whatever enticement awaits. I hope it includes another equally charming boundary.

by Katie Hutchison for House Enthusiast