In 2026 the front yard is becoming a place to live, not just a lawn you walk past on the way inside. If you are planning a renovation in Scottsdale, three decisions do most of the work: choose which part of the front should feel like a room, control the desert sun with shade before you spend a dollar on furniture, and trade thirsty grass for pavers and low-water planting that survive July. Get those right and the front of the house becomes a destination instead of a pass-through. Forbes named this shift the year of the front yard, and Living with Lolo founder Lauren Lerner was quoted throughout that feature on what it looks like in the Southwest. Here is how we approach it, and how to do it well in the Arizona desert.
What the research shows
The move toward front yard living is showing up in the numbers and in the reports designers actually read.
- Forbes reported in July 2026 that 2026 may be the year of the front yard, with homeowners turning front porches and yards into outdoor living rooms.
- The Deckorators 2026 Outdoor Living Report, cited in that Forbes feature, points to layered lounge seating, covered porches, integrated heating, and richer materials as the moves defining front yard rooms this year.
- Thumbtack named 2025 the Year of the Backyard two years running, so a pivot to the front of the house is a genuine change in where homeowners put their money.
- Deckorators executive Ryan Kemp told Forbes that higher interest rates have pushed many homeowners to improve the home they already own instead of moving, which is part of why the underused front yard is getting attention.
- The National Academies has reported that nearly half of Americans felt loneliness before the pandemic, and designers tie the front porch revival to a renewed appetite for neighborhood connection.
What front yard living actually means in Scottsdale
For years the front yard was about curb appeal and little else. That is changing fast. As Lauren Lerner put it to Forbes, especially in the Southwest there is a shift from the front being purely about how the house looks to being a space for the people who actually live there. In her Arizona projects that means seating walls, shade structures, and drought-tolerant landscaping that frames a livable room rather than a lawn. The front becomes an extension of how a family moves through the day: morning coffee outside, a place to talk with neighbors in the evening, a spot to sit before heading indoors.
This is not a small tweak to landscaping. Done right, it is interior design thinking applied to the outdoors, which is exactly how our team at Living with Lolo treats it. If you have worked with a luxury interior designer Scottsdale homeowners trust, you already know the process starts with how you want to live in a space, not with a furniture catalog. The front yard is no different.
Why it works in the desert
Here is the honest truth about outdoor rooms in Arizona: shade is the whole ballgame. A gorgeous front patio that bakes at 108 degrees goes unused, and an unused space is wasted money. So we design for the sun first. A pergola or ramada anchors the zone and makes the space usable across more of the year. Concrete or large-format pavers replace grass and hold up to the heat far better than a lawn that needs constant water and still browns out.
Planting matters just as much. Low-water choices like agave, desert willow, and native grasses add texture and structure without demanding a sprinkler running every morning. This is where design and construction have to talk to each other, which is why our high-end home remodel work in Scottsdale plans the hardscape, shade, and irrigation together instead of bolting them on later.
How we design a front yard room at Living with Lolo
Lauren Lerner gave Forbes the same framework we use on every project: define the space, control the sun, and make it feel intentional. Define the space with a pergola, ramada, or a change in grade so the room has edges. Control the sun with orientation and shade structures sized for the actual exposure. Make it intentional by choosing materials and planting that look considered, not accidental.
The part that sets this work apart is who manages it. Living with Lolo is a licensed general contractor under ROC #347577, so design and construction happen under one contract. That means the shade structure, the pavers, the seating walls, and the planting are engineered as one system by one team. Our general contractor in Scottsdale and design studio sit in the same office, and you can see how that plays out in our design and build process. It is also why we were named Phoenix Magazine’s Best Interior Design Firm three years running in 2024, 2025, and 2026.
The mistake most homeowners make
The most common error, Lauren told Forbes, is treating the front yard like a smaller version of the backyard. The scale is different, the sightlines are different, and privacy has to be designed in rather than assumed. A backyard is private by default. A front yard sits on the street, so enclosure has to be created on purpose, usually with landscaping and grade changes that give a sense of shelter without walling the space off from the neighborhood. It is the same zoning logic we use indoors when we plan hybrid layouts that give each space a clear purpose, just applied to the front of the house.
Is a front yard room right for your home?
It depends on your lot, your orientation, and your HOA. A north-facing entry in Paradise Valley is a different problem than a west-facing lot in North Scottsdale that takes the full afternoon sun. Some homes have the frontage for a genuine outdoor room; others are better served by a smaller, shaded landing that still pulls the family outside. Our interior designers in Paradise Valley walk the site before recommending anything, because the front yard has to work with the architecture, not fight it. If you want a sense of budget for a project of this scope, our Scottsdale cost guides are a useful place to calibrate.
When the pieces come together, the front yard stops being a transition space and starts being a destination. That is the whole point of the trend, and it is why we think front yard living is one of the more interesting shifts in Arizona residential design right now.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn my front yard into an outdoor living space in Scottsdale?
Start by deciding which part of the front should feel like a room, then design for shade before anything else. A pergola or ramada anchors the zone, large-format pavers replace grass, and low-water planting frames the space. Because our climate is unforgiving, the order matters: shade and hardscape first, furniture last. Living with Lolo plans all of it under one contract so the structure and planting are engineered together.
What plants work for a low-water front yard in the Arizona desert?
Agave, desert willow, and native grasses are reliable choices that add texture and structure without heavy irrigation. The goal is planting that looks intentional and survives a Scottsdale summer, not a lawn that browns out and drinks water all season. We pair drought-tolerant planting with pavers and shade so the whole front reads as one considered space.
Is front yard living a good investment in Scottsdale?
It can be, because a usable front yard adds daily quality of life and can support long-term property value. Deckorators noted in Forbes that homeowners facing higher interest rates are investing in the homes they already own rather than moving, and the front yard is often the most underused space on the lot. A well-designed front room turns wasted square footage into space you actually use.
How do I get shade in a front yard that faces the sun?
Use a shade structure sized for the exposure, such as a ramada or pergola oriented to block the worst of the afternoon sun. In Arizona, a west-facing front takes brutal heat, so the shade strategy drives the whole design. We size and place the structure based on the actual sun path for your lot rather than a generic template.
Who designs front yard outdoor rooms in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley?
Living with Lolo designs and builds front yard outdoor rooms across Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and the surrounding Phoenix metro. Because the firm is a licensed general contractor under ROC #347577, design and construction happen under one roof, which is what keeps the shade structure, hardscape, and planting working as one system. Founder Lauren Lerner leads the design direction on these projects.
How is a front yard room different from a backyard patio?
A backyard is private by default, but a front yard sits on the street, so privacy and enclosure have to be designed in on purpose. The scale and sightlines are different too. The fix is usually landscaping and grade changes that create shelter without closing the space off from the neighborhood, which is part of the appeal of front yard living in the first place.
About Living with Lolo
Living with Lolo is a luxury interior design and licensed design-build firm in Scottsdale, Arizona, founded by Lauren Lerner. Named Phoenix Magazine’s Best Interior Design Firm three years running in 2024, 2025, and 2026, the studio manages design, construction, and installation under one ROC-licensed contract (ROC #347577). Lauren Lerner and the Living with Lolo team serve Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and the surrounding Phoenix metro.
Lauren Lerner is the founder and principal designer of Living with Lolo, Scottsdale’s luxury interior design and licensed design-build firm. Named Phoenix Magazine Best Interior Design three consecutive years, Lauren leads projects from concept through construction for high-end homes in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, and Phoenix.