21 Modern Courtyard Homes That Make a Case for Stylish Indoor-Outdoor Living

Caroline Stanbury and Sergio Carrallo’s LA-style home in Dubai was designed by UAE- and London-based talent, Kate Instone, a long-time friend of Stanbury’s. The glass-lined central courtyard with the towering bonsai overlooking the home office serves as the heart of this Al Barari villa. One of the design elements that caused much concern was a gigantic bonsai tree that had to be air-lifted into the central glass-lined courtyard – and here is where Caroline Stanbury’s designer of choice, Kate Instone’s mastery of combining locality with modernity shines through.

As the first thing one sees when they enter Caroline and Sergio’s Dubai villa, the landscaped court tips its hat to the Arab traditions of privacy and spatial hierarchy. On one hand, it screens the private lounge and dining areas from immediate view, and on the other, it separates the home from Stanbury’s Barbie-pink home office and podcast studio, without cutting anything out of sight. Click here for a full home tour. – Pratyush Sarup

Design Tip: Exterior walls in high-performance glass that minimise heat transmission without compromising the view were complemented with motorised, retractable shading systems – such as louvred pergolas and automated blinds – and smart thermostats, which automatically adjust interior temperature based on the weather and occupancy patterns.

Fairfax & Sammons’ Spanish Colonial Revival – Palm Beach

Lisa Romerein

Betsy Shiverick is an interior designer and president of the Palm Beach Preservation Foundation, and her husband, Paul, is a financier. Originally designed by the noted architect Marion Sims Wyeth, the house – and the street which borders the Everglades Golf Course – was developed by financier EF Hutton in the 1920s, and typifies Palm Beach style, both in terms of its Spanish Colonial architecture and its elegantly exuberant interiors.

The property’s flow was most dramatically reconfigured by raising the inner courtyard to the ground floor level, allowing a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor spaces. The entire site, including the garden and new pool, was raised, as well as the courtyard, which also has a new fountain and a tented dining pavilion. Richard Sammons and Anne Fairfax, the principals of New York– and Palm Beach-based practice Fairfax & Sammons, were unfazed by the challenge of restoring such an elevated couple’s home. Click here for a full home tour. – Saiqa Ajmal

Design Tip: The inspiration for the new architectural details is essentially 16th-century Spanish architecture, ironwork and lighting. We were striving for a sense of romance and mystery.