Trends: Gardens and Kitchens, Grills and Fireplaces Lead ASLA’s Outdoor Living Trends

Americans still love their backyards, according to the results of the American Society of Landscape Architects’ 2012 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends survey, released today.

When asked to rate the expected popularity of outdoor design elements, landscape architects named gardens and landscape spaces first and foremost, with 94.9% rating them somewhat or very popular. Outdoor living spaces (kitchen and entertainment spaces) were not far behind at 91.5%.

Among the product and design features expected to be most popular, grills were rated as somewhat or very in-demand by 97.4% of respondents, followed by low-maintenance landscapes (96.6%), fireplaces/fire pits (95.8%), dining areas (95.7%), and lighting (93.1%). Decorative water elements (89.9%) and spas (80.4%) are proving more popular than pools (79.2%)

Expected to be less in-demand are TVs (48.7%), sinks (53.9%), and refrigerators (55.5%).

To see the full results of the survey, including anticipated demand for sustainable design practices, view the ASLA’s announcement here.