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As cost-of-living pressures continue to reshape the way we think about home, there’s a noticeable shift towards creating spaces that support everyday joy, entertaining and relaxation, all without leaving the front gate.
For us as home builders, this means rethinking the role of the alfresco, not as a bonus feature tacked onto the back of the home, but as a genuine living zone. A space that earns its place as a core part of the home’s layout and experience.
Today’s alfresco isn’t just a covered patio. It’s a continuation of the kitchen, dining and living spaces, designed to blur boundaries through material continuity, generous openings and bold design moves that carry personality from indoors to out.
And after years of pared-back, white-on-white minimalism, we’re finally seeing a welcome return of expressive design. It’s not chaos, it’s curated. Big colour moments, bold textures and statement features are turning every corner of the home, inside and out, into a cohesive, styled experience.
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One of Daisy's key forecasts for spring?
RIP the curve. 2026 is all about edges.
From squared-off lounges to architectural garden beds and steel-framed pergolas, we’re seeing a decisive return to confident, angular design language. Curves had their time, but this season, structure speaks louder than softness.
The Alfresco as the New Lounge Room
Large-format stacking or sliding doors are now standard features in new builds, and they allow for complete visual and physical connection between interior and exterior spaces.
We’re matching flooring, aligning ceiling heights and repeating lighting profiles to help unify these zones and elevate the alfresco into a proper living space, styled with lounge furniture, art-inspired lighting and amenities like outdoor heating and ceiling fans that support year-round use.
DESIGN IMPACT: When we treat the alfresco as part of the home’s main footprint, we’re giving people more functional living space without increasing the build size. It’s a smarter way to live.
Big Desigin Energy Ahead
MAXIMALISM HAS MOVED OUTSIDE, BUT WITH INTENT. Bold feature tiles, coloured joinery, deep-toned decking and expressive lighting are being used to carry the interior story out beyond the sliding doors. We’re seeing people embrace jewel-toned mosaic tiles for pools, coloured render finishes, custom pergolas and even patterned pavers that become design focal points.
WHAT THIS MEANS: The outdoor zones are no longer second best. They’re meeting, and often exceeding, the same design standard as interiors. In many cases, they are now the first impression guests have when stepping into a home.
Cohesive Living With Personality at Every Turn
The best results come from seeing the home as a single, connected space rather than treating the indoor and outdoor zones as separate design projects.
This doesn’t mean everything has to match. It means weaving visual threads that carry through, like echoing a kitchen stone on the alfresco benchtop, pulling a hero colour from the living room into the outdoor tilework, or repeating vertical timber detailing from the façade into the rear landscaping.
THE RESULT: A home that feels complete, consistent and considered, even with feature elements and expressive materials. It’s not about more, it’s about designing with intention.
Hero Outdoor Features as Anchors
Outdoor features like fireplaces, pizza ovens, steel awnings, water features and built-in seating are no longer afterthoughts. They are designed in from day one.
When we plan these early, they anchor the alfresco, giving it clear purpose and elevating both form and function. Paired with ambient lighting, high-quality finishes and smart spatial planning, they become the heart of the outdoor room.
FOR BUILDERS AND DESIGNERS: Integrating these elements in the design and construction stages delivers stronger results, better cohesion and real value. These are the details that make a home memorable and marketable.
The Insider Edit
THIS SPRING, WE’RE TALKING TRENDS STRAIGHT FROM THE SOURCE. Wattle Court’s Sydney North Finishes Specialist Daisy Lawler caught up with two of Australia’s top design and development talents to ask: What would you bring into your own home right now, and what should clients be focusing on this season?
TOM LANE
Founder of Tom Lane Consulting Co-founder of The Farm at Byron Bay and The Range Estates.
Tom is known for creating luxe family residences and innovative landscapes that are firmly grounded in sustainability and forward-thinking design.
“My biggest message? Create moments, not just zones.”
Beyond the alfresco, homeowners are carving out casual hangouts and escape spaces, and for me, the number one inclusion is a fire pit circle. Cooking over coals under the stars is a must-have wherever I am. It’s social, atmospheric, and grounding.
DESIGN TIP: Use simple landscaping like paving, level changes or garden beds to carve out a distinct destination without major construction.
Another essential inclusion? A plunge pool. You don’t need to go big. If you can heat it, even better. It’s easy to maintain and becomes an instant focal point without dominating the whole ‘backyard’. Sometimes, smaller really is smarter, especially when it comes to integrating luxury in a liveable way.
DESIGN TIP: Ensure your speaker system embraces the pool area as well so that the ambience is all inclusive.
www.tomlaneconsulting.com.au
DANI DEAN
Creative Director of The Make Haus
After years of minimalism, our clients are craving bold, expressive interiors, but in 2025, this trend has matured. It’s about hero elements in a mostly calm base. What I’m noticing is bold pops of colour: coral, cobalt, turmeric, lilac within more muted rooms.
Wellness is a huge request and an ongoing inclusion for our clients. This is now a preferred staple to blend saunas, cold plunges into wet areas. I think this will emerge as a huge trend this spring and one that can be developed in so many beautiful ways.
DESIGN TIP: Lounges are going low-slung, oversized, and chunky, swapping soft curves for confident, squared-off silhouettes. Think relaxed proportions, wide arms, and grounded forms that invite you to sink in and stay a while.
www.themakehaus.com.au
Ready to design your dream alfresco home? Get in touch with the Wattle Court team. They offer a free, no-obligation site assessment and will visit your block, talk you through what’s possible and help you understand what’s involved before you commit to anything.
Wattle Court Sydney North
28-30 Orchard Road, Brookvale 2100
02 9939 3339
@wattlecourt_sydneynorth | www.wattlecourt.com.au/builder/sydney-north
Upstate | Suite 15, Level 1, 888 Pittwater Road, Dee Why | https://upstate.com.au/ | Hello@upstate.com.au
