One of the reasons I moved to California was to be able to be outdoors year round! Living at the beach however, outdoor space is very limited (because the beach is your backyard, as they say) so every square inch counts.

I was able to spread my design wings a little more at our place in Palm Springs where there was a whole real backyard and outdoor dining and patio space to play around with! Because that house is mostly used for rental income, I needed to make sure the things I chose were durable, practical and of course, could withstand the heat.