Six stunning Chicago outdoor spaces

The fun-for-the-whole-family yard

“We have friends over a lot,” says the owner of this recently completed Lincoln Park addition and renovation, “and the adults will sit in the outdoor living room while the kids set up the soccer field.” He and his wife, who have a nine-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, worked with LG Development Group, landscapers Claire and Ryan Kettelkamp, and project manager Krista Petkovsek of Morgante-Wilson Architects Ltd. to create three distinct outdoor spaces. “When you walk from one space to another, it’s a completely different feel,” Dad says proudly. The centerpiece of the outdoor “living room” is one of Chicago’s first residential green walls, covered with vegetation, and while it provides the grown-ups with a lush hangout, the sight lines are clear to just about every corner of the kids’ yard and jungle gym, which is intentionally devoid of plants that could get trampled during playtime.

Everyone has a space they can call their own—although Dad can sometimes be found in the kids’ zone, playing catch with his son.

Click here to learn how to get your own very own green wall like the one pictured above.