Outdoor Oasis: 5 Outdoor Living Features for the Florida Custom Home

Outdoor Oasis: 5 New Home Design Features for Luxury Outdoor Living in St. Petersburg

With residents enjoying nearly 3,000 hours of sunshine annually and mild weather throughout the year, it is no wonder St. Petersburg is known as the “Sunshine City.” Now, thanks to new home design features by custom home builders in St. Petersburg, you can now live an outdoor-centric lifestyle without leaving the comfort of your own home.

In this blog, we will look at five new home features that are blurring the lines between indoor comfort and outdoor luxury. With so many opportunities to enjoy a better quality of outdoor life year-round, it is no surprise that more than 3.4 million people now live in the St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area.

1: Covered Lanais – The Outdoor Heart of Luxury Custom Homes

The lanai originated in Hawaii as an extension of the home into a veranda, patio, or porch. While a lanai is open-sided, it is usually connected to or adjacent to an interior space and is often covered with a roof. In Florida — especially in luxury custom homes in St. Petersburg — the lanai has evolved into a central outdoor living area designed for both relaxation and entertaining year-round.

Screened Enclosures and Ceiling Fans

Screened enclosures can help you keep out flying pests while ceiling fans can help you take advantage of the St. Petersburg breezes. Outdoor-rated ceiling fans help circulate air, reduce humidity buildup, and enhance comfort for lounging and dining al fresco. A well-positioned fan over a seating area or dining table makes the lanai feel more like an open-air living room. According to Better Homes & Gardens, ceiling fans are among the most functional additions to covered outdoor spaces, blending both utility and design aesthetics.

Outdoor Ceiling Speakers

Modern lanais are often wired for sound, with weatherproof ceiling speakers for streaming music throughout your outdoor space without the clutter of portable equipment. New speaker designs are sleek, wireless-compatible, and designed to resist Florida humidity and salty air. Plus, with the rise of smart home integration, luxury custom home builders can often pre-wire these speaker systems to be voice-controlled or managed from a smartphone.

Retractable Shades

Retractable shades or privacy curtains offer flexible protection from harsh afternoon sun or unexpected rain showers. These shades can be motorized or manually controlled and are ideal for minimizing glare, improving energy efficiency, and adding a sense of enclosure or privacy when needed. They are particularly effective when used to define functional zones within the lanai, such as an outdoor kitchen or lounge area.

2: Outdoor Kitchens – The Florida Entertainer’s Dream

The invention of the outdoor kitchen has significantly transformed our ability to enjoy the outdoors. For new luxury custom homes, these outdoor kitchens have evolved into a wide variety of styles, from rustic to contemporary.

These are not just backyard add-ons — they are fully equipped culinary spaces designed for functionality, durability, and style. In coastal Florida communities like St. Petersburg, where year-round sunshine invites constant outdoor living, outdoor kitchens have become one of the most in-demand features among luxury buyers.

Must-Have Features for Florida Outdoor Kitchens

• Built-In Grills and Vent Hoods: A high-quality built-in grill is the heart of the outdoor kitchen. Many St. Petersburg homeowners now opt for gas grills with integrated vent hoods to improve safety and air quality under covered areas.
• Concrete or Granite Countertops: These durable materials resist heat and moisture while delivering a polished look.
• Integrated Sinks and Prep Areas: A sink outdoors streamlines meal prep and cleanup, allowing everything to stay outdoors.
• Mini-Fridges and Ice Makers: Cold storage keeps drinks and ingredients at arm’s reach and avoids trips back into the house.
• Pizza Ovens and Side Burners: For families and entertainers who love variety, these appliances expand the range of what you can cook outside.
• Beverage Stations With Bar Seating: These features turn the kitchen into a social hub, ideal for hosting happy hours, weekend brunches, or poolside parties.

3: Luxury Pools and Custom Water Features

Florida real estate professionals cite outdoor living spaces as a “non-negotiable feature” for luxury custom homes. A resort-style pool with custom water features is fast becoming a staple for these outdoor spaces in St. Petersburg’s luxury custom homes.

Ideally, the pool design should integrate with the architectural elements of the entire new home, while factoring in sunlight, privacy, and adjacent landscaping. Some popular features for today’s luxury custom pool may include:

• Infinity or Vanishing Edge Pools: Your custom luxury home builder can create a dramatic visual effect for your outdoor space by allowing water to flow over one or more edges, blending seamlessly into the surrounding landscape or waterfront.
• LED Lighting With Automation: Color-changing LED lights make night swimming safe and beautiful. Smart controls allow owners to manage lights, temperature, and filtration systems from their phone or voice assistant.
• Tanning Ledges and Baja Shelves: Shallow areas or “Baja shelves” can provide a resort vibe to a new home design. Often just a few inches deep, they are perfect for lounging in partially submerged chairs or allowing the kids to splash safely.
• Integrated Hot Tubs and Spas: Raised spas can overflow into a pool with cascading water — creating a dynamic effect for the senses — with hydrotherapy benefits.
• Waterfalls and Sheer Descents: Rock waterfalls, deck jets, and sheet-style water descents are luxury pool features that bring movement and tranquil sounds to a pool environment. These elements can also help soften hardscaping and turn the backyard into a private oasis.

4: Fire Features for Nighttime Outdoor Living

Fire features are a way to transform every sunset into a dynamic experience in your custom luxury home. Fire pits, gas fireplaces, and chimeneas are no longer just seasonal luxuries — they’ve become central elements in luxury outdoor design, blending ambiance and function in St. Petersburg’s year-round outdoor climate.

Whether it’s a modern gas fireplace set into a lanai wall or a rustic fire pit surrounded by seating, these features can extend the usability of outdoor spaces into those occasional cooler evenings in the winter.

Some creative approaches to custom fire features include:

• Integrate With Other Features: Fire features can integrate with poolside lounges. Or they can work as sunken conversation pits with intimate, slightly recessed seating areas built around a central flame.
• Incorporate Modularity: Modular outdoor sectionals allow homeowners to rearrange layouts around fire features based on event type or guest count.
• Adding Contrast: Pairing fire elements with water features (like fire-and-water bowls or linear fire pits adjacent to infinity pools) can create stunning visual contrasts.

5: Lush Landscaping to Frame Custom Home Builds in St. Petersburg, Florida

No luxury custom home in St. Petersburg would be complete without landscaping to frame it. Topical and native Florida landscaping plays a vital role in creating curb appeal, natural privacy, and serene outdoor settings. Well-designed landscaping not only enhances a home’s beauty but also complements its environmental footprint, balancing function, sustainability, and visual drama.

Create Curb Appeal With Florida-Friendly Plants

Your custom home’s landscaping should include native species that thrive in St. Petersburg’s humid climate, requiring less water and maintenance. Here are some high-impact plant choices and design elements for front and backyards.

• Blue Daze and Similar Cover Plants: These are excellent low-growers for ground coverage that add texture and color year-round.
• Flowering Hedges: Bougainvillea, Ixora, and hibiscus can infuse color into your landscaping and thrive in even the hottest St. Petersburg weather.
• Palm clusters: Palms such as Areca or Foxtail palms work in clusters to create height and structure while adding more coastal aesthetics.
• Paver pathways: Paving your landscaping pathways in travertine or shellstone offers durability and elegance, guiding movement and defining garden zones.

Add Privacy Without Sacrificing Breeze

Landscaping is an effective way to provide more privacy for your home without limiting access to St. Petersburg’s coastal breezes. Instead of traditional fencing, luxury builders and landscape designers often incorporate natural landscaping elements to create some visual seclusion. These elements may include:

• Green walls or vertical gardens with climbing vines like jasmine or passionflower.
• Pergolas with draping foliage that filter sunlight and add intimacy to patios or hot tub areas.
• Layered hedges (like podocarpus or clusia) to block lines of sight while maintaining open sky views.

Partner With a Custom Home Builder to Create Your St. Petersburg Outdoor Oasis

Luxury custom homes in St. Petersburg would not be complete without the right outdoor design elements to enjoy all that the “Sunshine City” has to offer, especially the weather. At Winway Homes, we often collaborate with local landscape architects and outdoor design professionals to create a unified design where landscaping isn’t an afterthought, but a key component of the home’s identity.

Our new home designs incorporate outdoor spaces that are beautiful and thoughtfully integrated into the rhythm of everyday life. For over 25 years, we’ve designed and crafted luxury pools, outdoor kitchens, creative landscaping, and other outdoor elements to frame the ultimate dream home in St. Petersburg, Florida.

If you would like to learn more about building your dream home in the St. Petersburg area, contact Winway Homes.