Outdoor Room at www.japanese-home-gardens.com

AUTOMATION: Room lights, window shades and screens that drop down from the ceiling can all be automated and dramatically change the look of the room. One of the hottest trends, says Josh Christian of DSI Technologies in Studio City, is using motorized screens and one-touch technology. "We like to see a client with one remote that can lower the shades and dim the lights. That really makes it a high-performance multipurpose room." That's the theme in outdoor furniture this season, as designers borrow what's fresh and fun from Interior Design and put it on the patio.

With the larger lot, say one more than 50 by 100 feet, it is different. The private part of the garden may then include not only the outdoor living room adjacent to the house, but areas that extend beyond it to the rear and the sides. These may feature special gardens, such as ones devoted to roses, rock gardens, herbs, cut flowers and vegetables as well as naturalistically landscaped areas with trees, shrubs and perhaps spring bulbs and other flowers growing beneath them. Now the private area consists of more than one room.

SWEET SANCTUARY: The concept of the outdoor room has expanded from living to lounging. It's bedding in the backyard, with an emphasis on comfier yet still weather-resistant materials. Among the hot items? Tandem chaise lounges.