This Is the Most Important Priority in an Outdoor Space, According to a Designer

English-born interior designer and textile artist Peter Dunham shares his favorite indoor-outdoor indulgences.

Describe your garden and how you use it. 

My partner Miguel Torres-Macias and I live in one half of a 1928 Spanish duplex in Mid-Wilshire, Los Angeles. Miguel is an artist and landscaper who specializes in native, drought-tolerant, and medicinal plants. He also teaches gardening to Los Angeles Unified School District elementary students. Our garden is both a space of experimentation and beauty. Miguel leads the way, and I follow his direction. We have a 10-by-15-foot terrace off our second-floor dining room that overlooks California sycamores. It’s our spot for lounging and entertaining. 

What’s your garden style? 

Drought-tolerant and native, with a strong focus on medicinal plants. 

What’s your favorite plant in your garden right now? 

Peter: Matilija poppies. Miguel: Santa Cruz Island yarrow.

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Any must-have plants you think belong in every Western garden? 

Aloe and lemon trees. I’ve planted one at every house I’ve lived in.

Favorite outdoor meal or cocktail? 

A gin gimlet and linguine with fresh, homemade pesto. 

Thomas J. Story

What are your thoughts on an outdoor kitchen? A must-do or not necessary? 

Miguel thinks it’s essential. I call it rodent Disneyland. 

Favorite outdoor furniture or piece you’ve added recently? 

A vintage ’60s wicker armchair we found on the side of the street. 

What’s your favorite memory in your garden? 

Neighborhood kids gathering to see our sidewalk garden, and watching hummingbirds and pollinators from the front terrace.

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Do you have a nursery or garden shop you love to visit? 

The Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley, California. They do incredible work educating Southern Californians on the value and beauty of native plant landscapes. 

What’s one gardening fail you learned from? 

Don’t overcrowd! Year one: They sleep. Year two: They go deep. Year three: They leap.

Hollywood at Home

When furnishing an outdoor living space, what are your priorities? 

Creating occasional moments—single chairs or sculptures to create punctuation or contemplative seating. A comfortable outdoor living and dining room for enjoyment! 

What kind of seating do you think is most successful and versatile? 

Teak. Let it age naturally for a poetic, vintage feel, or oil it twice a year to keep it looking sleek and contemporary.