With our Book Club series, we hand over the proverbial mic to our Experts—letting them share their work, their thought process, and their best tips, all in their own words. The following is an excerpt from Raili Clasen’s book Surf Style at Home, published this month with Gibbs Smith.

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There’s an unmistakable connection between surfers and nature.

Ask any waterman and they’ll probably tell you about the serene, zen-like feeling they get when they’ve paddled out and are sitting on their board, waiting for the next set to come in. Floating out in the ocean gives a whole new perspective of the trees and mountains on shore. It’s a quiet unlike any other. Nature’s pretty awesome like that, which is why I like to bring in the outdoors with every project I get my hands on.

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If you can’t be close to the beach, being outside and enjoying the breeze and the sunshine on your face is the next best thing. Let’s talk about making your outdoor space just as comfy as your indoor space—and we won’t stop there. The secret is creating a big ole vibe in the front yard and backyard and carrying that all the way through the house.

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Mi Patio Es Tu Patio

If you’re not making your outdoor space feel as comfortable as the inside to maximize your home’s full potential, you don’t know what you’re missing. Take your favorite rooms in the house and translate that style to the yard or patio. A dining or bar and seating area will beckon you to bring your dinner or glass of wine and book outside and remember just how amazing it feels to connect with nature. Rugs, side tables, fun light fixtures, and cozy furniture you want to collapse into all make the inside of a house feel special, and the same goes for your deck and yard. Hang art outside! Giving the same thoughtful detail to the outdoor space as you do to the inside of your home will guarantee you, your family, and guests will always have a memorable spot to veg out and make some memories.

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Now, before you get all “business in the front, party in the back” when you start scheming the décor for your outdoor digs, remember this: if you have an outdoor space of any kind, whether it’s a big yard or a small patio, the goal is to echo the design inside to the outside. I hate to break it to ya, but it’s not going to feel right to have it be Scandi inside and Taj Mahal on the outside—trust me. If you’re committed to bringing surf style to your home, you need to ride that wave from the moment it starts to crest through to the end.

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Break on Through to the Other Side

As you paddle out to connect your inside spaces to your outdoor ones, remember that it all starts at the front door and front yard. Your first impression of your home should set the tone for what’s to come inside and back outside again. Start with big, beautiful trees in your front yard— as many as you can fit. Line your halls and rooms with indoor plants and keep that plant party going in the back. Keep your hallways green—literally. In one of my projects, we were planning to install a long built-in bench, but a window in the middle of the wall gave us the idea to put a planter in that bench.

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Come In, the Water’s Fine

If you can’t have the Pacific at your front door, adding a water element of some sort will still give you those coastal feels. Water, whether you’re looking at it or listening to it, brings out that relaxing element.

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In one design project, we brought in an old vessel from a stone yard and created an unconventional fountain with a spigot that was installed above the vessel. It contains a recirculating water pump, so water continuously flows through. It was a small but impactful feature that brings the same tranquility you’d experience if there was a creek or bubbling stream nearby.

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Birdbaths are probably the most low-maintenance water features you can choose and are a great first step to experimenting with water elements at home.

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To take it a step further, a cedar hot tub feels very much like surf camp and checks off the water box. My favorite thing about a body of water larger than a fountain or birdbath is the way the sky and surrounding trees reflect off it.

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Be it a baby birdbath or a pool, see where you can add a splash of water to your yard or patio and notice what a mood booster it can be. Sit back, close your eyes, and you’ll almost feel the saltwater spray if you try hard enough.

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Don’t Forget the Shower

My surfing kiddos will tell you that showering outside after a day of surfing is as good as it gets. If you have space in your backyard—maybe close to your pool or primary bathroom—adding an outdoor shower will give you that fresh-from-the-waves feeling at home.

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Home Is Where the Yard Is

The best way to ensure you have the most fun in your outdoor space is to first think about how you’ll live in it. If you’re a family with young kids and a pool, perhaps you need a seating area near the water so you can watch your kiddos swim. If you have teenagers, they probably need a place where they can kumbaya with their friends away from the house. Word to the wise: teens don’t like formal dining tables, and they like to have their own space. In fact, mine gather around a firepit with their friends outside our reclaimed Shasta camper in the backyard.

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Answer your needs but don’t get too formal with it. Bring on the pillows and make the outdoors an interactive place where you can drag over a stool to join a conversation. If you’re going to live in this space, really make it suitable for life.

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Get Lit

A nighttime party outside is like nothing else, and it truly feels magical when the lighting is just right. Hang a cluster of light fixtures over a pod of chairs to create a reimagined ceiling. String up paper lanterns and twinkle lights. Gather groupings of hurricane lanterns or candles around your seating areas and you’ll have ambiance for days.

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Pass-Throughs for the Win(dow)

If you have a kitchen window that faces out to your backyard, that is the perfect opportunity to have a pass-through window. Adding a bar top below that window from the outside will give that open feeling and take your outdoor entertaining up a notch. Whether it’s where you pass margaritas to guests or burgers headed for the grill, or where the kids swing by to grab a popsicle, this touch never fails to put the fun in function.

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Speaking of fun, uniting your inside and outdoor spaces doesn’t need to stop with the pass-through. Café doors, wide sliding Dutch doors, or nano doors are the perfect connectors between inside and outside. Open ’em up and invite ’em all in.

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Windows = Frames

If you have a big window in your house with a cool vantage point, plant a cactus garden or a cluster of trees right outside. And if you really want to make it extra, add landscape lighting and voilà—au naturel art.

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Buy Surf Style at Home and meet with Raili to get personalized advice for your own home.

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