An open-air living room in Culver City

Sharon Bowman plays with her dog in her outdoor room in Los Angeles. When Bowman and husband Joe Fineman wanted to remodel their house, Culver City architect Lorcan O’Herlihy suggested turning what had been the living room into an alfresco space. Ipe wood steps now lead from the house to a patio floor of concrete pavers and wood, all shaded by a retractable soft ceiling.