If Wimbledon alone can’t persuade you to pick up a racket, a private tennis court in lush surroundings on your doorstep might do the trick. This airy penthouse facing Eccleston Square in Pimlico is a serene gallery-like space within a beautiful building designed by Thomas Cubitt. While there’s local precedent for putting in a roof terrace, the square itself ought to satisfy your summer needs, with its relaxed quality that’s all too rare in this well-heeled patch. That’s thanks to master plantsman and former resident Roger Phillips – instead of a severe square of lawn, he plotted shady walkways, tangles of rambling roses and pockets of open space for a post-match punnet of strawberries with the neighbours. It’s little wonder it’s been voted London’s best-loved garden square for the last two years.

Some of Britain’s beaches exude a quiet kind of beauty – and then there’s Camber Sands, all glorious golden shores, wide skies and undulating dunes. A short walk from the sea, this two-bedroom home is part of a distinctive terrace punctuated by pastel cylinders. Each of the three levels features a patio or balcony, while a swing seat on the second floor is just the place to while away hazy afternoons. From here, step down into the dune-inspired garden shared between those living on the square, where a sandy walkway cuts a meandering path between sun-loving plant species.

A modernist-inspired gem in deepest Surrey, this unusual build was recognised with a RIBA award in 2006. There’s something transportive about that clean white render – architecture buffs might recall Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye or Eileen Gray’s retreat in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, E-1027. The wraparound glazing is interrupted only by the slimmest struts, while the columns supporting the cantilevered upper level do a disappearing act in discreet grey. Should long days lounging on the lawn or by the pool somehow lose their lustre, nearby Esher Commons offer 360 hectares of rugged heathland, deciduous woods and ponds.

The secret to really sensational light throughout the day? Double-height glazing. The cube-like façade of this RIBA award-nominated home on the edge of Hampstead Heath gives no hint of the remarkable minimalist interior, with a silver birch tree precisely placed to scatter dappled light across the polished concrete floor. In total, there are six outdoor spaces, from a patio on the lower-ground floor to a bijou suntrap accessed via an upstairs bedroom. The house may be a conspicuous presence among its Victorian neighbours, but every effort has been made to screen and sequester – just the thing for a spot of carefree sunbathing.

Usually the preserve of grand historic homes, Britain’s best landscaped gardens can suffer from limited sight lines – those close mullions are hardly conducive to indoor-outdoor connection. This ambitious country house, however, designed a decade ago by the current owners, nods to a traditional vernacular of red-bricked arches and beamed ceilings, but modern glazing makes a star of the grounds. Full-height windows look out over a swirling tapestry maze, while french doors in the garden room frame the pool. Calling it a party pad hardly does the house justice, but you’d hard-pressed to find a better place to host a summer bash.

A radical rethink of this 18th-century ironmonger’s workshop has carved four bedrooms and two cavernous reception rooms from 4,200sq ft of space, tucked away on a quiet street in Clerkenwell. We’re particularly taken with the way the house connects to the outdoors, with a bright double-height atrium at the core of the plan. Then there’s the series of smart stepped terraces – the second-floor patio with retractable glazing, the balcony with hot tub off the main bedroom and, remarkably, another generous rooftop crowning the house, with an outdoor kitchen and pergola shading.