Patio Ideas
Stucco walls wrap two sides of the dining zone and form a built-in dining bench on two sides of the table. Like the decking, the bench is made of ipe. Andersen made the table himself. He used the Japanese method of yakisugi-ita on the base. This means he charred it with a blowtorch to weatherproof it. The result is a lovely dark patina.
“The bench’s placement is close enough to everything else to be of good use but hidden enough to be a private space,” Algozzini says. Though close to the edge of the neighbor’s lawn, the plantings create a setting with a woodsy feel. Some of the Canadian hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) were existing, but he added more to screen the yard in a way that makes it feel private.
The bluestone path and patio are composed in a somewhat randomized ashlar pattern. Eyebrow-shaped beds of Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis) and variegated Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’) break up the stone. The pachysandra planting was controlled. “While troublesome in some locales, pachysandra is an evergreen, deer-resistant, shade tolerant ground cover that provides a classic and timeless beauty,”
6. Plant Vertically If you want to be surrounded by greenery in a small outdoor space, grow plants up the walls or fences. You could do this by hanging pots, growing climbers up a trellis or adding a living wall. In this compact courtyard by The Garden Builders, the plants growing on the walls have freed up the floor area for dining and lounging, while still offering the benefits of a garden.
These beds demonstrate matrix planting, a planting method meant to emulate how plants would naturally grow in the wild — layered, mixed and tightly spaced — resulting in a lovely wild look that’s often less maintenance. “We’re not having to mulch our gardens anymore because the ground covers act as a natural mulch layer,” Fox-Whyte says.
The path ends at a new freestanding water feature, which visually anchors the backyard and helps block ambient noise from the surrounding urban neighborhood. Water runs along three sandblasted limestone slabs held in place with a clip system. The water hits a limestone splash pad at the bottom, creating a soothing splattering sound. The fountain sits on the backyard’s central axis, adding a classic and formal feel to the garden. In contrast, the fountain’s shape, color and pattern are more contemporary.
Howard also built a storage cabinet. “As with every London house, storage is an issue,” he says. “The owner wanted to blend it in as much as possible. We would have liked to keep it the same height as the raised bed, but obviously you wouldn’t have been able to fit much in it.” He tucked it out of the way and matched the color with the decking. The owner uses it to store cushions, wood, pruning shears and so on, he says.
The built-in planting beds vary in height, with the tallest rising to 31 inches, the middle to 24 inches and the shortest to 16 inches. The wraparound bench also sits at 16 inches tall. “This bed does require a little bit of bending to reach it,” Howard says of the slightly lower foreground planter. “If you build beds too high in the foreground, you risk dissecting the garden.” This lower height ensures there’s a full view of the garden from the house. Plants in the taller beds at the back of the yard include butterfly-attracting Love and Wishes salvia (Salvia ‘Love and Wishes’), ‘Caradonna’ salvia (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’), ‘Amistad’ salvia (Salvia ‘Amistad’), sedge (Carex sp.), ‘Chocolate Ruffles’ coral bells (Heuchera ‘Chocolate Ruffles’) and ‘Credo’ yarrow (Achillea ‘Credo’).
Two sides of the yard are edged with a low retaining wall, composed of a gray concrete linear block system from Techo-Bloc and capped with black granite. The walls retain soil from a slope, form planting beds, add structure to the garden and provide extra seating. Three blue-gray stained cedar privacy screens block views of scraggly shrubs and a chain-link fence along the property line. The raised beds they sit atop add height, improving the views from the main level’s windows. “The horizontal planks pick up on the linear siding on the house, and the screens helped create an outdoor room architecturally,” Freedman says. He planted peegee hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’) in front of the screens to add softer structure.
after - Instead of adding more plants that would cut into the square footage, Hassen placed planters with grasses and flowers on top of the fence for privacy. She made sure they drain away from the fence. “It really makes a lot of privacy and looks like you’re looking at a lot of trees, which is great,” she says.
almost like a courtyard look - nice
great use of tiny space - love the chairs that don't need cushions
By softening the edges of the space with greenery and unifying the hardscaping, even a small patio or courtyard can look and feel much larger than its actual size. That’s the wonderful thing about plants — there is something about them that has a sort of magical space-opening effect. It’s as if some deep part of our brain sees the leaves and vines and decides it must be the beginning of a jungle.
Built-in seating can be a significant space saver for small decks, as it allows a seating area to be anchored against a wall or in a corner and leaves the center of the deck open. In this lush city garden by Fenton Roberts Garden Design in London’s Marylebone neighborhood, a square table pulled up to two built-in seats makes for an elegant seating solution for a small terrace.
If there’s a grade change between your deck and the ground (even if it’s only minor), you will likely need to install railings to comply with local building codes. Small decks can feel more cramped if surrounded by heavy railings. Instead, choose a style that appears light and open, like the cable railing surrounding this Seattle deck. It seems to disappear from view, expanding the perceived deck boundary and allowing one’s gaze to move out to the garden.
Another way to create a pleasant feeling of enclosure is to bring boards up along the sides of a seating area. For this backyard behind a former fire station in Hoboken, New Jersey, designer Lauren Wills of Wills Design Associates created a wood-paneled space that appears to embrace a cozy seating nook.
Adding cover to a deck is a great way to give it more style and comfort. For this Dallas backyard, a cantilevered wood-and-metal shade structure designed by Southwest Fence & Deck adds presence and protection to a poolside lounge set around a fire pit.
Built-in seating is one of the best space-saving features you can add to a deck. In this Atlanta backyard by Boyce Design & Contracting, a custom L-shaped cedar bench around a fire feature appears to float above the rot-resistant composite deck. Freestanding cedar-panel screens relate to the natural wood bench and shade structure.
While this covered patio in Piedmont, California, surely offers an enjoyable alfresco dining experience day or night, the team at Hanomoco Design included elements that make it extra magical at night. A ring chandelier, overhead string lights and backlit decorative panels by Parasoleil contribute to the after-dusk ambiance.
Flowering herbs and perennials, including catmint, sage and aster, tumble over the built-in planters and invite bees and butterflies to stop by for a visit. Plant list: ‘Dark Towers’ penstemon (Penstemon ‘Dark Towers’, zones 3 to 8) ‘Goldsturm’ black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’, zones 3 to 9) ‘Hameln’ fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’, zones 6 to 9) ‘October Skies’ aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘October Skies’, zones 3 to 9) ‘Joan Senior’ daylily (Hemerocallis ‘Joan Senior’, zones 3 to 9) Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa, zones 3 to 10) ‘Walker’s Low’ catmint (Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’, zones 3 to 8) ‘Caradonna’ sage (Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, zones 4 to 8) ‘Limelight’ licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare ‘Limelight’, zones 9 to 11) Dwarf red-leaf plum (Prunus x cistena, zones 2 to 8)
A partially shaded roof terrace designed by Outside Space NYC encourages outdoor enjoyment from a lofty perch above the city. The plants — in a palette of lavender, gold, plum and pale green — soften the space and set a serene mood from spring into fall.
The pergola has a steel frame with a wood roof structure. Translucent polycarbonate sheets by Polygal cover the wood frame.
In Moscow, this sleek covered garden pavilion features streamlined lounge furniture, dark-stained wood and a pattern of ceiling slats that almost creates a feeling of movement through its varied spacing. Perhaps the most memorable feature in this design by Blockstudio is its inventive fire feature, with the freestanding fire pit sitting beneath a suspended chimney. The round chimney and fire pit bisect the outdoor room, creating contrast in the otherwise-linear space.
On a rooftop deck in Bangalore, India, a shade structure adds interest with its intricate botanical-shaped cutouts (as well as with the shade patterns it’s sure to create).
The spectacular infinity pool, sunken dining area and million-dollar view may steal the show in this waterfront Miami abode, but don’t overlook its delicately detailed roof overhang.
Here the straight lines of the pool, tiles and furniture, the simple shapes of the fire pit and oversize planters, and the solid colors and neutral color palette provide a beautiful contrast to the foliage and planted forms.
The main patio area is a poured concrete slab with quarter-inch joints (the thinner lines you can see on the surface of most of the concrete). The surface has a lightly washed sand finish (lightly washed and swept with a broom to expose the sand). The day after the concrete patio was poured, Corbett used a handheld grinder and a diamond blade to create the design you see in the foreground. He cut along surface joints, then removed the top 3 inches of concrete along those cuts, leaving the bottom 3 inches intact. The concrete is still one solid slab, with the pebbles covering where the concrete connects. The concrete looks like separate tiles, but it will never shift.
On top of the addition, Brosh planted a wildflower meadow. “It’s simple. You make the roof watertight as you would do anyway, put down soil and sow seeds,” he says. “Soil provides natural insulation, and it brings wildlife to the area.”
love the wildflower garden on top of the extension
The detached pergola complements the architecture of the remodeled 1950s home while also concealing some of the home’s drainage. The extra steel column (the one closer to the house) on the corner of the structure is a drain for the house roof. Water from the gutters on the house drain into this pipe, which drains into a subdrainage system beneath the gravel base. Water from the patio and pergola drain into the perimeter landscaping.
Seasonal torrential rains mean drainage is an important feature for this mostly paved backyard. Horn installed a custom trench drain that runs the length of the bluestone patio next to the water feature. She left a joint open between the pavers and installed a slotted PVC pipe with a screen over it. Individual stone pieces were cut to fit into the slot. All water drains toward this trench, into the PVC pipe and out through underground pipes. “It’s a lot more attractive, and it’s less expensive” compared to installing a metal trench drain, the architect says.
Private outdoor space in New York City can be hard to come by, so Edward Jones and Irene Kalina-Jones of Outside Space NYC did all they could to transform a previously uninviting sunken concrete pit into a urban garden refuge. Artificial turf surrounds a raised gas fire pit, providing the homeowners with a place to relax outside without the maintenance of taking care of a lawn.
like the stones with concrete pavers
Here’s another example of a metal screen mixed with planting. This time the plants emerge from a built-in planter at the base of the screen, helping to anchor it more in the overall design.
Pair decorative metal panels with leafy greens. Metal screens featuring geometric patterns mixed with foliage plants create a bold garden statement. In this California garden, vines grow up the sides to frame the panels.
Well-designed gardens make use of plenty of evergreen plants, as they add structure and year-round interest. They also surround areas of the garden with lush foliage, giving an inviting, cozy feeling to garden rooms and outdoor seating areas. Evergreen hedges and trees also benefit garden wildlife by providing small animals with shelter and quick places to hide.
surrounded by vine-covered walls and colorful summer containers, this secluded backyard terrace in Toronto is a leafy retreat. The patio has just enough room for a seating area around a coffee table, a chaise lounge (out of view), a round dining table for four and a small sideboard staging table
practical furniture, where you don't need cushions - The furniture (a Richard Schultz set, part of the 1966 collection by Knoll)
If you’re worried about a pergola feeling too oppressive in a small yard, try a tall arched style to retain as much height as possible while still creating the feeling of an outdoor room.
With a spectacular display of pea-like blossoms in pendulous clusters of white, purple, violet or pinkish blooms in spring, wisteria is a top choice for adding romance to a spring garden. Chinese wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) is more commonly grown in gardens than Japanese wisteria (W. floribunda), and it produces a more dramatic show of blooms, as flowers open almost all at once. The flowers of Japanese wisteria open more gradually from the base to the tip of its 1½-foot-long clusters and, hence, have a longer overall bloom period. American wisteria (W. frutescens) is an alternative to Chinese and Japanese wisteria and is native to North America. While its flowers are smaller, it’s also a much less aggressive plant.
Here, the designer used grassy ‘Ice Dance’ sedge (Carex ‘Ice Dance’, zones 5 to 9), deep purple heuchera (Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’, zones 4 to 9) and creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia, zones 3 to 9) to spill over the sides.
nice for shade and privacy
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