Patio of the Week: Elegant Terrace With Cathedral Views
A Washington, D.C., yard features a pergola-covered dining area, a fireplace lounge, an outdoor kitchen and more
Views of Washington National Cathedral anchored this extensive landscape renovation in Washington, D.C. A couple from New York bought this historic home during the pandemic, sight unseen, then renovated it inside and out to suit their growing family and two dogs.
The team at Joseph Richardson Landscape Architecture created a master plan for the entire corner lot, incorporating the many items on the homeowners’ wish list. The result is a beautiful expansion of outdoor functions, a classic landscape design and increased privacy.
The team at Joseph Richardson Landscape Architecture created a master plan for the entire corner lot, incorporating the many items on the homeowners’ wish list. The result is a beautiful expansion of outdoor functions, a classic landscape design and increased privacy.
After: The landscape architects replaced the sunken bluestone patio with an extension of the upper terrace that wraps around this side of the house. This provided space for an entertainment area, complete with a pergola-covered dining area and an outdoor kitchen and fireplace lounge.
The homeowners’ penchant for classic plantings works well with the historic architecture. Planted beds of ‘Wintergreen’ Korean boxwood (Buxus sinica var. insularis ‘Wintergreen’) shrubs line the terrace and soften the black iron railings. Past the terrace, a row of ‘Emerald Green’ arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Emerald Green’) provides an evergreen backdrop and privacy from the neighboring house.
The large planters at the base of the pergola are by Pennoyer Newman. This manufacturer casts its pieces from original stone planters found on notable estates, using a proprietary mix of pummeled marble, rock and resin. “These feel and scratch like stone but are much lighter,” Richardson says. And they are weatherproof — they won’t crack during a freeze. The landscape architects used the same style of planters all around the house for classic consistency. The planters seen here contain more of the ‘Wintergreen’ boxwoods as well as variegated ivy.
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The homeowners’ penchant for classic plantings works well with the historic architecture. Planted beds of ‘Wintergreen’ Korean boxwood (Buxus sinica var. insularis ‘Wintergreen’) shrubs line the terrace and soften the black iron railings. Past the terrace, a row of ‘Emerald Green’ arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Emerald Green’) provides an evergreen backdrop and privacy from the neighboring house.
The large planters at the base of the pergola are by Pennoyer Newman. This manufacturer casts its pieces from original stone planters found on notable estates, using a proprietary mix of pummeled marble, rock and resin. “These feel and scratch like stone but are much lighter,” Richardson says. And they are weatherproof — they won’t crack during a freeze. The landscape architects used the same style of planters all around the house for classic consistency. The planters seen here contain more of the ‘Wintergreen’ boxwoods as well as variegated ivy.
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A big part of the architecture on the terrace is this new pergola. The frame is black powder-coated steel, and the wood is clear cedar. Clear cedar has very few imperfections, such as knotting, and gives the pergola a look that’s more classic than rustic. The pergola also contains a ceiling fan for hot days as well as overhead lighting for nighttime dining. “The four black boxes are lights that are perfectly spaced for a soft casting of light over the table,” Richardson says.
One of the important elements on the homeowners’ wish list was an outdoor kitchen. From left to right it includes a fridge, a grill and a trash bin. The countertop is a graphite gray Virginia granite with a honed finish. A honed finish is a good choice for an outdoor kitchen because it is more forgiving than a polished finish.
What to Know About Adding an Outdoor Kitchen
One of the important elements on the homeowners’ wish list was an outdoor kitchen. From left to right it includes a fridge, a grill and a trash bin. The countertop is a graphite gray Virginia granite with a honed finish. A honed finish is a good choice for an outdoor kitchen because it is more forgiving than a polished finish.
What to Know About Adding an Outdoor Kitchen
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After: Now the living room looks out over the extended upper terrace’s fireplace and lounge area. And here’s where to catch that incredible Washington National Cathedral view. “The view of the cathedral really anchored this corner of the terrace,” Sexton says. Both the fireplace lounge and the dining area to the left enjoy a view of the towers.
The team was careful to create an outdoor fireplace with just the right proportions. “The space is fairly tight, so we kept this fireplace lower than usual. We didn’t want something too tall and looming here,” Sexton says. They also looked to the exterior architecture of the house and landscape walls to inspire the composition of the bricks.
The large fireplace opening is lined in firebrick, a material rated for interior fires. To the left is storage for wood. “I think this is the largest wood storage area we’ve ever done,” Richardson says. “The idea was that they could have wood delivered in the fall to get them through the winter.”
The team was careful to create an outdoor fireplace with just the right proportions. “The space is fairly tight, so we kept this fireplace lower than usual. We didn’t want something too tall and looming here,” Sexton says. They also looked to the exterior architecture of the house and landscape walls to inspire the composition of the bricks.
The large fireplace opening is lined in firebrick, a material rated for interior fires. To the left is storage for wood. “I think this is the largest wood storage area we’ve ever done,” Richardson says. “The idea was that they could have wood delivered in the fall to get them through the winter.”
M.S. Vicas Interiors completed the interior design and also chose all of the furniture for the terrace. The tones of the wood and colors of the upholstery work beautifully with the new design.
Past the gate at the back left of this photo is a designated dog run that wraps around the corner to the front of the house. The homeowners can let their two dogs out there to play with ease.
The large planter to the left of the gate contains a ‘Little Gem’ dwarf southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’). Richardson and Sexton confirm that this small tree thrives in pots. “They are our new favorite,” Sexton says. The duo also flanked the front door with a pair of planters that contain the same tree, creating a connection from front to back.
10 Top Trees to Grow in Containers
Past the gate at the back left of this photo is a designated dog run that wraps around the corner to the front of the house. The homeowners can let their two dogs out there to play with ease.
The large planter to the left of the gate contains a ‘Little Gem’ dwarf southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Little Gem’). Richardson and Sexton confirm that this small tree thrives in pots. “They are our new favorite,” Sexton says. The duo also flanked the front door with a pair of planters that contain the same tree, creating a connection from front to back.
10 Top Trees to Grow in Containers
The cast-stone planters at the edge of the pergola contain ‘Wintergreen’ Korean boxwood and variegated ivy. They can also serve as a base for climbing vines.
Matching the new brick to the historic brick along the existing upper terrace was no easy feat. “That was a long search, and we looked at a lot of samples,” Sexton says. They finally found the perfect match. In the fireplace lounge area down the side of the house, they laid the brick in a running bond pattern. “We played with pattern to denote the different spaces,” Sexton says. At the edge between the fireplace lounge and the pergola-covered patio, the brick pattern changes to herringbone.
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Matching the new brick to the historic brick along the existing upper terrace was no easy feat. “That was a long search, and we looked at a lot of samples,” Sexton says. They finally found the perfect match. In the fireplace lounge area down the side of the house, they laid the brick in a running bond pattern. “We played with pattern to denote the different spaces,” Sexton says. At the edge between the fireplace lounge and the pergola-covered patio, the brick pattern changes to herringbone.
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The team replaced the original steps seen in the first photo. The new bluestone steps create a cleaner transition between the terrace and the backyard. A line of bluestone pavers provides a visual connection between the steps and the lawn.
Also connecting the terrace to the yard is a row of ‘Winter Gem’ boxwood (Buxus microphylla var. japonica ‘Winter Gem’) that runs along the terrace wall. A line of ‘Annabelle’ wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’) behind the row adds showy flowers throughout the summer.
Also connecting the terrace to the yard is a row of ‘Winter Gem’ boxwood (Buxus microphylla var. japonica ‘Winter Gem’) that runs along the terrace wall. A line of ‘Annabelle’ wild hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’) behind the row adds showy flowers throughout the summer.
After: Now that the patio has been replaced by an extension of the terrace, the space next to it has a different use. The team found a nice sunny spot for a raised edible garden. “The homeowners wanted one box for their family and for their son to play around with planting vegetables and herbs,” Sexton says. The cedar matches the cedar on the pergola.
Plantings around the box include ‘Cherokee Princess’ flowering dogwood (Cornus florida ‘Cherokee Princess’), ‘Winter Gem’ boxwood, ‘Annabelle’ wild hydrangea and ‘Deutschland’ false spirea (Astilbe ‘Deutschland’).
Plantings around the box include ‘Cherokee Princess’ flowering dogwood (Cornus florida ‘Cherokee Princess’), ‘Winter Gem’ boxwood, ‘Annabelle’ wild hydrangea and ‘Deutschland’ false spirea (Astilbe ‘Deutschland’).
On the opposite end of the terrace is a shady lounge area with more views of the cathedral.
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After: This corner of the backyard matches up with the corner seen on the right side of the previous “before” photo. The landscape architects filled in the edge of the property with trees to provide privacy from the street.
“Because the homeowners were drawn to a classic design, we maintained a dark evergreen backdrop and didn’t use too much color. And most of the flowers on the property are white,” Sexton says. This edge of the lawn combines a tall evergreen backdrop of ‘Green Giant’ arborvitae (Thuja ‘Green Giant’) and white Knock Out roses (Rosa x ‘Radwhite’).
“Because the homeowners were drawn to a classic design, we maintained a dark evergreen backdrop and didn’t use too much color. And most of the flowers on the property are white,” Sexton says. This edge of the lawn combines a tall evergreen backdrop of ‘Green Giant’ arborvitae (Thuja ‘Green Giant’) and white Knock Out roses (Rosa x ‘Radwhite’).
The project also incorporated a new landscape design for the front yard, including a new driveway, garage doors and trellis. The garage doors are the same clear cedar as the pergola’s roof. The driveway is exposed aggregate concrete; pebbles were troweled into it for a more historically appropriate look. The team edged the driveway in matching brick.
The wrought iron gate to the right of the garage is original to the home. The black steel trellis above the garage door plays off the black gate. “My very favorite thing about this project is this trellis,” Sexton says. “It changed up the architecture ever so slightly with a black line and allowed us space to grow some vines up the house and over it.”
On the trellis are semievergreen ‘Snowdrift’ clematis (Clematis armandii ‘Snowdrift’) and Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) vines. As they grow, they will flower for several seasons and keep most of their leaves in the winter.
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The wrought iron gate to the right of the garage is original to the home. The black steel trellis above the garage door plays off the black gate. “My very favorite thing about this project is this trellis,” Sexton says. “It changed up the architecture ever so slightly with a black line and allowed us space to grow some vines up the house and over it.”
On the trellis are semievergreen ‘Snowdrift’ clematis (Clematis armandii ‘Snowdrift’) and Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) vines. As they grow, they will flower for several seasons and keep most of their leaves in the winter.
More on Houzz
Read more stories about patios
Browse thousands of patio photos
Work with a landscape designer in your area
Shop for your outdoor spaces
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with a young son, a baby on the way and two dogs
Location: Washington, D.C.
Size: The terrace is about 1,400 square feet (130 square meters); the lot is 8,715 square feet (810 square meters)
Landscape architects: Joseph Richardson and Adam Sexton of Joseph Richardson Landscape Architecture
Landscape contractor: Black Pearl
Before: The Georgian-style home was built in 1919, and preserving and honoring it was important. The homeowners shared inspiration photos from Houzz, and landscape architects Joseph Richardson and Adam Sexton could see that they were drawn to a classic traditional look.
Seen here is the back of the house, where the nearby outdoor spaces were at two levels. To the right, an upper terrace wrapped from the front around the side to the back. On the left was a lower bluestone patio with an outdoor kitchen. Part of the mission was to connect all the outdoor spaces and create an easy flow from one space to the next. Another part was privacy — as the house sits on a corner lot, the entire backyard was very visible from two streets that met at a busy intersection.
The scope of the project was large. It included the overall master plan that would create connections between awkwardly divided sections of the yard. It also encompassed railing, pergola and trellis designs; paint and trim colors; the exterior lighting plan; brickwork; plant selections and groupings; and a dog run. Finally, the master plan also incorporated siting a pool that would be built during a future construction phase.
Note: Most of the “before” photos are distorted panoramic shots that don’t match up very well with the angles of the “after” shots. However, they still provide the valuable service of showing what the existing landscape was like.