Patio of the Week: From ‘Bowling Lane’ Lawn to Entertaining Space
A contemporary outdoor seating area with a striking fire pit is softened by woodland plantings and shade trees
“This yard was just a long, narrow, flat lawn that was shaped like a bowling lane,” landscape architect Sylvie De Brabandere says. The homeowners wanted a new design that would create an entertainment area, allocate some room for gardening and provide nice views from inside the house while blocking views of the busy neighboring yards.
Relationship to the House
The patio’s scale and placement provide a nice visual break in what was a long and narrow expanse of grass. The pavers are bush-hammered Eramosa limestone, with neutral gray coloring that complements the red brick of the home’s facade. De Brabandere arranged the stones in a running bond pattern to mimic the brick on the house.
She created a transition from the existing deck off the house to the new patio by adding steppingstones made of the same Eramosa stone. Then she planted creeping thyme in between them. “The creeping thyme will stay low, and it adds softness and a wonderful fragrance,” she says.
The patio’s scale and placement provide a nice visual break in what was a long and narrow expanse of grass. The pavers are bush-hammered Eramosa limestone, with neutral gray coloring that complements the red brick of the home’s facade. De Brabandere arranged the stones in a running bond pattern to mimic the brick on the house.
She created a transition from the existing deck off the house to the new patio by adding steppingstones made of the same Eramosa stone. Then she planted creeping thyme in between them. “The creeping thyme will stay low, and it adds softness and a wonderful fragrance,” she says.
Much like a rug with a border, the 12-by-24-inch patio pavers in the running bond pattern have an edge of 24-by-24-inch Eramosa pavers. The steppingstone pavers with creeping thyme continue off the far side of the patio, providing a transitional edge between the patio and the back lawn.
Although the homeowners ultimately decided on chairs and settees, De Brabandere sized the patio to provide enough space for large, comfortable outdoor sofas, and created enough space around the fire pit for people to pull chairs around it to get toasty and rest their mugs or wineglasses on its edge.
A stretch of lawn between the patio and the back of the yard provides another pleasing visual break. While the family doesn’t have pets or little ones who’d want to play on it, this feature will appeal to potential buyers should the family ever decide to move.
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Although the homeowners ultimately decided on chairs and settees, De Brabandere sized the patio to provide enough space for large, comfortable outdoor sofas, and created enough space around the fire pit for people to pull chairs around it to get toasty and rest their mugs or wineglasses on its edge.
A stretch of lawn between the patio and the back of the yard provides another pleasing visual break. While the family doesn’t have pets or little ones who’d want to play on it, this feature will appeal to potential buyers should the family ever decide to move.
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A Fiery Focal Point
The fire pit contains a sculptural bundle of stainless steel rods inspired by branches. The stainless steel doesn’t get hot enough to be a safety issue when the fire is going. De Brabandere designed a tinted concrete table for the sculpture to sit atop. The table is hollowed out to contain a gas line and a burner tray that provide warmth and a cozy glow. Local company Hogtown Sheet Metal + Custom Fabrication made the sculpture.
The fire can be turned on remotely from indoors, so when they are entertaining in their dining room on a snowy night, the homeowners can turn it on and enjoy the glow without setting foot outdoors. And De Brabandere designed a landscape lighting scheme that highlights the raised planters and lights the trees from below.
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The fire pit contains a sculptural bundle of stainless steel rods inspired by branches. The stainless steel doesn’t get hot enough to be a safety issue when the fire is going. De Brabandere designed a tinted concrete table for the sculpture to sit atop. The table is hollowed out to contain a gas line and a burner tray that provide warmth and a cozy glow. Local company Hogtown Sheet Metal + Custom Fabrication made the sculpture.
The fire can be turned on remotely from indoors, so when they are entertaining in their dining room on a snowy night, the homeowners can turn it on and enjoy the glow without setting foot outdoors. And De Brabandere designed a landscape lighting scheme that highlights the raised planters and lights the trees from below.
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Woodland-Inspired Edge
The designer softened the side of the clean-lined patio with a cluster of Himalayan birches inspired by woodland scenes. “This area helps to shoulder the outdoor room of the patio,” she says. While the birches are young now, they will fill in quickly and provide shade to some of the patio. Beneath these trees, soft mounds of sedges add silvery-green hues, while bluestars brings blue flowers in the spring.
The designer softened the side of the clean-lined patio with a cluster of Himalayan birches inspired by woodland scenes. “This area helps to shoulder the outdoor room of the patio,” she says. While the birches are young now, they will fill in quickly and provide shade to some of the patio. Beneath these trees, soft mounds of sedges add silvery-green hues, while bluestars brings blue flowers in the spring.
Screening Views of Other Yards
The homeowners were lucky to have some existing mature maple trees and a cedar along the right side of the yard. De Brabandere balanced the mature trees on the right with the birches on the left. As the trees fill in, they will block views of and provide privacy from neighboring houses.
Two levels of lovely long, raised planters block views of a shed and yard that back up to this yard. On the right, cedars block the view of a neighbor’s shed year-round. On the left, ‘Karl Foerster’ reed grass provides screening and textures, shapes and colors that contrast the cedars and perennials.
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The homeowners were lucky to have some existing mature maple trees and a cedar along the right side of the yard. De Brabandere balanced the mature trees on the right with the birches on the left. As the trees fill in, they will block views of and provide privacy from neighboring houses.
Two levels of lovely long, raised planters block views of a shed and yard that back up to this yard. On the right, cedars block the view of a neighbor’s shed year-round. On the left, ‘Karl Foerster’ reed grass provides screening and textures, shapes and colors that contrast the cedars and perennials.
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The walls are concrete faced with black basalt flagstone; the dark backdrop puts the attention on the plants. Geraniums hang over the wall and provide color, and in late spring, peonies add to the color against the backdrop of the reed grass and cedars.
Takeaways
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Takeaways
- Plan a backyard patio with views from the house in mind.
- Think about transitional spaces between planted spaces and hardscape areas.
- Remember that plants can bring not only structure, texture and color but also wonderful scents to a yard.
- Don’t fear going big and bold. The oversize fire pit here makes the space.
- Build a living wall with raised planters in a stepped arrangement.
Read more stories about patios
Browse patio photos for ideas and inspiration
Hire a landscape contractor to help with your next project
Patio of the Week
Who uses it: A family, including a gardening enthusiast
Location: Toronto
Patio size: 360 square feet (33 square meters)
Designer: Sylvie De Brabandere of Acre landscape architecture + design studio
One of the homeowners loves design and gardening. “This was a very collaborative process,” De Brabandere says.
The design includes a new entertainment patio with a large, sculptural fire pit; a cluster of birch trees; new garden beds; and two layers of raised beds along the back of the yard that screen views of the yard and shed behind them. The designer also left space in some of the beds where her client could enjoy gardening — there is a bed to the right of the patio and another between the patio and the deck.
The style of the yard is clean and contemporary, softened by the woodland-inspired plantings. Because the main level of the house is about 8 feet above the ground, the new design provides lovely views from indoors.
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