As spring rolls into summer, your patio comes into the limelight. It can be a place to hang out with friends and family, or it can become a quiet getaway in an outdoor setting, the central point of your private backyard oasis.
“It can be your own personal escape,” says Eric VanGrinsven, a landscape designer with the Gardens of Babylon design team. The designers are skilled in creating unique patio spaces among the hardscape elements as part of an overall landscape design.
We’ve chosen a few to highlight – large, small and in-between – to showcase a variety of patio ideas. All were designed and built by the Gardens of Babylon landscaping teams.
Outdoor room with a view
Designers Ryan Fogarty and Chloe Barrett incorporated a cozy gathering space in this patio overlooking the home’s expansive back yard. This circular design accommodates a crowd with its low wall that can serve as extra seating. Garden beds around a patio can serve to soften the transition between the hardscape and the lawn.
Small upgrade, big impact
The existing backyard patio in this large yard was given new life with the addition of a flagstone walkway to the driveway, along with raised brick planters to achieve a better sense of scale, says designer Ryan Fogarty. “It completely changed the whole look,” she says.
Other ideas for big-space patios could include a pergola, custom designed walls, trellises or built-in planters and fountains. Free-standing containers or specimen trees or shrubs around the patio can add to its visual appeal.
Twice as nice
This landscape and patio layout by Matt Kerske includes two comfortable areas for gathering with friends – one for dining, one for warm conversations around the fire pit. To turn your patio into an outdoor living space, homeowners may also consider an outdoor kitchen, as well – or at minimum, a drop-in grill and three to four feet of counter space, suggests designer Mike Omar.
A small yard with big ideas
Although this homeowner’s land area is small and sloping, a series of terraced spaces provides all that the homeowners wished for: a seating area, a level lawn space for their dog to play, and shade-tolerant plants for a vibe that is relaxed and natural, says designer Eric VanGrinsven. “The owners wanted to introduce uniqueness and variety, and that’s what they got.”
Other ideas to increase enjoyment on a patio of any size could include an outdoor audio system that’s designed to withstand the rain, cold, dust, sun and other elements; and strategic lighting to light a path or highlight and enhance specific features.
At home in the woods
The stone stairs down the steep hillside lead to a private patio under the trees, where a fire pit is the central attraction is this patio designed by Eric VanGrinsven. Requests for wood-burning or gas-fired fire pits built into a design plan have seen an uptick in the past couple of years, says landscape architect Ryan Fogarty. Style choices run the gamut, from rustic stacked stones to designs that are sleek and modern, or anything in between.
Need to add or upgrade a patio in your landscape? Click here to book a consultation with a member of Gardens of Babylon’s design team.
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