Maybe it's that I don't know the type of plant material you are using (I'm in New England), but I am struggling to see some supporting plant material, like form filling evergreens)to provide some structure to the landscape design. The lines created by the patio at 45 degrees to the wall are creating a very powerful statement that needs to be played to or diminished by supporting plant forms.

In the last pic, look down the sight line of the path between the Tiki torches to the edge of the patio past the chimera (?) to the red plant in the white pot sitting on the apex of the patio, I would expect to see a stronger focal point there.

You might want to decide if an angular or curvilinear style is what you are after. For the angular style look up some books by John Brooks.

Hello Isabella, thanks for your ovservations. Like you said, there isn't much supporting plant material visible. They are there though. It will take a couple of years for the plants to fill in. I'd say five years or so. Here is a picture that I photoshopped to give you a sense of what I'm waiting for.
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I have lots of succulents such as tree aloes (aloe ferox, aloe marlothii, aloe alooides, aloe excelsa), agave vilmorniana, dracaenas, hesperaloe parviflora, beschorneria yuccoides and some palms other than the two queen palms already there (dypsis decipiens). I tried to create a symetry between the two sides of the patio. The two small trees in the back are arbutus 'marina' (a Californian native). Locally, they will only reach 20 to 25 feet tall. Everything planted is evergreen with the exception of the blue flowering jacaranda and an erythrina crista-galli on the far right of the picture near the wall. Between the larger plants, there are plenty of smaller clumping aloes, succulents and groundcovers.

I'm not in the designer side of the business, so I'll leave that aspect to others.

As to the overall use of space question, that is a question you will have to answer for yourself. You are designing the space to meet your needs, so it must be adequate. One thing I do notice is that now the space looks much smaller, but if you have it full of your favorite plants then it serves your needs.

Cute dogs! Good going on taking a problem (drought) and finding a solution. My impression is that when it is grown up, you will feel like you are in a jungle - a private, lush, green jungle that doesn't take too much water.
My suggestion is to put stepping stone walkways throughout the plantings - for your dogs to run around, for you to walk through and enjoy the plantings, and for maintenance. Your neighbors will be amazed at your water-wise jungle!

Wow, you have been busy! I wish I had half your energy.

I agree with holley about the advisability of adding stone walkways around the yard.

Interesting what isabella said about the patio's 45º angle. I can see that. But for me (and I'm also not a designer), the problem with the patio is the contrast with the rest of the yard: small rectangular, man-made pavers vs. huge, irregular-shaped flagstones; right angles and straight lines vs. randomly-planted jungle. It fights the rest of the space.

Could the shape of the patio be changed from that uncompromising square to a more rounded clearing-in-the-jungle shape? Or perhaps when your plants have grown to the size of the final mock-up -- overhanging and softening the edges of the patio -- the square will be less obtrusive. But please lose the white rocks!

Thanks Rhodium, I really do like being surrounded by giant, fleshy succulents. It's a big change from the plants i've been using up to now. Hostas, roses, daylilies, hydrangea, cannas...they are all really nice, but they die back in our winter and i'm left looking at bare twigs and a sea of mulch. The area has been evolving little by little as I realized that I was using the wrong plants for my climate zone, and as I hosted friends and family for barbecues and smores nights. This area is kind of like the "entertainment room".

Holleygarden, I do hope my yard looks like that photoshopped picture within five years or less! haha. And thanks for the compliments on the doggies! They don't like to hang out much on this side of the yard because their doghouse, food and water are all on the north side of the house where they get shade from the house. I do however think the stepping stone suggestion is a great idea. Now...it's just a matter of waiting for our heat to pass so I can go and work outside. (it's currently 112F outside!)

Also, the strip of lawn adjacent to the covered patio and beyond is still there. That part of the yard is shaded until about noon, and other parts nearly all day because of a locust tree.
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missingtheobvious, sorry I missed your post while I was answering the previous ones. OK, so I get what you mean. There is perfect geometry amid assymetrical plantings and an irregular angled yard. My problem came about because I'd really like to have some degree of symetry, but the yard comes into a drastically acute angle on the southern side of the yard, so I've juggled the two ideas back and forth. I don't know that I can change the shape of the patio anymore. There are too many obstacles in place now (drainage basins and drainage pipes for wintertime rain, irrigation piping...) and I see what you mean about the rocks. haha. You're not the first one to tell me about them. I'll talk to the boss lady about that.