Landscape Design
Before and Afters
Before and After: 3 Backyards With Zones for Relaxing and Dining
See how designers make over areas where homeowners can lounge, eat and play outdoors
Take a cue from your home’s interior design when updating your outdoor living space. Creating different zones within your backyard will allow you to extend the comforts of home outside and expand your overall living space. Read on to see how three landscape renovations added beautiful and functional places where the homeowners can hang out with family and friends, and discover ideas that might work for your own yard.
After: McCrae narrowed the existing planting beds from 10 feet to 3 feet deep, opening up lots of space for outdoor living. The main area of the new patio contains the dining and lounge areas. McCrae designed a large wood pergola to provide shade over the dining and seating areas, and added wicker globe lights that cast a warm glow and interesting shadows at night. An outdoor fireplace at the end is a beautiful focal point.
McCrae chose natural stone patio pavers in a range of grays with some blue hues to create continuity with the blue-gray pavers in the front yard. Long, rectangular pavers in a herringbone pattern create definition for the dining and lounge areas, with a band of straight pavers separating the two zones.
McCrae also ran a border of rectangular pavers around the herringbone pattern that delineates the entire dining-lounge space. She says that varying the shapes and patterns of the pavers to anchor different areas of the patio is the outdoor version of using area rugs to delineate rooms within an open interior floor plan.
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McCrae chose natural stone patio pavers in a range of grays with some blue hues to create continuity with the blue-gray pavers in the front yard. Long, rectangular pavers in a herringbone pattern create definition for the dining and lounge areas, with a band of straight pavers separating the two zones.
McCrae also ran a border of rectangular pavers around the herringbone pattern that delineates the entire dining-lounge space. She says that varying the shapes and patterns of the pavers to anchor different areas of the patio is the outdoor version of using area rugs to delineate rooms within an open interior floor plan.
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The fireplace surround is a limestone veneer that plays off the stone of the home’s exterior chimney. “I really wanted to bring in a light color,” McCrae says. “The limestone is pretty and creamy.”
The stone continues onto the built-in benches that surround it. Walls behind the benches anchor the fireplace and give it a presence that suits the scale of the yard and the other new elements.
The stone continues onto the built-in benches that surround it. Walls behind the benches anchor the fireplace and give it a presence that suits the scale of the yard and the other new elements.
Narrowing the planting beds allowed space for a generous bar-and-grill area off to one side. This area is designed for casual gatherings and for serving food and drinks. “It was fine to have this area slightly separate from the covered patio, and it’s close to the kitchen here,” McCrae says.
The designer used the same limestone veneer for the bar’s base that she used on the fireplace surround, then added a honed-concrete countertop.
See more of this backyard makeover
The designer used the same limestone veneer for the bar’s base that she used on the fireplace surround, then added a honed-concrete countertop.
See more of this backyard makeover
Before Photo
2. Stylish Retreat for All Ages
Yard at a Glance
Location: Denver
Size: 5,720 square feet (531 square meters); 65 by 88 feet
Landscape designers and builders: Ashley Stevens and Jonathan Stevens of Evoke
Before: When a couple with two young kids stepped into the backyard of their Denver home, not much enticed them to stay outside. “It was just a yard with one long deck across the whole back of the house, and there were no defined spaces,” says landscape designer Ashley Stevens, principal at Evoke.
The landscape design-build firm worked with the homeowners for months to create the ideal outdoor retreat for their family and loved ones. The new design includes covered dining and lounge patios, raised vegetable beds, festive outdoor lighting and a stunning monolithic water feature.
Yard at a Glance
Location: Denver
Size: 5,720 square feet (531 square meters); 65 by 88 feet
Landscape designers and builders: Ashley Stevens and Jonathan Stevens of Evoke
Before: When a couple with two young kids stepped into the backyard of their Denver home, not much enticed them to stay outside. “It was just a yard with one long deck across the whole back of the house, and there were no defined spaces,” says landscape designer Ashley Stevens, principal at Evoke.
The landscape design-build firm worked with the homeowners for months to create the ideal outdoor retreat for their family and loved ones. The new design includes covered dining and lounge patios, raised vegetable beds, festive outdoor lighting and a stunning monolithic water feature.
After: A dining area and an outdoor lounge, separated by a small grill area, replaced the deck at the back of the house. “Outdoor living was really important to them,” Stevens says. “They’re big entertainers, and they liked the idea of having two spaces: a defined dining area and a hanging-out lounge.”
The team created two custom steel arbors with fabric canopies, one for the 19-by-12-foot dining area and one for the 19-by-21-foot lounge area. The pergola awnings, from Denver Awning, are crafted from durable fabric meant to block the sun’s rays while also withstanding rain and wind. “They feel really airy and cozy when you’re underneath either of them,” Stevens says. “You have to take them off in the winter, because you don’t want snow sitting on top of them, and then put them back on in the spring.”
For the dining patio and adjacent lounge area, Stevens’ crew used sand-exposed concrete paving, adding a release agent after pouring it to reveal the fine aggregate on the surface. This way the concrete is “not that bright white; it has a more earthy feel to it,” Stevens says.
What to Know About Adding a Pergola
The team created two custom steel arbors with fabric canopies, one for the 19-by-12-foot dining area and one for the 19-by-21-foot lounge area. The pergola awnings, from Denver Awning, are crafted from durable fabric meant to block the sun’s rays while also withstanding rain and wind. “They feel really airy and cozy when you’re underneath either of them,” Stevens says. “You have to take them off in the winter, because you don’t want snow sitting on top of them, and then put them back on in the spring.”
For the dining patio and adjacent lounge area, Stevens’ crew used sand-exposed concrete paving, adding a release agent after pouring it to reveal the fine aggregate on the surface. This way the concrete is “not that bright white; it has a more earthy feel to it,” Stevens says.
What to Know About Adding a Pergola
The water feature that sits between the dining and lounge areas was inspired by the work of Italian landscape designer Luciano Giubbilei, after one of the homeowners sent Stevens a picture of the kind of water feature she wanted. “They also wanted the water feature to activate the space with sound. We tried to create something similar but using materials in Colorado,” Stevens says.
A quarry in the nearby town of Lyons cut a huge slab of Colorado buff sandstone for the water feature. “Then we had a custom steel water weir made that we chiseled into the stone and set, and then we core-drilled the monolithic stone so we could run the pipe up through it to feed the weir,” Stevens says. “And then we poured a custom water basin. This feature is central to the whole design, and the space just feels incredible when you’re in it.”
Stevens planted dwarf fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides, USDA zones 6 to 9; find your zone) around the fountain.
See more of this backyard makeover
A quarry in the nearby town of Lyons cut a huge slab of Colorado buff sandstone for the water feature. “Then we had a custom steel water weir made that we chiseled into the stone and set, and then we core-drilled the monolithic stone so we could run the pipe up through it to feed the weir,” Stevens says. “And then we poured a custom water basin. This feature is central to the whole design, and the space just feels incredible when you’re in it.”
Stevens planted dwarf fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides, USDA zones 6 to 9; find your zone) around the fountain.
See more of this backyard makeover
Before Photo
3. Tiered Outdoor Rooms for Gathering
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Vancouver
Size: 462 square feet (43 square meters)
Landscape designer and buider: David Andersen of Inside Out Design & Build
Before: The patio area of this Vancouver home was surrounded by lovely trees, including native vine maples (Acer circinatum, zones 6 to 9) and weeping red Japanese maples (Acer palmatum var. dissectum, zones 5 to 8). The 14-by-33-foot patio also related nicely to the house. But the patio surface and fencing looked tired, and frequent rain showers caused runoff-water problems and often left a lot of standing water.
The homeowners were looking for a comfortable lounge area, a dining area and a play area for their two children. They also liked the idea of incorporating decking. Landscape design-build pro David Andersen created a modern landscape that combines outdoor rooms and lovely new plantings to enhance what was already there.
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Vancouver
Size: 462 square feet (43 square meters)
Landscape designer and buider: David Andersen of Inside Out Design & Build
Before: The patio area of this Vancouver home was surrounded by lovely trees, including native vine maples (Acer circinatum, zones 6 to 9) and weeping red Japanese maples (Acer palmatum var. dissectum, zones 5 to 8). The 14-by-33-foot patio also related nicely to the house. But the patio surface and fencing looked tired, and frequent rain showers caused runoff-water problems and often left a lot of standing water.
The homeowners were looking for a comfortable lounge area, a dining area and a play area for their two children. They also liked the idea of incorporating decking. Landscape design-build pro David Andersen created a modern landscape that combines outdoor rooms and lovely new plantings to enhance what was already there.
After: Andersen’s tiered design divides the patio into two zones. The wood deck sits just outside the door and is the perfect fit for the outdoor furniture the family already owned. A strip of LED lighting along the edge of the deck highlights the level change at night and adds ambiance.
Andersen also designed new terraced retaining walls crafted of cinder blocks covered in acrylic stucco. The color of the stucco and its sandy textured finish complement the decking and the adjacent tiles.
As a bonus, the patio decking allows rainwater to drain into a gravel bed below, where it seeps into the soil. The system keeps the water on-site and prevents it from draining into neighboring properties or local storm drain systems.
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Andersen also designed new terraced retaining walls crafted of cinder blocks covered in acrylic stucco. The color of the stucco and its sandy textured finish complement the decking and the adjacent tiles.
As a bonus, the patio decking allows rainwater to drain into a gravel bed below, where it seeps into the soil. The system keeps the water on-site and prevents it from draining into neighboring properties or local storm drain systems.
Shop for outdoor lighting
Large-format porcelain tiles mark the dining zone and the passageway to the upper part of the yard, giving the patio a modern look. “These have a very creamy look that is not at all gray,” Andersen says. He also tiled over the existing concrete stairs for a clean and cohesive look. Using pavers here helps set off the dining space from the lounge.
The stucco walls that border two sides of the dining zone support a built-in wood dining bench.
Andersen found a spot on the upper level of the yard across from the garage for a play set for the couple’s children. He then added new plantings throughout. The finishing touch is new horizontal clear cedar fencing that lends a more modern look to the yard. The wood complements the plantings.
Read more about this makeover
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The stucco walls that border two sides of the dining zone support a built-in wood dining bench.
Andersen found a spot on the upper level of the yard across from the garage for a play set for the couple’s children. He then added new plantings throughout. The finishing touch is new horizontal clear cedar fencing that lends a more modern look to the yard. The wood complements the plantings.
Read more about this makeover
More on Houzz
Read more landscape design stories
Get landscape design ideas
Find a landscape designer or architect
Shop for outdoor products
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who likes to entertain
Location: San Clemente, California
Size: 1,600 square feet (149 square meters)
Landscape designer: Sacha McCrae of Living Gardens Landscape Design
Before: These homeowners in San Clemente, California, had four entries into their L-shaped backyard, but the small lawn hemmed in by deep planters and the tiny patio area didn’t encourage them to step outside. “Originally their backyard was almost all grass, with a paved path they could fit two chairs on,” landscape designer Sacha McCrae says.
The homeowners asked McCrae, whom they found on Houzz, to give them a backyard that would allow them to take advantage of the warm Orange County climate. Their must-have list included an outdoor fireplace, a shaded space, an outdoor lounge and dining area, and a grilling area. And they wanted the design to connect with the beautiful Craftsman-style architecture of their house.
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