Color Makes a Garden Dining Room Sing in Santa Fe
Vibrant stucco walls, living art and chic furniture harmonize in an outdoor dining room in New Mexico
Inspired by the vibrant colors of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, a couple decided to import deep orange and golden tan hues to their yard in Santa Fe, New Mexico. "This space was important to them, because the weather in Santa Fe is so nice most of the year, and they wanted to be able to use it as a secondary space just to hang out," says designer Mark Haynes.
The outdoor room is well appointed with comfortable and contemporary woven furniture, smart accessories and brightly colored stucco walls. The experience is improved by filtered sunlight, diverse plantings, a living piece of art and the babble from a custom fountain. Here's a closer look at where the couple now enjoys spending as much time as possible, entertaining friends, watching the birds and relaxing.
Garden at a Glance
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Size: About 640 square feet
Budget: About $30,000
The outdoor room is well appointed with comfortable and contemporary woven furniture, smart accessories and brightly colored stucco walls. The experience is improved by filtered sunlight, diverse plantings, a living piece of art and the babble from a custom fountain. Here's a closer look at where the couple now enjoys spending as much time as possible, entertaining friends, watching the birds and relaxing.
Garden at a Glance
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Size: About 640 square feet
Budget: About $30,000
BEFORE: Haynes had his work cut out for him; this was a serious full remodel, right down to the dirt. And the space is not only a place for stopping and relaxing. "The patio is situated between the main house and an artist's studio, so it is also used as a means to move between both buildings," he says.
AFTER: Haynes designed a vertical succulent garden to serve as living art on the deep orange stucco wall. "The vertical garden takes a lot of care and water in a dry climate like Santa Fe's," he warns. "In a wetter climate, the care and water requirements would be minimized."
Stucco walls: custom mixed by El Rey
Stucco walls: custom mixed by El Rey
The furniture layout is very similar to what you'd expect in an indoor dining room, right down to the mirror and wall sconces above the console table. "In the warmer months, they eat all their meals outside and usually have a fire in the fireplace at dinner," he says.
Dining room table, chairs: Emu
Dining room table, chairs: Emu
Haynes designed the boulder fountain himself. The 1,200-pound rock had to be craned in, but the way it fits into the landscape made it worth the effort. A hole drilled top to bottom paired with a small well at the top lets the water pool and then roll down the the large rock. A lined pit at the bottom prevents leakage and contains the pump.
In this dry climate, the fountain plays a big role in the birdwatching, Haynes says: "The birds come into the courtyard to drink from the fountain."
In this dry climate, the fountain plays a big role in the birdwatching, Haynes says: "The birds come into the courtyard to drink from the fountain."
A shade sail overhead offers protection from the sun, and the fountain on the left provides the tranquil sounds of gurgling water. The patio floor and hearth are both made of flagstone.
The view into the garden reveals an exquisite plant collection. Aspen trees sport soft greenish-yellow leaves and beautifully textured light bark, a blue spruce adds blue-green needles, and Japanese maples add intricately shaped plum leaves. The wide range of color, texture and shapes provided by these three species stand out against the stucco backdrop.