Expand Your Outdoor Living Space With a Satellite Patio
Invite guests to explore and enjoy the garden with a secondary seating area set apart from the main house
Lauren Dunec Hoang
March 8, 2017
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and in-house designer for Sunset's Editorial Test Garden. Her garden designs have been featured in the Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping, Sunset Western Garden Book of Easy-Care Plantings (cover), Inhabitat, and POPSUGAR.
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and... More
Traditional patios are often paved or gravel areas right off a home’s back door. There can also be an opportunity to add a secondary patio set apart from the house. The advantage of including a secondary seating area — or satellite patio — is that you create a reason for guests to step away from the main gathering spot and explore the garden. Here are 10 ideas for satellite patios that offer inviting places to sit, relax and enjoy a whole new perspective of the yard.
1. Woodland hillside. Sloped yards provide excellent opportunities for creating multiple destinations on different tiers. In this garden in Eugene, Oregon, designer Rebecca Sams used the level changes to create two satellite patios. The upper stone terrace provides room for a cafe table, while the larger lower patio has enough space for a small group to enjoy s’mores around the fire pit.
2. Side yard seating. Wide side yards can also make great spots for satellite patios. Line up a side yard seating area with a home’s windows so that you can enjoy the attractive vignette from inside the house (and perhaps be tempted to bring your morning coffee outside). In this Miami garden, a small stone patio and a pair of modern chairs create an inviting side nook amid the exuberant tropical foliage.
3. Curved lounge. While the primary patio or deck off the house may serve as the spot for an outdoor dining table, a second smaller patio creates an opportunity for a more intimate gathering area. In this contemporary garden in London, designer Kate Eyre used curves to carve out planting beds, walkways, the main patio and a smaller satellite one. The curvaceous design with multiple destinations transforms a narrow, rectangular city lot into a dynamic backyard.
4. Leafy retreat. For a greener look, use pavers planted with creeping ground covers as the floor for your satellite patio. In this garden in Melbourne, Australia, reclaimed granite pavers lead a visitor from the larger patio off the house through lush, curving borders to what feels like a clearing in a forest. Bright chairs and a sleek table give a reason to wander down the path.
See Houzz guides to growing ground covers
See Houzz guides to growing ground covers
5. Dining destination. Elevate a satellite patio to give it more presence in the landscape. Taking a few steps up to a stone terrace gives the sense of a journey to a destination and can make two parts of a small garden feel like distinct areas.
6. Evening hangout. If the main patio off the house receives most of the day-to-day use — perhaps as an area for cooking and eating outside — create a satellite patio for after-dinner enjoyment. Place chairs around a flickering fire pit, or light lanterns to cast an inviting glow around an outdoor lounge.
7. Formal garden. In classic formal gardens of England, France and Italy, designers often include multiple satellite seating areas placed at optimal viewing points to appreciate the garden. Adopt the design idea in your own backyard with a bench or a pair of chairs placed on a small patio positioned to take advantage of a garden view.
8. Driveway satellite patio. At a glance, you’d never think that this inviting table is just off the main driveway. The family living in this farmhouse in Wenatchee, Washington, enjoys hosting parties and having casual get-togethers with friends and relatives. The satellite patio serves as an informal place to pause and welcome guests, or works as a spillover seating area.
9. Modern barn. Adding a roof to a satellite patio turns it into a proper outdoor room — and increases how often you can use it in rainy climates. In this rural backyard in upstate New York, the architect covered the outdoor dining area with a slanted roof, leaving the sides open to the surrounding garden.
10. Front yard hangout. Satellite patios don’t need to be reserved for the backyard. A circular gravel patio in the front yard of a home in New York doubles as a second front porch — providing a welcoming spot for neighbors to stop by for a chat.
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It's especially nice to block some of the hot South Florida Sun.
Love what you did with it @Chantal!
It's a huge back yard with a small south-facing "patio" ... we put a flagstone patio under the tree, LED lanterns in the tree, and a picnic table. great for wine sipping, bird watching and relaxing.
Flagstone slabs are laid in dirt, as is the path.