Patio of the Week: Inviting Terrace in Oregon Inspired by Italy
Warm-colored stonework and intimate seating areas strung with lights help to bring the magic of an Italian holiday home
After taking a trip to Rome, the owners of this backyard in Portland, Oregon, were inspired to redo their outdoor space to capture some of the magical ambience they encountered in Italy. Inspiration struck on one of their first nights in the Eternal City, when the couple discovered a small restaurant tucked into a narrow alley that had cafe tables spilling out onto the street. Night after night they returned to the restaurant, working their way through the menu and noting the design elements — twinkling cafe lights, climbing plants and cozy nooks for seating — that they appreciated in the outdoor space.
The homeowners contacted Drake’s 7 Dees Landscaping shortly after returning home from their vacation, with a wish list inspired by the cafe for their backyard. After a three-month installation process, a new garden taken from their Roman holiday was born.
The homeowners contacted Drake’s 7 Dees Landscaping shortly after returning home from their vacation, with a wish list inspired by the cafe for their backyard. After a three-month installation process, a new garden taken from their Roman holiday was born.
Fire Pit Seating Area
For the floor of the fire pit seating area — which measures about 115 square feet — Dara used a mix of warm-tone decomposed granite with a scattering of pavers as a nod to the flagstone often used in Italy. The pavers (Belgard Plaza paver in “Victorian” color) also visually tie the fire pit area to the garden walkway and dining terrace, where they were also used for the flooring. A curved bench seat made of chunky, warm-tone stones topped with quarry-cut stone coping offers seats for a small group.
Dara’s team built the smoke-free natural gas fire pit from the same stone used for the base of the bench seating. The designer says he purposely designed the fire pit to be somewhat oversize for the space — it measures 5 feet, 4 inches in diameter — as it allows the coping to be a similar width as the bench seat and can double as a place to rest a wine glass or a tray of appetizers.
A 10-foot-tall, 20-foot-long cedar trellis follows the curve of the bench seat, anchoring the seating area. Fragrant star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) planted to climb up the posts and ultimately drape the roof of the trellis captures how the homeowners remember the vines cloaking the walls of their Roman restaurant terrace. Hanging baskets planted with bright red and magenta flowers, reminiscent of the geranium-packed window boxes on Italian balconies, add to the effect.
For the floor of the fire pit seating area — which measures about 115 square feet — Dara used a mix of warm-tone decomposed granite with a scattering of pavers as a nod to the flagstone often used in Italy. The pavers (Belgard Plaza paver in “Victorian” color) also visually tie the fire pit area to the garden walkway and dining terrace, where they were also used for the flooring. A curved bench seat made of chunky, warm-tone stones topped with quarry-cut stone coping offers seats for a small group.
Dara’s team built the smoke-free natural gas fire pit from the same stone used for the base of the bench seating. The designer says he purposely designed the fire pit to be somewhat oversize for the space — it measures 5 feet, 4 inches in diameter — as it allows the coping to be a similar width as the bench seat and can double as a place to rest a wine glass or a tray of appetizers.
A 10-foot-tall, 20-foot-long cedar trellis follows the curve of the bench seat, anchoring the seating area. Fragrant star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) planted to climb up the posts and ultimately drape the roof of the trellis captures how the homeowners remember the vines cloaking the walls of their Roman restaurant terrace. Hanging baskets planted with bright red and magenta flowers, reminiscent of the geranium-packed window boxes on Italian balconies, add to the effect.
Dining Terrace
The new dining terrace was designed to capture the feeling of intimacy the couple remembered from the restaurant tucked away in the alley in Rome. A new cedar pergola covers the seating area, bringing the outdoor ceiling down to create a more cozy atmosphere. As a finishing touch, the homeowners strung cafe lights from the beams of the pergola to make the space even more inviting in the evening.
The dining patio measures about 14 feet by 20 feet, a size that doesn’t feel too large for the couple on their own but also allows for a larger group, as guests can spill over to the fire pit seating area. In the evening, low-voltage LEDs illuminate garden pathways and patio edges.
The new dining terrace was designed to capture the feeling of intimacy the couple remembered from the restaurant tucked away in the alley in Rome. A new cedar pergola covers the seating area, bringing the outdoor ceiling down to create a more cozy atmosphere. As a finishing touch, the homeowners strung cafe lights from the beams of the pergola to make the space even more inviting in the evening.
The dining patio measures about 14 feet by 20 feet, a size that doesn’t feel too large for the couple on their own but also allows for a larger group, as guests can spill over to the fire pit seating area. In the evening, low-voltage LEDs illuminate garden pathways and patio edges.
The designer used plantings appropriate to the Pacific Northwest to create a lush border around the new patio space. Border plants include astilbe, daphne, hosta, mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus), ‘Pewter Lace’ Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum ‘Pewter Lace’), rhododendron, dappled willow (Salix integra ‘Hakuro-nishiki’), maples (Acer spp.) and dogwoods (Cornus spp.). Terra-cotta-colored New Zealand flax (Phormium sp.) and lime green sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas) act as bright punctuations in pots on the patio.
At the back of the garden by the fire pit, a mature plum tree with striking deep maroon foliage casts a pool of natural shade. The plum was saved from the original backyard and given a careful pruning to emphasize its graceful branch structure. Dara reports that all plants are watered with drip irrigation.
At the back of the garden by the fire pit, a mature plum tree with striking deep maroon foliage casts a pool of natural shade. The plum was saved from the original backyard and given a careful pruning to emphasize its graceful branch structure. Dara reports that all plants are watered with drip irrigation.
New steps constructed from limestone coping on traditional box framing with ipe wood fronts create a handsome transition from the living room to the outdoor dining room. “The steps are one of my favorite design components of the project,” Dara says. “That limestone will wear just like the travertine of Rome.” (Travertine, a type of limestone, was used for the Colosseum and other famous historical structures in Italy. It has a similar chalky hue to the limestone Dara selected for the stair treads.)
The new backyard has transformed how the homeowners enjoy time at home. “They have turned their backyard into an unimaginably beautiful space and are now the centralized location in the neighborhood for relaxing and socializing,” Dara says. As an added bonus — which, we might add, feels wonderfully Italian — he shares, “I’m allowed over any time as long as I bring a bottle of wine.”
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Backyard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with college-age children; she’s an elementary-school teacher and he’s an engineer
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon, about 20 miles west of Portland
Size: 2,600-square-foot (242-square-meter) backyard
Designer: Drake’s 7 Dees Landscaping and Garden Center
Before work began, the outdoor space was what landscape Christopher Dara describes as a ubiquitous Portland backyard, with perimeter fencing, lawn and various shrubs — nothing that pulled the homeowners outside to enjoy the space. Poor-draining soil had led to a patchy lawn, and the existing deck needed repairs.
Dara, a senior designer at Drake’s 7 Dees, helped the couple bring their vision to life. “It’s hard to turn a story into a space,” he says, after the homeowners shared memories of their favorite restaurant in Rome, but he assured them he could capture some of the ambience of Mediterranean al fresco dining in their Portland backyard.
Dara proposed a design that would split the backyard into multiple areas: a fire pit lounge with warm-tone stones, a new dining patio set with pavers and a small satellite deck outside the kitchen to enjoy morning coffee. (The deck is seen here, to the left of the fire pit, under the existing plum tree.)
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