Landscape Design
Patio of the Week
Patio of the Week: Minimalist Design With a Warm, Welcoming Feel
A landscape designer adds lots of seating, a dining area, a fire pit and a grilling station to a Toronto townhome’s yard
At 13½ by 21 feet, this Toronto townhome’s patio was a challenge to design. But landscape designer Nicole Porco found ways to incorporate seating, a fire pit and a grilling station while giving it an uncluttered, modern look. See how she elevated the patio from an uninviting sunken space to a warm and welcoming outdoor room.
After: The landscape designer gave the retaining walls a fresh facing with a composite product that resembles rich teakwood. “We used strapping to attach the new boards to the existing structure,” she says. She replaced the existing pressure-treated wood on the stairs and pathway with the same material.
The new plantings include boxwoods (Buxus sp.) on both planted terraces, as well as rhododendrons along the garage. “Both of these will have green leaves throughout the seasons,” Porco says. She also added hydrangeas along the garage that will cover up more of its brick wall as they grow taller.
Composite facing: Concordia decking in Warm Sienna, Fiberon
The new plantings include boxwoods (Buxus sp.) on both planted terraces, as well as rhododendrons along the garage. “Both of these will have green leaves throughout the seasons,” Porco says. She also added hydrangeas along the garage that will cover up more of its brick wall as they grow taller.
Composite facing: Concordia decking in Warm Sienna, Fiberon
The wall along the left was existing. Porco had it cleaned up and painted a deep espresso color that provides a beautiful contrast to the lighter composite material. She used a glass railing to keep the space feeling open and modern.
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Stainless steel spigots anchor the glass railing. “This is the most seamless way to install glass,” Porco says.
Before: The wood screen fronting this bridge, which separates the yard from the next-door neighbor’s, was rotting. The homeowner and his neighbor both use the bridge to access their garages from their homes.
After: Porco left the bridge’s structural elements in place but replaced the deteriorating facing to match the opposite wall. And she brought the solid wall up higher, providing the patio with more privacy.
This photo also shows two mounted outdoor heaters along the wall. With a little help from the heaters and a new fire pit, patio season lasts from May through October.
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This photo also shows two mounted outdoor heaters along the wall. With a little help from the heaters and a new fire pit, patio season lasts from May through October.
Shop for outdoor dining furniture
Working within the small footprint of the patio, Porco created a minimalist design that suits the modern architecture of the townhome. “Because this was such a small area, we used a built-in bench to save space,” she says.
The L-shaped bench is made of the same composite material she used on the staircase, path and retaining walls. It wraps the corner to create a fire pit lounge and extends down the right side of the patio to serve as seating in the dining area.
Porco added a simple square concrete fire pit to the corner. It has a propane line that leads to tanks hidden behind the wall to the right. There is a door for access to the tanks.
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The L-shaped bench is made of the same composite material she used on the staircase, path and retaining walls. It wraps the corner to create a fire pit lounge and extends down the right side of the patio to serve as seating in the dining area.
Porco added a simple square concrete fire pit to the corner. It has a propane line that leads to tanks hidden behind the wall to the right. There is a door for access to the tanks.
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The grilling station is just off the entrance to the home, making it easy to carry food between indoors and out.
“The townhome has a large glass expanse looking out at the patio, so we wanted the exterior elements to match the clean-lined interior elements,” the designer says. The waterfall countertop and facing around the grill are Dekton, an ultracompact engineered surface. The unit also includes two drawers and a cabinet for storage.
The new patio surface is composed of large-format porcelain tiles that resemble concrete.
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“The townhome has a large glass expanse looking out at the patio, so we wanted the exterior elements to match the clean-lined interior elements,” the designer says. The waterfall countertop and facing around the grill are Dekton, an ultracompact engineered surface. The unit also includes two drawers and a cabinet for storage.
The new patio surface is composed of large-format porcelain tiles that resemble concrete.
Find a local countertop pro
“The goal for the lighting was to make it feel comfortable. There were lots of walls and levels to work with,” Porco says. She integrated lights into the stairs for safety, and another set of lights runs under the top retaining wall, illuminating the pathway from the garage to the stairs. She also added LED rope lights beneath the bench for a cozy glow.
What to Know About Adding Outdoor Lighting
What to Know About Adding Outdoor Lighting
On this site plan, the garage is at the top and the townhome is at the bottom. The plan shows how Porco kept all the lines clean to suit the architecture of the townhome. The plants lend softness to the rectilinear space.
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Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
More on Houzz
Read more stories about patios
Browse thousands of patio photos
Find a local fence pro
Shop for your outdoor spaces
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A single man
Location: Toronto
Size: 283 square feet (26 square meters)
Landscape design-build firm: Pro-Land Landscape Construction
Before: This homeowner had downsized from a larger, more traditional home to a sleek, modern townhome. He wanted the outdoor space to reflect the home’s clean-lined architecture and interiors.
The patio, seen here, occupied the space between the home and its brick-covered garage. “The retaining walls continued into the neighbor’s yard, so we could not replace them,” Porco says. Her firm, Pro-Land Landscape Construction, completed the design and the construction.
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