This Boerum Hill, Brooklyn rooftop terrace garden features a zinc fountain flanked by corten steel planters, custom-built ipe wood planters, bench seating, and a bed of Mexican beach stones. Many people enjoy outdoor fountains for the relaxing sound they provide, which can also help to drown out noises from A/C units or other jarring sounds of the city. We also designed these beautiful ipe (pronounced e-pay) wood planters and a comfortable built-in bench with storage under the seats. Check out the before photo at www.amberfreda.com.

Red Garden Bench in the garden at Soul Safari™. This bench can be a great DIY project. This is the first bench I designed and built early on in our business. Its construction is all 2x4 lumber, making straight cuts and screwing or nailing the cut pieces together. Photo by Landscape Artist: Brett D. Maloney.

Dan Silverstein
Inspiration for a contemporary backyard patio remodel in New York with a bbq area

Ocean Wisp Contemporary Metal Art Sculpture The animated abstract twist of this free-standing metal ribbon sculpture is a candy-colored confection that dances and floats above its base. The spiraling form lifts off toward the sky like a living thing, and its blue-green luminosity makes it gleam like spun sugar. Dimensions: - Approximately 49"H x 15"L x 15"D including the 14" artistically textured wooden base. - Ready to secure to a patio, deck or garden stone with the included pre-drilled mounting plate for easy installation.(Screws not included) Color: Jewel Tones Aquamarine Please note: custom pieces are available for your size and color specifications.

This Brooklyn rooftop garden features custom-made cedar planter boxes on casters, a cedar L-shaped bench sectional with built-in storage under the seats, an outdoor bar, powder-coated metal planters, and metal chairs from Design Within Reach. Lush perennial plantings include maiden grasses, pink anemones, sedum, lavender, arborvitaes, birch trees, and 'Limelight' hydrangeas. All of the planters contain low-voltage up-lighting fixtures and automated drip irrigation. Read more about our projects on my blog, www.amberfreda.com.

Introducing the Courtyard Collection at Sonoma, located near Ballantyne in Charlotte. These 51 single-family homes are situated with a unique twist, and are ideal for people looking for the lifestyle of a townhouse or condo, without shared walls. Lawn maintenance is included! All homes include kitchens with granite counters and stainless steel appliances, plus attached 2-car garages. Our 3 model homes are open daily! Schools are Elon Park Elementary, Community House Middle, Ardrey Kell High. The Hanna is a 2-story home which has everything you need on the first floor, including a Kitchen with an island and separate pantry, open Family/Dining room with an optional Fireplace, and the laundry room tucked away. Upstairs is a spacious Owner's Suite with large walk-in closet, double sinks, garden tub and separate large shower. You may change this to include a large tiled walk-in shower with bench seat and separate linen closet. There are also 3 secondary bedrooms with a full bath with double sinks.

Both bench and arbor can packed flat and were easily assembled. The bench has a removable back and folds flat for storage off-season.
This is an example of a traditional landscaping in Portland Maine.

Inspiration for a contemporary courtyard concrete paver water fountain landscape in London.

The back stoop was reimagined with a reclaimed brick base and a decorative metal bench topped with bright pillows. Previously planted with shrubs, this area was little used, though the family often lingered nearby on the steps. By introducing a bench, the design transformed it into a comfortable gathering spot, honoring how the family naturally uses the space. The bench’s classic detailing adds a subtle heritage note to this welcoming corner.

design: Carrie Preston (Studio TOOP) and Jasper Helmantel (Cruydt Hoeck), 2011 location: Appeltern, NL status: built in 2012 by Appeltern Model Garden Complex photos: Jolanthe Lalkens, October 2012 Designed as assignment from both the Dutch gardening magazine Groei & Bloei and the television and radio nature program Vara's Vroege Vogels, this garden serves as a model of how homeowners can incorporate lots of plant life and wildlife into the design but without sacrificing practicality or aesthetics. The garden is deliberately contemporary in its style to emphasize that nature-rich gardens need not look a certain way - insects and birds don't care if the lines are straight or curved. At the same time the garden makes use of affordable, simple, no-nonsense materials. The 40x60 cm paving stones are one of the most common and affordable paving options in the Netherlands, available en masse for free on the Internet. Conceptually we imagined a garden completely paved with the tiles (as to many gardens are) and what would happen if took out some of these stones, used them to build benches and structure and added plants where the tiles had been. In the construction of the benches we include other materials such as bamboo sticks and insulation bricks that create habitat for insects such as solitary bees. The plant palette is based on a selection of native and host plants in combination with the 26 plants plan set up by Groei & Boei -- a list of plants aimed at making the use of more plants in gardens accessible and less intimidating. The choice for the number 26 corresponds with the number of letters in the alphabet in line with the famous Dutch garden designer Mien Ruy's comment that if we only need 26 letters to create a whole language, we should be able to combine and mix 26 plants to express far more than we think.

The walkway terminates in a European style boxwood framed potager garden with pea gravel walkways.
Design ideas for a traditional backyard gravel landscaping in Toronto.

A wider view of the front courtyard - with black planter boxes planted with weeping flowering cheries, layered hedges, Lutyens bench & bordered lawn | Designed by | HEDGE Garden Design & Nursery. Photo credit: Paul McCredie for NZ House & Garden

design: Carrie Preston (Studio TOOP) and Jasper Helmantel (Cruydt Hoeck), 2011 location: Appeltern, NL status: built in 2012 by Appeltern Model Garden Complex photos: Jolanthe Lalkens, June 2013 Designed as assignment from both the Dutch gardening magazine Groei & Bloei and the television and radio nature program Vara's Vroege Vogels, this garden serves as a model of how homeowners can incorporate lots of plant life and wildlife into the design but without sacrificing practicality or aesthetics. The garden is deliberately contemporary in its style to emphasize that nature-rich gardens need not look a certain way - insects and birds don't care if the lines are straight or curved. At the same time the garden makes use of affordable, simple, no-nonsense materials. The 40x60 cm paving stones are one of the most common and affordable paving options in the Netherlands, available en masse for free on the Internet. Conceptually we imagined a garden completely paved with the tiles (as to many gardens are) and what would happen if took out some of these stones, used them to build benches and structure and added plants where the tiles had been. In the construction of the benches we include other materials such as bamboo sticks and insulation bricks that create habitat for insects such as solitary bees. The plant palette is based on a selection of native and host plants in combination with the 26 plants plan set up by Groei & Boei -- a list of plants aimed at making the use of more plants in gardens accessible and less intimidating. The choice for the number 26 corresponds with the number of letters in the alphabet in line with the famous Dutch garden designer Mien Ruy's comment that if we only need 26 letters to create a whole language, we should be able to combine and mix 26 plants to express far more than we think.

This inner-city garden was designed to meet the needs of a young family who like to entertain but still required solutions for storage and off street parking. Key to the design was connecting the two different areas of the lower courtyard with the upper carstand area. A solution was obtained through constructing an intermediate landing with built in seating and a new gas BBQ. An open style steel balustrade allows for safety between the two areas and visually takes full advantage of the depth of the property. All-weather protection provided by retractable awnings to both upper and lower areas ensures year round enjoyment. Sliding doors in the garage help the generous storage recede into the design. Spotted gum hardwood timber decking extends the internal areas outside and the wrap around steps further connect the spaces by providing an inviting entry to the BBQ area. A large floating timber bench seat is both practical and breaks up the large retaining wall to the upper carport. A grey and white colour palette provides a sophisticated look whilst highlighting punctuations of playful colour and contemporary styling to link the children’s play areas with the home.

Custom head board and bed in this lovely master bedroom.
Bedroom - large transitional master dark wood floor bedroom idea in Toronto with gray walls

This inner-city garden was designed to meet the needs of a young family who like to entertain but still required solutions for storage and off street parking. Key to the design was connecting the two different areas of the lower courtyard with the upper carstand area. A solution was obtained through constructing an intermediate landing with built in seating and a new gas BBQ. An open style steel balustrade allows for safety between the two areas and visually takes full advantage of the depth of the property. All-weather protection provided by retractable awnings to both upper and lower areas ensures year round enjoyment. Sliding doors in the garage help the generous storage recede into the design. Spotted gum hardwood timber decking extends the internal areas outside and the wrap around steps further connect the spaces by providing an inviting entry to the BBQ area. A large floating timber bench seat is both practical and breaks up the large retaining wall to the upper carport. A grey and white colour palette provides a sophisticated look whilst highlighting punctuations of playful colour and contemporary styling to link the children’s play areas with the home.

design: Studio TOOP and TOOP tuinhuisjes, 2013 location: Wilp, NL status: spring 2014, TOOP tuinhuisjes, Weldam Groenprojecten, Van Bert (Bert Jan Siebesma) en OSH Hoveniers photo: Joanne Schweitzer, July 2014 An irregular lot, the challenge was to come up with a way to connect all its corners and sections. The pergola in the same style as the new veranda (pilot project for www.tooptuinhuisjes.nl) helps link the back section with the rest, as do the repeating benches. The planting is used to fill the space inbetween that winds organically around the structures. The paving is mostly crushed shells with alternating sizes of Schellevis pavers in the patio areas. The sunken trampoline and the room for sleep overs in the veranda make the garden extra popular with the kids in the neighborhood.

Barnes Walker Ltd
Photo of a traditional partial sun stone garden path in Manchester.

Built in bench seat created out of formed concrete and raised garden beds.
Photo of a contemporary side yard stone garden path in Sydney.