Bring life, color, and comfort to a plain patio with achievable projects and versatile furniture.
Patio - mid-sized transitional backyard concrete patio idea in Charlotte with no cover

We are so excited about this stylish Houston patio addition! It's one of our most recent outdoor living space design projects - and one of our new favorites! We particularly love the rustic corner fireplace, the beautiful, vaulted pine ceiling and the Restoration Hardware furniture and accessories. "Even though this space has an outdoor kitchen - often the highlight of our projects - the focus here is beautiful, comfortable outdoor living," says Outdoor Homescapes of Houston owner Wayne Franks. "And I have to say, I think this is one of the most gorgeous spaces we've created for doing that - in style." "This project was special from the start, as we were creating this space for a friend of Wayne’s who had been a long time mentor to his boys growing up," adds Lisha Maxey, owner of LGH Designs in Houston (she coordinated furniture and finishes for the project). "This client was the principal of their high school and knew all of them very well and Wayne, too. This made it very personal, indeed, and we wanted everything to be perfect!" The 23- by 16-foot addition, located at the back of the house in Cypress, looks out onto a manmade lake in the homeowners' subdivision. The focal point? A 9-foot-8-inch-high-by-7-foot-wide corner fireplace in Earth Grey rustic ledgestone from Colorstone in Houston. The fireplace features a custom wooden mantel, stone bench seating and a 52-inch Sunbrite outdoor TV. Another highlight is the flooring - silver travertine tile laid out in a Versailles pattern. "We chose silver travertine in a 'Tumbled' color palette with variations of cream and brown," says Lisha. "So we had those two colors, plus grey, to pull from." The 7-foot-long, stucco outdoor kitchen island's countertops are also noteworthy - Absolute Black granite in a leathered finish offering a modern look and a dark grey hue that works perfectly with the color palette. The kitchen island also houses an RCS 30-inch grill and fridge. The seating area includes a sectional couch, coffee table, two swivel chairs and two ottomans - all from Restoration Hardware. "We used Restoration Hardware's Biscayne sectional, swivel chairs and ottomans in gray, with textured linen weave in Sand and cushions and peacock accent pillows in gray," says Lisha. The coffee table is made of solid teak with a concrete top - as is the matching side table. "We added a console table, also in teak, behind the sofa. And for accents, we added three Amalfi lanterns from Restoration Hardware in weathered zinc." A Sunbrella® Heathered area rug (in Gray) was added to anchor the space and visually tie it together. "The space as a whole leans towards a transitional style, in that it has many traditional cozy comforts and colors, but the furniture gives it a more contemporary look," says Lisha. "The idea from the beginning was to marry these two styles, as our clients wanted a look that would not age and be in vogue for years to come." On the exterior, you can see how we worked to make the addition blend with the existing home - matching the shingles and stucco and continuing the landscaping. 3D graphic renderings and a virtual video tour allowed the clients to know exactly what the space would look like beforehand. "It takes a lot of the guesswork out of the process," says Outdoor Homescapes' graphic designer, Kristy Buell Franks. "Floor plans and elevation drawings are good for giving an idea of the overall scope of the project, but it's the 3D renderings that really show what the space is going to look like." The 3D graphics and video tours also help immensely when choosing finishing materials and furniture, she says: "The clients' choices can be put into the design to allow the clients to see how the materials will work with the existing materials on the house and how the furniture will look in the space." What do you like about this space? Post a comment and let us know! URL http://www.outdoorhomescapes.com

Landscape design took into consideration the clients' love of sports, family gatherings and entertainment within a small backyard space. Greg Wilson Photography

Example of a country deck design in San Francisco

Inspiration for a transitional patio remodel in Seattle

This back yard was designed to include multi-level sitting areas. Patio constructed with stamped concrete, Gold-Ore Boulders used for retaining lower area. Gas Fire pit makes for focal point of lower area. Littleton, Colorado. Photo: Ron Ruscio Browne and Associates Custom Landscapes.

Modern outdoor patio expansion. Indoor-Outdoor Living and Dining. Poured concrete walls, steel posts, bluestain pine ceilings, skylights, standing seam metal roof, firepit, and modern landscaping. Photo by Jess Blackwell

Example of a tuscan patio design in San Diego with a roof extension

Landscape Architect: Douglas Hoerr, FASLA; Photos by Linda Oyama Bryan
Inspiration for a mediterranean courtyard stone formal garden in Chicago for summer.

Designed and built by Land Art Design, Inc. In this project, we added multi-level living space with this deck and underside patio combination. The custom deck includes wrought iron railing, matching the stairway connecting the two levels. The underside patio features a bead board ceiling with recessed lighting and ceiling fans.

It was pretty much a blank area but with some elevation issues. The seating wall served 2 purposes as a seating space but also to retain some of the patio. Natural fieldstone steppers lead from the driveway area to the patio. An assortment of perennials and plantings soften the hardscape project. Serviceberry, hybrid dogwood, and a large dwarf pine are the anchor plants. We also created a raised vegetable garden space off the patio too. Marc Depoto (Hillside Nurseries Inc.)

These homeowners faced a significant challenge when designing the patio of their dreams. The yard sloped into a forest backing onto their home. This was resolved by building several steps that lead to a beautiful sunken patio with a surrounding U-Cara retaining wall that showcases their lush gardens. They chose to also add a U-Cara firepit as the focal point, so their family can relax in a cozy setting.

Bringing the outdoors in with retractable patio doors.
Example of a tuscan brick patio design in Phoenix

French Inspired Pool and Landscape. Designed and Photographed by Marco Romani, RLA - Landscape Architect. Arrow
Example of a classic backyard stone and rectangular pool fountain design in Chicago

Outdoor Patio Space with Kitchen, Landscaping and Tumbled Concrete Pavers
Inspiration for a mid-sized mediterranean stone patio remodel in Los Angeles with no cover and a bbq area

Design and install completed by Whispering Hills Garden & Landscape Center.
Mid-sized elegant backyard brick patio photo in Chicago

Designed and built by Land Art Design, Inc.
Mid-sized trendy backyard stone patio fountain photo in DC Metro with no cover

This cozy, yet gorgeous space added over 310 square feet of outdoor living space and has been in the works for several years. The home had a small covered space that was just not big enough for what the family wanted and needed. They desired a larger space to be able to entertain outdoors in style. With the additional square footage came more concrete and a patio cover to match the original roof line of the home. Brick to match the home was used on the new columns with cedar wrapped posts and the large custom wood burning fireplace that was built. The fireplace has built-in wood holders and a reclaimed beam as the mantle. Low voltage lighting was installed to accent the large hearth that also serves as a seat wall. A privacy wall of stained shiplap was installed behind the grill – an EVO 30” ceramic top griddle. The counter is a wood to accent the other aspects of the project. The ceiling is pre-stained tongue and groove with cedar beams. The flooring is a stained stamped concrete without a pattern. The homeowner now has a great space to entertain – they had custom tables made to fit in the space. TK Images

All Photos and Landscape Design by Deborah Cerbone Associates, Inc.
Elegant patio photo in New York with a fire pit