View from under the beech toward the bluestone patio.
Photo of a mid-sized traditional full sun courtyard brick formal garden in Boston.

Western Exposure Photography. http://www.westernexposurebrochures.com/

When you open the back doors of the home of Nancy and Jeremy Campbell in Granville, you don’t just step out onto a patio. You enter an extension of a modern living space that just happens to be outdoors. Their patio’s unique design and setting provides the comfort and style of indoors while enjoying the natural beauty and fresh air of outdoors. It all started with a rather desolate back yard. “It was completely blank, there was nothing back there,” Nancy remembers of the patio space of this 1972 split-level house they bought five years ago. With a blank slate to work with, the Campbells knew the key elements of what they wanted for their new outdoor space when they sat down with Travis Ketron of Ketron Custom Builders to design it. “We knew we wanted something covered so we could use it in the rain, and in the winter, and we knew we wanted a stone fireplace,” Nancy recalls. Travis translated the Campbells’ vision into a design to satisfy outdoor entertaining and relaxing desires in all seasons. The new outdoor space is reminiscent of a vast, rustic great room complete with a stone fireplace, a vaulted ceiling, skylights, and ceiling fans, yet no walls. The space is completely open to the elements without any glass or doors on any of the sides, except from the house. Furnished like a great room, with a built-in music system as well, it’s truly an extension of indoor living and entertaining space, and one that is unaffected by rain. Jeremy comments, “We haven’t had to cover the furniture yet. It would have to be a pretty strong wind to get wet.” Just outside the covered patio is a quartet of outdoor chairs adorned with plush cushions and colorful pillows, positioned perfectly for users to bask in the sun. In the design process, the fireplace emerged as the anchor of the space and set the stage for the outdoor space both aesthetically and functionally. “We didn’t want it to block the view. Then designing the space with Travis, the fireplace became the center,” remembers Jeremy. Placed directly across from the two sets of French doors leading out from the house, a Rumford fireplace and extended hearth of stone in neutral earth tones is the focal point of this outdoor living room. Seating for entertaining and lounging falls easily into place around it providing optimal viewing of the private, wooded back yard. When temperatures cool off, the fireplace provides ample warmth and a cozy setting to experience the change of seasons. “It’s a great fireplace for the space,” Jeremy says of the unique design of a Rumford style fireplace. “The way you stack the wood in the fireplace is different so as to get more heat. It has a shallower box, burns hotter and puts off more heat. Wood is placed in it vertically, not stacked.” Just in case the fireplace doesn’t provide enough light for late-night soirees, there is additional outdoor lighting mounted from the ceiling to make sure the party always goes on. Travis brought the idea of the Rumford outdoor fireplace to the Campbells. “I learned about it a few years back from some masons, and I was intrigued by the idea then,” he says. “We like to do stuff that’s out of the norm, and this fireplace fits the space and function very well.” Travis adds, “People want unique things that are designed for them. That’s our style to do that for them.” The patio also extends out to an uncovered area set up with patio tables for grilling and dining. Gray pavers flow throughout from the covered space to the open-air area. Their continuous flow mimics the feel of flooring that extends from a living room into a dining room inside a home. Also, the earth tone colors throughout the space on the pavers, fireplace and furnishings help the entire space mesh nicely with its natural surroundings. A little ways off from both the covered and uncovered patio area is a stone fire pit ring. Removed by just the right distance, it provides a separate place for young adults to gather and enjoy the night. Adirondack chairs and matching tables surround the outdoor fire pit, offering seating for anyone who doesn’t wish to stand and a place to set down ingredients for yummy fireside treats like s’mores. Padded chairs outside the reach of the pavilion and the nearby umbrella the perfect place to kick back and relax in the sun. The colorful throw pillows and outdoor furniture cushions add some needed color and a touch of personality. Enjoying the comforts of indoors while being outdoors is exactly what the Campbells are doing now, particularly when lounging on the comfortable wicker furniture that dominate most of the area. “My favorite part of the whole thing is the fireplace,” Nancy says. Jeremy concludes, “There is no television, it would destroy the ambiance out there. We just enjoy listening to music and watching the fire.”

Riverwash stones and small boulders were used to line a dry streambed through the garden. The streambed provides an attractive way for water to flow through the property. Stepping stones and step boulder were placed to make it inviting to explore the garden. This garden was photographed immediately after installation and shows how an immediate softening of the neighbor's homes is created. Large size Cryptomeria, Green Giant Arborvitae, and Little Gem Magnolia create a wonderfully textured, fast growing green screen. Behind the fountain, the property line is very close and narrow Emerald Green Arborvitae are used to create a green screen in this spot.

A custom built decorative lattice screen was constructed to minimize the appearance of the heat pump and gas meters. Rudbeckia, Crocosmia, Hosta and Hydrangea add floral interest throughout the summer. Photograph by Katherine Palmer

A close in look at the fountain with Joe Pye and Dallas Blues adding color.
Inspiration for a small traditional partial sun courtyard concrete paver water fountain landscape in DC Metro for summer.

Inspiration for a huge mediterranean full sun hillside gravel landscaping in Los Angeles for summer.

Photo of a mid-sized partial sun hillside stone landscaping in DC Metro for summer.

Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional partial sun hillside stone landscaping in DC Metro for summer.

Late fall after the first growing season. The plantings were installed in June and are already starting to fill out.
This is an example of a mid-sized farmhouse full sun backyard mulch landscaping in DC Metro for fall.

The property slopes very steeply away from the house on all sides. Here natural stone steps make for an easy walk to reach the front walk from the side yard.

Western Exposure. http://www.westernexposurebrochures.com/

Natural pathway stones wind through the garden. Boulders protrude to add interest and seating, pea gravel creates open space and take the place of lawn. Magic Landscaping, Inc- New Jersey Landscape Designer & Contractor.

Full range Pennsylvania Bluestone in large slabs were chosen to create the patio. We like the depth created by using the various shades of the stone. Photography by Katherine Palmer

Design ideas for a huge transitional partial sun front yard concrete paver landscaping in Nashville for summer.

Design ideas for a huge mediterranean full sun hillside gravel garden path in Los Angeles for summer.

Appalachian Red Redbud bring brilliant color to the early spring landscape.
Inspiration for a transitional shade front yard stone landscaping in DC Metro for spring.

The customer called us wanting a better fire pit area, a water feature, and a “tropical vacation” feel to the space. After looking at many different inspiration pictures I found that they reacted most to old-school water features – ponds and streams of rock with sheer falls – instead of more modern designs so that added to the design challenge. In the back yard there is no place to “hide” the birth of a water feature or even make it feel like a natural part of the landscape so the goal became to design a non-contrived but non-modern water feature with a resort, tropical feel. What says tropical resort more than a lazy river and tiki torches?

Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional partial sun backyard concrete paver landscaping in San Luis Obispo for spring.