We are thrilled to be named Best of Houzz in both Design and Service for 2019. I have been part of the Houzz platform for about 8 years and I love the features it offers for saving and sharing imagery, both for my inspiration, and for communicating thoughts and concepts to clients.
Every year Houzz announces a series of awards for its professional members. The Service award is based on reviews in that calendar year, so for any of you that offered a review this past year, we are deeply grateful! The Design award is based on the number of times an image is saved to an ideabook.
This year, the above patio we designed and installed in Wellesley was saved enough times to garner us this accolade. In today’s post I wanted to offer some tips for patio design using this project as a case study.
- Create separate spaces for separate uses. This home actually has two patios, this one off sliding doors from the kitchen features the owner’s grill and dining table. A second patio (in the background) off a slider from the living room features lounge furniture. Bluestone steppers connect the two spaces.
- Plant on the perimetry. I like to have a patio go right up to the foundation of the house. This creates a clean transition (no mulch or dirt splattering up onto the house), space for pots, and does not interfere with the flow of steps. Plants are best on the outside of the patio. This creates a sense of enclosure and a more gentle transition to the lawn.
- Create a canopy or ceiling for your patio space. In this case we planted a dogwood tree on the outside edge of the patio. This will eventually create a beautiful canopy to the dining area, will provide shade, and will not grow into the house. If a tree doesn’t work, a pergola can create a wonderful ceiling for an outdoor dining space.
- Include different types of lighting around your patio. There are three types used here; wall mounts at each door, path lights around the patio and uplights (which you can’t see) to illuminate the dogwood tree.
- Choose a stone to complement your house style. This patio is thermal bluestone, a very durable stone with a regular color and finish that complements the transitional style of the house. A more colonial style house might call for brick while a cottage or coastal style home may call for a gravel patio. The surface you choose should reflect your home’s style well as your budget and maintenance needs.
Here are a few other photos from the same project to show different angles and how all of these features came together.
A stepping stone path and plant bed connects the dining and lounge patio
The lounge patio is set off of the family room so there is a correlation between the indoor and outdoor rooms’ main functions
Wall lights are consistent and path lights provide a layer of ambient light in the outdoor space. Plants separate the two patio spaces.
If you are considering a new patio, we hope these tips help out. And, check out Houzz for tons of ideas on creating your perfect outdoor space. With extra time at home this spring, its a great time to evaluate your outdoor space and create an ideabook for future projects!
Stay well,
Andrea
