Steal these ideas for stylish, functional outdoor spaces that you’ll love to live in
Whether your plate is situated on several acres or a postage - stamp lot , attentive design assure that everyone in the house will receive respite in the garden . When be after a raw garden for clients in the Bay Area of California , my collaborator and I first explore the many ways that the landscape could be used . The goal is to create versatile green spaces that are inviting at any time of Clarence Day and year . so as to achieve this , we divide the garden into cohesive zones that lightly flow into one another , with spots to lounge , dine , play , and study . The following three San Francisco garden rely on canny feature and interesting exercise of place to create present-day back yard landscape painting for everyone in the house to enjoy .
Garden 1 | Family-friendly Hangout
There is nothing more elegant than seamlessly moving between your indoor and outdoor spaces . When these clients ask us to redesign their garden to feel like an extension phone of their living area , the answer was mere — we would extend the adjacent kitchen and dining room to the garden by build a deck of cards and terrace on grade with the indoor distance . French threshold could stay open most of the day for effortless transition between the interior and exterior .
We embark on with warm cedar plank decking as the first material underfoot , the display panel running out from the house to draw the optic into the garden . The asymmetrical layout of the deck of cards takes vantage of the sun and is a stark smirch for morning coffee . The height of the fencing behind the impost kitchen counterpunch and grill top was maintain low to leave a eyeshot of the Golden Gate Bridge when the fog lifts .
The spot in front of the counterpunch is also where the patio material changes from cedar to terrazzo , with a dada of pink tile at the transition . To break up and soften the hardscape , we thin out away sections of the terrazzo , creating planting insets for a admixture of beautifully textured shrub and perennials . The terrace cutting - aways , flooring material changes , and two - tone terrazzo mold together in a dynamical interplay that feel exciting and warm .
The generous sizing of the tidy sum permit us to have a little more fun by progress a sunken seating area neighboring to the main terrace . The slat steps turn a corner and current into wide slab seating area that was mill from a fallen Monterey cypress . This is another wide-eyed factor that makes the blank space sense fluid and cohesive . As an added fillip , line the level of the lounge arena with fine pebbles created a beach - like playscape that lilliputian ones have it off to research with miniature spadeful and tiny dump trucks .
At the heart of the garden is a no - mow meadow of California aboriginal meadow fescue ( Festuca idahoensis , F. rubra , andF. occidentalis , Zones 4–10 ) . The lawn was pick out for its strength and instinctive aesthetic to meander and result one through the space to the back pack of cards and firepit area . The industrial plant framing the lawn include a mix of aboriginal shrubs and perennials as well as some drought - patient of non - aboriginal mintage .
The A - frame playhouse at the hayfield ’s edge features an exterior mounting wall and chalkboard . The terrace at the back of the garden is a favorite spot to chill out , with a precast fire characteristic and heated seating room that is cozy even on the foggiest of San Francisco nights .
From the house and main patio , colorful flowering bush draw your middle through the garden to the staggered back fence . The garden wraps you in affectionate cedar wood and a mix of botanical textures , and is a lighthearted , energizing berth to fudge , dine , lounge , child’s play , and take in the persuasion of the surrounding leafage and urban center .
| KEY ELEMENTS |
A playful take on the great outdoors
Size:25 × 85 feet
design for a kinsperson with vernal child , this backyard is fill with detail that prosecute everyone ’s sense of adventure . Flowing out from the main patio , the gather sphere and play spaces are open and inviting , perfect for enjoying precious moments of solitude or an impromptu party .
1.Kitchen / dining terrazzo patio
2.Sunken conversation area
3.A - frame playhouse
4.Back deck with fire feature
5.No - mow lawn ( Californianative coinage )
Garden 2 | Modern Meadow in Miniature
transform rarely - used space into the most darling part of a landscape is a truly particular experience . The possessor of this property were already avid nurseryman when we met them , cultivating artichokes and all manner of greens in their backyard . They were deeply connected to their outdoor space but felt it could be more usable . To turn the garden into an resistless year - stave destination , we designed a cabana in the fresh area along the back property line . This complex body part provide a informal place to lounge , body of work , and make art . Staggered decking formed around an survive plum tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ( genus Prunus domesticacv . , Zones 5–7 ) anchors the entering and provides a sense of history . The deck serves as an propagation of the cabana ; it provides way to get around from the plum tree or relax when the sun is out and , most significantly , as a transitional region between the softscape and the cabana .
Low- and medium - height planting of varying textures take shape a xeric meadow to move you through the space to the destination cabana in back . Underfoot , argent carpeting ( Dymondia margaretae , Zones 8–11 ) is a indestructible , walkable ground cover that easily meander around other plants .
A sophisticated , operational landscape
Size:35 × 25 feet ( chief terrace ) ; 12 × 20 feet ( upper terrace )
Not quite indoors , not quite outside , but certainly everyone ’s favorite part of the garden , the cabana takes the concept of the family unit hideaway and give it a contemporary cutaneous senses . Keeping the ripe tree diagram and building a deck around its base lends an air of age and permanence to the pattern .
1.The cabana
Summer meals are a breeze in a well-equipped outdoor kitchen.Who wouldn’t want to be the chef, when the view from behind the grill sometimes includes the Golden Gate Bridge? A sink next to the grill is an upgrade that saves countless trips indoors. Stylish, hard-wearing terrazzo is an unexpected but beautiful flooring choice that visually distinguishes the kitchen and dining area from the no-mow meadow beyond.
2.Plum tree diagram and cabana deck
3.Xeric meadow planting
4.Retaining wall
Summer meals are a breeze in a well-equipped outdoor kitchen.Who wouldn’t want to be the chef, when the view from behind the grill sometimes includes the Golden Gate Bridge? A sink next to the grill is an upgrade that saves countless trips indoors. Stylish, hard-wearing terrazzo is an unexpected but beautiful flooring choice that visually distinguishes the kitchen and dining area from the no-mow meadow beyond.
5.Seating orbit
Garden 3 | Meditative Backyard Retreat
Why have one garden when you’re able to have two ! At our first visit to this property , we discover an overgrown , fresh plot adjacent to the space our client want to redo . We were curious about the potential of connecting the two space , which would increase the footprint of the garden and deliver a more active outside experience .
The first whole tone was to take down the fencing dividing the two gardens and install steps to tie in the two level . To warm up up the existing concrete retaining wall in the low garden , we clad the vertical aerofoil with dowels to shape a gentle , fluted background for wispy mat Benjamin Rush ( Lomandra longifolia , Zones 8–11 ) .
Our guest requested a speculation place on this level , with a private but not close - in feel . to accommodate this , we installed a 42 - inch - high slat panel as a divider between them and their neighbors , which also lease in sparkle and air . marvelous leaf plants provide some additional screening , while Scotch moss ( Sagina subulata , Zones 4–8 ) fall around maverick flagstone , leading the way to the peaceful lounge domain sited against the south fence .
A sunken seating area is fun for folks of all ages.The comfortable benches around the perimeter are the perfect place to relax before or after dinner. The bottom of this cool, contemporary conversation pit is lined with smooth beach pebbles that are a sensory treat for bare feet and a satisfying sandbox substitute for the youngest family members.
The upper level showcases a mixture of low - growing California natives like Cleveland sage ( Salvia clevelandii , Zones 8–11 ) . ‘ Silver Falls ’ dichondra ( Dichondra argentea‘Silver Falls ’ , Zones 10–12 ) shed over the fluted wall , visually linking the two sections of the garden .
Connected but disjoined spaces
Size:17 × 19 feet ( upper terrace);10 × 18 ft ( lower patio )
Cool nights call for cozy seating.The heated bench (left) and gas fire bowl (center) are amenities that make perfect sense on cool, foggy San Francisco evenings. Set apart from the house and main patio, this more grown-up seating area lets parents lounge and chat while still keeping an eye on frolicking young ones.
Steep San Francisco lot lend themselves well to terracing , which is an excellent fashion to fit more garden onto a small site . get rid of the fence between the two level made both garden suite palpate bigger , but each space still has its own unique trend .
1.Upper waiting area and firepit
2.Lower meditation region
Native grasses feel lovely underfoot.The soft, wispy fescues require very little supplemental water, and left unmowed flow freely together for a casual, naturalistic lawn substitute that feels a bit wild. Easily maintained without harmful chemicals, it is a healthy place for wildlife and people to spend time.
3.Screen
But wait , there ’s more . A few steps down from the upper garden , a meditation corner gives purpose to a antecedently underutilized objet d’art of property . The upright fence at the back property line echoes the practice of the flute facing on the retaining wall , consecrate this outdoor room a serene , unified looking .
suspire in , emit out . When ensconced in this well-to-do spot , one might feel like the outside world is a million miles away . In reality , the neighbors ’ garden are just on the other side of the fencing .
Dani Coulter is the founder and co - possessor of Friday Gardens , a landscape painting design / build firm based in San Francisco .
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A great escape is just a few steps from the back door.Siting a structure at the far end of the garden makes the small space feel more expansive, while comfortably defining its boundaries. Lower fencing on the left side of the cabana opens up views to the surrounding hills, and taller fencing panels and plantings on the right side of the building form a private enclosure around the hot tub.
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Terracing keeps the center of the garden open and level.Instead of sloping rather steeply from side to side, the yard was graded to create a higher terrace along one edge. A small seating area outside the back door looks out over the meadow planting toward the cabana. Artichokes and other edibles grow along the fence, forming an attractive and productive hedge.
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Views to the outside world make the upper patio feel open.Tall fencing on this level of the garden offers privacy and serves as a windbreak, while the screening panels for the lower level of the garden are a bit more open, filtering views while letting in some light.
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Sometimes the best seat in the house is outdoors.Tucked against a wall and surrounded by lush plantings, the sofa and fire feature transform the upper garden into an outdoor living room. The red cedar steps and fluted retaining wall mark the previous garden boundary; a deep garden bed guides foot traffic away from the wall and toward the stairs without blocking views.
Breathe in, Breathe out.When ensconced in this comfortable spot, one might feel like the outside world is a million miles away. In reality, the neighbors’ gardens are just on the other side of the fence.
