um, black concrete decks? do you have to wear asbestos slippers or do you go out only after dark? :-) well anyway. maybe you can substitute something of similar effect for the lawn squares. glass tile? (but not overly bright or flashy, and not necessarily green). visually the tile will add more of a "griddy" look, so may want a simpler alternating layout instead of checkerboard layout. you can maybe attain similar balance of greenery vs hardscape by other methods, tho (e.g.) using pots (presumably rectangular, perhaps shallow) would visually break the "ground plane" while grass squares would not. checkerboard of ponds would be hazardous, imo. plus the install costs (as mentioned above) would still be higher. the funny thing about modern is that there's a very fine (esthetic) zone between "clean" and boring. the problem of table, chair legs (feet) sinking despite "grasscells"... one way to prevent this could be to use furniture that has continuous "pipe" (don't know the term for this, so see it in this pic:) http://www.volusiapatio.com/pvc/patiochairgliderBIG.jpg swivel has circle base: http://www.alu-mont.com/images/Century-4600.jpg or a little bulkier: http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2006/11/Tank%20Chair.jpg :-) but being restricted to only that type legs will horribly limit your choice of purchasable furniture. btw, the peril of indiscriminate photoshopping: http://www.alu-mont.com/images/Rio-4800-Sling-Series.jpg

Hopefully this will give you some food for thought. Your goals are: 1. I don't want anything super big or that puts me out on display in the middle of my yard. Privacy is a concern. 2. make a connection between the deck steps and the basement areaway. That could be a simple as a pathway. But if you fill the space with toddler toys, fire pit, and the chairs around it, you need the space to be even bigger 3. The actual patio space will be used for some of my toddler's toys, Will this be a toy box? or storage for tricycles etc? 4. possibly the grill (it's currently on the deck), and for Since the grill will be used often in the late afternoon, and you have the west sun heating things up, the deck must be a really hot spot to grill currently. Could you locate the grill in a shadier part of the yard? 5. either a propane or wood fire pit with chairs around it, the fire pit will not be built in. You should have the fire pit at least 10-15 ft away from the house. And you 'll need some substantial space around it for chairs. You don't want to be too close to it. You said you don't want anything super big but you'll be surprised how much space you need outdoors to feel comfortable next to a fire pit. Here's something to think about. Gray is the paving, dark green is planting beds (some of which will have tall shrub and trees) and the pale green is grass. This plan will give you a good size patio for your fire pit, and you can even put the grill there if that area is shady at grill-times. The play area is nice and close to the house for supervision. The large area of paving is perfect for tricycle play, and the 2 areas of grass can still be used for things like ball games since there are no planting beds separating them. The view of the patio and fire pit draws the eye to the back of your property, making it seem larger and an inviting destination. If you put in your 5 ft planting beds along the property line that will define them adequately, with no need for the rail fence. Big shrubs along the property line will give you privacy. Hydrangeas are one example of a shrub that grows well and blooms in shade, and comes in every height from a foot to 15 feet. The large pannicle hydrangeas such as Limelight fill a lot of space, cutting down on the costs of planting such large beds, since you only need a few. Because the paving hooks up all the areas you want to use, the backyard is usable even when the grass is wet or muddy in early spring. The paving could be done in stages as the budget allows. I think a simple paving would look best with such a large area - no need for borders or stamping. The shape is what gives it interest. Areas between houses and beside your morning room and deck are hard to grow grass because of the shade, and this plan will, I think, keep the grass in the sunny areas where it will grow well even when it gets hard use as a play area. Grass in shady areas is much more fragile. Hope you can use some of these ideas!

I think I need a bit more info. From what I see you need a larger patio I am not sure what you mean by cutting into the garage. IMO all itmes for outdoors should be able to be either put away or made from materials that can stay out all year. What is the round thing at the end of your patio. How many sets do you want? Is there going to be dining outside? I don’t love patios I much prefer decks but in your case the basement windows need to be considered. Your pics are a bit hard to get a feel for the space one makes it look small the other much larger. I think a to scale plan of the yard with all measurements might be helpful. As for the bar do you really need a bar ? Think about how you plan to use the space . We have tons of deck so an outdoor kitchen a huge space to be able to seat 20 for outdoor dining and large space for outdoor LR type seating and then another whole area for the pool. So IMO you need to really think about how to use the space,

First let me say - you have a lovely home and property! Since it is such a love place I would recommend hiring a landscape architect to really give your exterior and yard a well thought out plan. As for using brick for your patio - YES! Using a brick paver that matches or nearly matches the brick of your porch would seem to be a great way to tie the house and the landscaping together. Am totally in love with your stone fence as well! Good luck!