Pavers, Pergola and Black Stain Transform a Chicago Backyard
An unused patch of grass becomes a shaded dining area that leads to an outdoor lounge
Before: To create a stable foundation for the outdoor dining area’s new bluestone-topped patio, the design team poured gravel 10 inches deep and topped it with a 1-inch layer of sand. “Creating a solid layer of gravel and sand underneath a patio ensures less settling and more longevity for the life of the patio,” Algozzini says.
After: The team used western red cedar to construct the pergola. “It’s a great wood that holds up well to the elements,” Algozzini says. They covered the pergola in three coats of a black-pigmented stain.
The team ran electricity through conduit buried underground from the homeowners garage to the pergola. The conduit then runs up a hidden channel on the backside of the pergola to a junction box overhead, providing power for the waterproof chandelier above the outdoor dining table and chairs.
Browse outdoor chandeliers
The team ran electricity through conduit buried underground from the homeowners garage to the pergola. The conduit then runs up a hidden channel on the backside of the pergola to a junction box overhead, providing power for the waterproof chandelier above the outdoor dining table and chairs.
Browse outdoor chandeliers
To create a transition from the new pergola to the lounge area, the team designed a path of six bluestone pavers. “We could’ve connected both areas with one big monolith of stone, but this approach adds some distinction to the two areas,” Algozzini says.
The lounge area features four outdoor chairs from Restoration Hardware in a circle around a cast iron wood-burning fire pit in the center.
The lounge area features four outdoor chairs from Restoration Hardware in a circle around a cast iron wood-burning fire pit in the center.
The outdoor lounge area is situated in front of an existing deck off the back of the house. The deck and the perimeter fence were previously stained black, which is why the homeowners wanted the new pergola to be black as well. An assortment of new plantings — including Japanese white pine, ‘Quick Fire’ hydrangea and ‘Big Daddy’ hosta — add some color and texture to the chic new landscape.
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Backyard at a Glance
Who lives here: Cara Buffa and Josh Weitzman, and their two teenage children
Location: Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago
Size: About 800 square feet (74 square meters)
Designer: John Algozzini of K&D Landscape Management
Homeowners Cara Buffa and Josh Weitzman were browsing the profiles of landscape designers on Houzz when they ran across the lushly manicured projects of John Algozzini and his team. “When they reached out to me, they had a pretty good idea what they wanted,” Algozzini says. “The first thing Cara told me was that she wanted a pergola and that it had to be black.”
Algozzini says that he had designed pergolas before in white, gray and nearly every shade of wood, but a black pergola would be a first for him. “I was a little skeptical at first, to be honest with you,” he says. “I worried a black pergola in the backyard would dominate the space, but in the end it blended in seamlessly.”