Landscape Design
Patio of the Week
Patio of the Week: Room to Relax in a Stylish Toronto Backyard
This stunning design includes an outdoor kitchen, dining area, lounge and distinct cutout feature wall
A freestanding wall with an artistic cutout serves as a focal point in this newly renovated backyard just outside of downtown Toronto. The wall not only serves as a stunning design feature but gracefully separates two patios: one used for cooking and dining and a second, more private area for relaxing around a fire feature. Soft plantings, ambient evening lighting and the sound of trickling water from a small fountain have helped turn this urban backyard into a tranquil retreat.
Dining Patio and Outdoor Kitchen
The outdoor kitchen and dining patio — located a few steps from the home’s back door — give the owners an outdoor spot where they can enjoy warm summer evenings with a glass of wine as dinner sizzles on the grill. The patio is made of Permacon Lexa slab pavers in Cameo Beige — the same material is also used for the adjacent lounge patio.
“There are moments when it is appropriate to draw attention to a patio, but in this case we opted to keep it subtle with one color and a simple laying pattern,” De Vries says. The patio slab pavers were selected for their “contemporary, linear appearance, and the color was a nice complement to the stucco exterior on the home.”
The outdoor kitchen and dining patio — located a few steps from the home’s back door — give the owners an outdoor spot where they can enjoy warm summer evenings with a glass of wine as dinner sizzles on the grill. The patio is made of Permacon Lexa slab pavers in Cameo Beige — the same material is also used for the adjacent lounge patio.
“There are moments when it is appropriate to draw attention to a patio, but in this case we opted to keep it subtle with one color and a simple laying pattern,” De Vries says. The patio slab pavers were selected for their “contemporary, linear appearance, and the color was a nice complement to the stucco exterior on the home.”
The outdoor kitchen includes a new gas-powered grill, fridge and sink, with plenty of counter space for prepping dishes or resting a glass. Gray-tone wood siding houses the built-in units and ties the kitchen in visually with the freestanding cutout wall and shed at the back of the yard.
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Freestanding Wall
The idea for the exterior wall was born as a design solution for separating the outdoor kitchen and dining space from the lounge area. With an eye-catching circular cutout, it also is a focal point in the landscape. “The client was looking for a separation between the patio spaces, but the overall backyard is not very large, so we used the feature wall to create the visual impression of a division between spaces,” de Vries says. “Because the wall is not solid, views are not entirely blocked.”
The idea for the exterior wall was born as a design solution for separating the outdoor kitchen and dining space from the lounge area. With an eye-catching circular cutout, it also is a focal point in the landscape. “The client was looking for a separation between the patio spaces, but the overall backyard is not very large, so we used the feature wall to create the visual impression of a division between spaces,” de Vries says. “Because the wall is not solid, views are not entirely blocked.”
The feature wall, constructed of wood with metal edging, measures about 8 feet tall and 1 foot wide. The circular cutout — shown here with a framed view to the lounge — is approximately 5 feet in diameter and is also edged with metal.
On the pathway between the dining and lounge patios, a small recirculating water feature adds a soothing sound. The fountain is made of weathered limestone boulder with natural moss on the surface and is set into a bed of gravel, hiding the catchment basin below.
A new custom shed in the yard’s back-left corner, attached to the lounge patio, houses a motorcycle belonging to one of the owners. His wife “kept joking that this shed was getting too fancy and she was going to move all of his stuff into it if he went further with the custom design,” de Vries says.
A new custom shed in the yard’s back-left corner, attached to the lounge patio, houses a motorcycle belonging to one of the owners. His wife “kept joking that this shed was getting too fancy and she was going to move all of his stuff into it if he went further with the custom design,” de Vries says.
Lounge Patio
Partially concealed behind the wall, the L-shape outdoor sofa wraps around a smoke-free fire feature. This secondary seating area offers guests an alternative view of the landscape and new vignettes to appreciate through the wall cutout.
Plants surrounding the patio lounge include ‘Dawyck Green’ beech trees (Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck Green’) sited along the perimeter, and a bronze-leaved weeping cutleaf Japanese maple (Acer palmatum var. dissectum) surrounded by lime-green Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra). Tall, sun-loving ornamental grasses act as space dividers, while swaths of hostas occupy shadier locations in the beds.
The 7 Best Plant Types for Creating Privacy and How to Use Them
Partially concealed behind the wall, the L-shape outdoor sofa wraps around a smoke-free fire feature. This secondary seating area offers guests an alternative view of the landscape and new vignettes to appreciate through the wall cutout.
Plants surrounding the patio lounge include ‘Dawyck Green’ beech trees (Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck Green’) sited along the perimeter, and a bronze-leaved weeping cutleaf Japanese maple (Acer palmatum var. dissectum) surrounded by lime-green Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra). Tall, sun-loving ornamental grasses act as space dividers, while swaths of hostas occupy shadier locations in the beds.
The 7 Best Plant Types for Creating Privacy and How to Use Them
The homeowners now take full advantage of their backyard. “They enjoy this space a lot,” de Vries says. “Coffee in the morning, wine with friends at night or just a place to rest — our client has told us this space has provided it all.”
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More on Houzz
Key Measurements for Designing Your Perfect Patio
Browse thousands of patio photos
Find a landscape contractor in your area
Shop for outdoor products
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who moved back to Toronto after raising children in the suburbs
Location: Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, a neighborhood close to downtown Toronto
Size: 4,320-square-foot (401-square-meter) lot; 175-square-foot (16-square-meter) dining patio; 200-square-foot (19-square-meter) lounge patio
Designers: Dan de Vries and Jay Vanderkruk of Cedar Springs Landscape Group
The owners purchased this home for their children to live in while attending college in Toronto, then recently reclaimed it after they discovered they loved the accessibility that city life afforded compared with the suburbs. They renovated both the home and the backyard, hiring Cedar Springs Landscape Group for the latter job.
“For years this home was a student home, and for a number of months the home was under construction, so the yard was tired and relatively empty,” says Dan de Vries, design consultant with Cedar Springs Landscape Group. In addition to a major aesthetic update for the backyard, the homeowners’ wish list for the space included a dining area, a grill island, a lounge space to include a fire pit and a custom shed that could store a motorcycle.
De Vries and landscape designer Jay Vanderkruk presented a design that would give the space new life, incorporate the owners’ priorities and complement the contemporary style of the newly renovated home. The installation took about a month and a half, and now the homeowners can enjoy quietly relaxing or hosting friends in their stunning backyard.
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