Patio of the Week: A New Oasis for a Midcentury Modern Ranch
A landscape architect works an outdoor kitchen and a dining area, bar, lounge and fire pit into this Denver backyard
Becky Harris
November 2, 2019
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
One of the reasons this young Denver couple moved from an urban high-rise to a midcentury modern ranch house was that they would gain outdoor living space. Their new home had a tired and uneven existing patio that they wanted to convert into comfortable and inviting outdoor rooms. Landscape architect Dan DeGrush designed a new backyard for them that includes an outdoor kitchen, a dining area, a bar and a lounge area centered around a fire pit.
Before Photo
Photos by David Patterson
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple and their three dogs
Location: Denver
Size: About 1,000 square feet (93 square meters)
Designer: Dan DeGrush of Lifescape Colorado
Before: While the patio’s haphazard concrete pavers were uneven and full of weeds, some elements were worth saving. The home’s accordion doors created an easy flow from indoors to out. And even though the pergola’s posts were a little crooked, the pergola was a nice asset that DeGrush knew he could make work. While updated codes have a fence height limit of 6 feet, the existing 8-foot-high plywood fence was grandfathered in. With one side of the yard facing a busy street, the extra 2 feet of height were critical.
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple and their three dogs
Location: Denver
Size: About 1,000 square feet (93 square meters)
Designer: Dan DeGrush of Lifescape Colorado
Before: While the patio’s haphazard concrete pavers were uneven and full of weeds, some elements were worth saving. The home’s accordion doors created an easy flow from indoors to out. And even though the pergola’s posts were a little crooked, the pergola was a nice asset that DeGrush knew he could make work. While updated codes have a fence height limit of 6 feet, the existing 8-foot-high plywood fence was grandfathered in. With one side of the yard facing a busy street, the extra 2 feet of height were critical.
After: “Our clients were young, fun and gave us creative license to see what we could come up with,” DeGrush says. “The direction they gave us was that they wanted ‘lab grade’ minimalism, meaning an uncluttered look with clean and simple lines.” A streamlined aesthetic would work well with the midcentury modern architecture of the house. He looked through Houzz photos for inspiration.
By integrating the pergola posts into the bar and the outdoor kitchen, DeGrush was able to camouflage their imperfections. The pergola also provided a good way to structure the space — the outdoor kitchen to the left, the bar at the opposite end, the dining area off the back and the lounge area off to the right.
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By integrating the pergola posts into the bar and the outdoor kitchen, DeGrush was able to camouflage their imperfections. The pergola also provided a good way to structure the space — the outdoor kitchen to the left, the bar at the opposite end, the dining area off the back and the lounge area off to the right.
Find a local landscape designer on Houzz
A dining table provides seating for up to eight people, and a bar provides more casual seating. The bar has a waterfall countertop, and one end incorporates one of the pergola posts. The countertop is a specialized high-density, high-stress concrete surface called glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC). It was sprayed atop plywood and a fiberglass mesh that gives the bar strength. Though it appears to be a 3-inch-thick solid concrete piece, the concrete is only about a half-inch thick. This kept the countertop light so the space underneath could be clear of additional supports. And it gives the bar a bold and streamlined modern look.
The area under the bar is open for knees and views. “It was important to keep the bar open. It makes the patio feel more airy, and it keeps the views through the yard more open from inside the house,” DeGrush says.
The supports neatly tucked underneath the bar are concrete blocks covered with smooth-troweled stucco that looks like concrete. “The stucco-covered blocks were far less complicated to construct than pouring concrete would have been,” he says.
Counter stools: Lucy, Bend Goods
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The area under the bar is open for knees and views. “It was important to keep the bar open. It makes the patio feel more airy, and it keeps the views through the yard more open from inside the house,” DeGrush says.
The supports neatly tucked underneath the bar are concrete blocks covered with smooth-troweled stucco that looks like concrete. “The stucco-covered blocks were far less complicated to construct than pouring concrete would have been,” he says.
Counter stools: Lucy, Bend Goods
Hire a local masonry and concrete contractor
The designer used the same stucco-covered concrete blocks and concrete countertops in the outdoor kitchen. “It was easy to run electricity and the natural gas line through the blocks,” DeGrush says. And the dark gray concrete countertops are minimalist and provide a pleasing contrast to the lighter concrete in the space. Functionally, they are durable and easy to wipe down with water and a washcloth.
The outdoor kitchen includes a natural gas-powered grill and a ceramic grill. It also has a few cabinets for bar supplies and grilling tools.
The rest of the yard has grass for the couple’s three dogs, one of whom is seen here. The fence and hedge in the background were existing.
Ceramic grill: Oval JR 200, Primo Ceramic Grills
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The outdoor kitchen includes a natural gas-powered grill and a ceramic grill. It also has a few cabinets for bar supplies and grilling tools.
The rest of the yard has grass for the couple’s three dogs, one of whom is seen here. The fence and hedge in the background were existing.
Ceramic grill: Oval JR 200, Primo Ceramic Grills
Browse outdoor furniture in the Houzz Shop
The homeowners had painted the existing plywood fence a dark color that helped it fade into the background. To complement the height of the fence, DeGrush placed three concrete squares that function as pedestals, filled them with gravel and topped them with a trio of tall planters. The gravel provides drainage for the planters and adds texture. And the wispy green ‘Morning Light’ Chinese silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’) make a big impact against the dark backdrop. “The grasses turn a nice golden color in the winter that also looks beautiful against the fence,” he says. All of the new plants he chose are drought-tolerant.
Shop for a fire pit
Shop for a fire pit
DeGrush centered the lounge area around a ready-made fire pit that’s connected to a natural gas line. The concrete look of the fire pit matches the concrete of the pavement. The homeowners already had most of the furniture. “The outdoor furniture they owned was way too nice for the state their old patio was in,” he says.
To prevent the yard from looking like a sea of concrete, DeGrush broke it up with lines of Mexican beach rocks. He used them to delineate the lounge area, out of the way of the more high-traffic paths on the patio. “They are round, and their color is a nice contrast to the concrete,” he says. “It was a good way to set the lounge space off from the rest of the patio.” The rocks also play off the gravel beneath the tall planters.
Behind the lounge, he continued to define the space. Another pedestal-like concrete-and-gravel bed surrounds a new Sargent crabapple tree (Malus sargeantii ‘Tina’), adding more structured and clean lines to the yard. Eventually the ground cover he planted at the base will fill in over the gravel, bringing more green to the patio. Behind the tree is a poured-concrete wall he added to provide a visual backstop.
Fire pit: Nisho
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To prevent the yard from looking like a sea of concrete, DeGrush broke it up with lines of Mexican beach rocks. He used them to delineate the lounge area, out of the way of the more high-traffic paths on the patio. “They are round, and their color is a nice contrast to the concrete,” he says. “It was a good way to set the lounge space off from the rest of the patio.” The rocks also play off the gravel beneath the tall planters.
Behind the lounge, he continued to define the space. Another pedestal-like concrete-and-gravel bed surrounds a new Sargent crabapple tree (Malus sargeantii ‘Tina’), adding more structured and clean lines to the yard. Eventually the ground cover he planted at the base will fill in over the gravel, bringing more green to the patio. Behind the tree is a poured-concrete wall he added to provide a visual backstop.
Fire pit: Nisho
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This is beautiful! I love the colors of the furniture, etc. with all the brick. I'm curious what happens with everything during the winter since I'm a little new to living in snow.
Talking about recycling....... I'm in the midst of designing and making nature trails throughout the acreage that will have my cottage in the woods. I told my Landscape Architect E.L.I. land design and yes, he's on Houzz that I didn't want to have to buy crushed whatever..... but to do trails just like one sees in forests. So, he got a sub involved in helping to chip trees that were dead, fallen or about to die to rough chip them up for paths. He offered all that he gets (and he gets a lot in hauling off trees from various clients) to me for free.... OMGosh! What a gold mine. So, one never knows what one can use for a project......
Love this whole thing! The minimalist style really compliments the house. And the bi-fold doors really unite the inside with the outside for a larger, comfortable living space. Bravo!