Before and After: 4 Backyard Makeovers With Space-Saving Ideas
Smart space design, outdoor seating, container plants and more turn these yards into lovely retreats
Lauren Dunec Hoang
May 11, 2020
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and in-house designer for Sunset's Editorial Test Garden. Her garden designs have been featured in the Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping, Sunset Western Garden Book of Easy-Care Plantings (cover), Inhabitat, and POPSUGAR.
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and... More
These yards prove that with smart design, backyards of any size can become inviting places for outdoor living. From a parking spot in London turned into a peaceful courtyard garden to a tired patio in Brooklyn given new life with an outdoor sofa, potted plants and twinkling cafe lights, each one of these garden transformations offers ideas for making the most of whatever outdoor space you’ve got. Take a look and see if any spark ideas for your backyard.
1. Boho-Style Patio in Brooklyn
Designers: Alicia Hassen of Brooklinteriors and Dirt Queen NYC (plantscapes)
Location: Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York
Size: 260 square feet (24 square meters)
Before: This compact patio sits just outside a couple’s ground-floor home, but with wall-to-wall concrete tile and zero greenery, it didn’t do much to draw them outside.
Designers: Alicia Hassen of Brooklinteriors and Dirt Queen NYC (plantscapes)
Location: Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York
Size: 260 square feet (24 square meters)
Before: This compact patio sits just outside a couple’s ground-floor home, but with wall-to-wall concrete tile and zero greenery, it didn’t do much to draw them outside.
After: Designer Alicia Hassen treated the backyard as an extension of living space, adding a comfortable corner sofa with textured throw pillows and bright side tables that pop against the dark fencing. A new shade sail provides sun coverage and privacy from upstairs neighbors, and twinkling cafe lights help boost the ambiance.
A new outdoor rug softens the floor and partially covers up the original concrete tiling to help define the seating area. The homeowners may choose to remove the concrete in the future, but keeping it as is for now saved the budget.
A new outdoor rug softens the floor and partially covers up the original concrete tiling to help define the seating area. The homeowners may choose to remove the concrete in the future, but keeping it as is for now saved the budget.
Lush planters dot the corners of the patio to help the space feel more like a garden. This one’s planted with a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), golden creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’) and colorful annuals. Wall-mounted planters grow edible herbs. The dartboard is a favorite feature when the couple entertains.
See more of this laid-back backyard
See more of this laid-back backyard
2. Parking Spot Turned Peaceful Courtyard in London
Designer: Tom Howard Garden Design and Landscaping
Location: Twickenham, South West London
Size: About 378 square feet (35 square meters)
Before: The backyard consisted of a parking place covered by artificial turf, a small patio just off the back of the house and a raised brick planter along the back wall. The homeowner did not intend to use the back gate, but replacing it with a new section of brick wall would have been expensive and would have eliminated its potential future use as a parking spot (a valuable asset in London) if she were ever to sell the house. Instead, the designer proposed disguising it with new cladding on the inside of the garden, which you can spot in the left corner of the next image.
Designer: Tom Howard Garden Design and Landscaping
Location: Twickenham, South West London
Size: About 378 square feet (35 square meters)
Before: The backyard consisted of a parking place covered by artificial turf, a small patio just off the back of the house and a raised brick planter along the back wall. The homeowner did not intend to use the back gate, but replacing it with a new section of brick wall would have been expensive and would have eliminated its potential future use as a parking spot (a valuable asset in London) if she were ever to sell the house. Instead, the designer proposed disguising it with new cladding on the inside of the garden, which you can spot in the left corner of the next image.
After: Raised planters varying from 16 to 31 inches in height enclose a new patio space and allow growing room for a variety of easy-care shrubs and perennials. A trio of European white birch (Betula pendula) anchored around a corner will fill in to form a slim canopy. Space-saving bench seating centered around a fire pit creates a lovely destination for drinks when the homeowner has friends over.
A new storage cabinet, stained to match the seat and decking, replaced an old garden shed and gives the homeowner a handy spot for stashing seat cushions, pruning shears and other garden supplies.
See more of this backyard makeover
See more of this backyard makeover
3. Family Backyard in Brooklyn
Designers: Harper Design Build (architecture and general contracting), Todd Rader + Amy Crews (landscape architecture) and Groundworks (plant installation and maintenance)
Location: Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York
Size: 600 square feet (56 square meters)
Before: The homeowners wanted a backyard where they could enjoy meals outside as a family and entertain friends, but the original backyard didn’t do much to encourage either activity. The space was overgrown with ivy and weeds, without anything to inspire outdoor living.
Designers: Harper Design Build (architecture and general contracting), Todd Rader + Amy Crews (landscape architecture) and Groundworks (plant installation and maintenance)
Location: Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York
Size: 600 square feet (56 square meters)
Before: The homeowners wanted a backyard where they could enjoy meals outside as a family and entertain friends, but the original backyard didn’t do much to encourage either activity. The space was overgrown with ivy and weeds, without anything to inspire outdoor living.
After: A new Pennsylvania bluestone patio with a cedar pergola provides a destination for outdoor family dinners (an outdoor table usually sits beneath it). The family has since added sheer sunshades above the pergola for added sun protection and privacy from adjacent buildings.
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Find a landscape designer on Houzz
A second bluestone patio next to the house provides a spot for the grill, with easy access to the kitchen. The bluestone is broken up by lengths of ipe decking running lengthwise down the backyard, visually lengthening the space and helping distinguish three distinct zones: the pergola-covered dining area, the grill area and a bench seat halfway between them.
See more of this backyard makeover
See more of this backyard makeover
4. Pretty Perch in Chicago
Designer and landscapers: Sean Kelly (landscape design), horticulturalist Jordan Denny (plant palette) and Matt Wells (garden maintenance), all of Reveal Design
Location: Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago
Size: 800 square feet (74 square meters)
Before: The original back garden behind this Chicago home consisted of little more than patchy grass and a concrete pathway to a detached garage. Given that the homeowners look down onto the garden from a raised deck off the back of the house, having a design that could be enjoyed both in the yard and above it made sense.
Designer and landscapers: Sean Kelly (landscape design), horticulturalist Jordan Denny (plant palette) and Matt Wells (garden maintenance), all of Reveal Design
Location: Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago
Size: 800 square feet (74 square meters)
Before: The original back garden behind this Chicago home consisted of little more than patchy grass and a concrete pathway to a detached garage. Given that the homeowners look down onto the garden from a raised deck off the back of the house, having a design that could be enjoyed both in the yard and above it made sense.
After: New cable railings replaced the view-blocking wood posts surrounding the deck, and a handsome new cedar-and-steel pergola provides a place where wisteria can climb over an outdoor dining area. The stairs on the deck lead down to the main part of the garden.
Shop for outdoor dining furniture on Houzz
Shop for outdoor dining furniture on Houzz
The new circular flagstone patio is visually striking when viewed from above and feels cozy and intimate at ground level. The plantings were carefully chosen by the team’s horticulturalist and one of the homeowners, an avid gardener. The plants provide four seasons of interest and boast a spectacular diversity of species (the designer estimates between 70 to 80 species) for a modest-size plot.
See more of this backyard makeover
More on Houzz
Set Up Your Patio for Ultimate Lounging — Whatever Its Size
Browse thousands of patio photos
Work with a landscape designer
See more of this backyard makeover
More on Houzz
Set Up Your Patio for Ultimate Lounging — Whatever Its Size
Browse thousands of patio photos
Work with a landscape designer
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This is a wonderful before and after. It's not my style but I think it's a great improvement. Frankly I don't love the painted grey planters, but the plants will grow over these and cover them. I think the shape and colour of the original garden shed was nice, but I suppose not so minimalist. Perhaps it could have been a narrower dark gray (to match tiles) storage with a slanted roof to match the shape of the window looking into the TV room?
Wow, that's a makeover! I love the fence.
The Chicago Perch is a maximilist take for sure - the opposite of the London patio garden! Can I ask why they kept the old Blue Spruce - doesn't that tree seem to be in some danger of causing root problems to the building foundations - if not going over in a storm?