Landscape Design
Patio of the Week
Patio of the Week: Kitchen’s Cheerful Palette Goes Outside
An architect blends indoors and out in a yard with Scandinavian and Japanese influences and a multitiered design
Architect Michael Howells began this Portland, Oregon, project three stories up from the backyard. When he first met his clients, a writer and a filmmaker who are parents of two children, he transformed their unfinished attic into a writing studio. Next they hired him to renovate their kitchen, and the project spread outside from there. During the design process for the attic and kitchen, he had homed in on what his bold, creative and courageous clients liked, and he continued bringing their personal style out to the backyard. He also incorporated elements that nodded to their home city’s history, while taking inspiration from Japan and Scandinavia.
After: This photo shows the eating area’s new French door and sidelights from the outside. Howells designed a multitiered outdoor space and anchored it with a large planter that straddles the levels.
When designing the planter, the architect thought of the iconic ways he’d seen tile used by Roberto Burle Marx on the Copacabana Beach walkway in Rio de Janeiro, and by Antoni Gaudí in the Park Güell of Barcelona, Spain. “We upholstered the planter in the backsplash tiles with a yellow cap. It makes the planter a kind of mural, a painterly focal point and a sculpture,” he says. The homeowners especially appreciate the planter’s bright and cheerful colors on Portland’s gray days.
The steps that flank the planter land at different levels. On the right, they land at the same level as the main deck, which includes a dining space at the other end. On the left is a landing at a lower level that reveals the side of a cedar hot tub.
When designing the planter, the architect thought of the iconic ways he’d seen tile used by Roberto Burle Marx on the Copacabana Beach walkway in Rio de Janeiro, and by Antoni Gaudí in the Park Güell of Barcelona, Spain. “We upholstered the planter in the backsplash tiles with a yellow cap. It makes the planter a kind of mural, a painterly focal point and a sculpture,” he says. The homeowners especially appreciate the planter’s bright and cheerful colors on Portland’s gray days.
The steps that flank the planter land at different levels. On the right, they land at the same level as the main deck, which includes a dining space at the other end. On the left is a landing at a lower level that reveals the side of a cedar hot tub.
“We talked about what what they wanted to include out here, and I bounced things off them. Then I put together the parts and pieces and showed them a layout,” Howells says. With just 1,200 square feet to work with, he thoughtfully arranged a number of elements without making them feel packed in. This lower patio is centered around a cylindrical fire pit. An outdoor shower is tucked along the fence; the family uses it to rinse off before hopping in the main element, a cylindrical cedar hot tub.
The surface of the patio is composed of large rectangular pavers in cast concrete, with 6-inch gaps between them filled with gravel. These materials continue into the outdoor shower area.
Howells meticulously designed the cedar fence around the perimeter. There’s a lot of play between horizontal and vertical elements in the yard, and the fence provides a strong horizontally oriented rhythm. He composed 1½-inch boards and 3½-inch boards in a repeating pattern with gaps in between. A wide vertically oriented board supports the shower head. The coffee-colored stain on the cedar provides a dark backdrop. Stainless steel screws are the only hints of the vertical posts hidden behind the horizontal boards.
The fire pit was crafted in Bend, Oregon, by Cement Elegance.
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The surface of the patio is composed of large rectangular pavers in cast concrete, with 6-inch gaps between them filled with gravel. These materials continue into the outdoor shower area.
Howells meticulously designed the cedar fence around the perimeter. There’s a lot of play between horizontal and vertical elements in the yard, and the fence provides a strong horizontally oriented rhythm. He composed 1½-inch boards and 3½-inch boards in a repeating pattern with gaps in between. A wide vertically oriented board supports the shower head. The coffee-colored stain on the cedar provides a dark backdrop. Stainless steel screws are the only hints of the vertical posts hidden behind the horizontal boards.
The fire pit was crafted in Bend, Oregon, by Cement Elegance.
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On two sides of the patio, the architect put up board-formed concrete walls that double as planters for bamboo trees. The concrete texture plays off the texture of the cedar fencing above and the ipe decking below. The walls add a different rhythm of horizontal lines beneath the cedar fence. “There’s a grand tradition of using board-formed concrete in Portland. You see it on a lot of old buildings, so it resonates,” Howells says.
The use of bamboo trees also resonates. “There is a conscious and subconscious Japanese influence on my designs,” he says. “It also resonates because Portland has the most important Japanese gardens in America. It’s a point of pride for our city. I also love the vertical lines of the trunks and the filagree provided by the leaves.”
While the vertical bamboo tree trunks contrast with the horizontal lines found throughout the backyard, the leaves offer softness and a calming sound when they rustle in the wind. The sound and movement of the trees help evoke the Zen feeling Howells wanted to create.
Note: Bamboo is beautiful but can be invasive. In this case, the board-formed concrete beds prevent the trees from spreading. Howells says he always consults with a plant specialist to choose the right species and to learn the soil and irrigation requirements. He worked with Common Sense Gardens on this project to get the plants just right.
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The use of bamboo trees also resonates. “There is a conscious and subconscious Japanese influence on my designs,” he says. “It also resonates because Portland has the most important Japanese gardens in America. It’s a point of pride for our city. I also love the vertical lines of the trunks and the filagree provided by the leaves.”
While the vertical bamboo tree trunks contrast with the horizontal lines found throughout the backyard, the leaves offer softness and a calming sound when they rustle in the wind. The sound and movement of the trees help evoke the Zen feeling Howells wanted to create.
Note: Bamboo is beautiful but can be invasive. In this case, the board-formed concrete beds prevent the trees from spreading. Howells says he always consults with a plant specialist to choose the right species and to learn the soil and irrigation requirements. He worked with Common Sense Gardens on this project to get the plants just right.
Hire a masonry and concrete contractor
By creating the lower landing on the left, Howells revealed the beauty of the cedar hot tub’s curve and simplicity. The choice of this tub was inspired by Japanese ofuro bathtubs, which traditionally are cylindrical and crafted from hinoki wood. Zen Bathworks crafted this tub. It is 7 feet in diameter and 42 inches deep. “These tubs look more naturalistic than a typical hot tub,” he says. And the homeowners “can do a no-heat season in the summer and use it to cool off.” The steps beyond the hot tub lead to the dining level.
Another reason Howells created different levels around the cedar hot tub was to create different options for hopping in and out of it. Hopping in from the lower landing is a bit more difficult, while entering from the two steps seen here or from an adjacent platform is easier. Inside the hot tub, a submerged wood bench runs along the circumference and serves as a step for entering.
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Another reason Howells created different levels around the cedar hot tub was to create different options for hopping in and out of it. Hopping in from the lower landing is a bit more difficult, while entering from the two steps seen here or from an adjacent platform is easier. Inside the hot tub, a submerged wood bench runs along the circumference and serves as a step for entering.
Find a local hot tub and spa dealer
“Inevitably you get overheated in the hot tub and want to sit at the rim with your legs dangling in the water,” Howells says. So he created a platform around half of the tub’s circumference. The platform also provides casual seating on the deck and adds another tier to the multilevel backyard.
Howells’ composition of all the elements is what gives the space its uncluttered Zen feeling. For example, note the way the platform surrounds exactly half of the hot tub and meets the edges of the planter.
Howells’ composition of all the elements is what gives the space its uncluttered Zen feeling. For example, note the way the platform surrounds exactly half of the hot tub and meets the edges of the planter.
The decking, as mentioned, is ipe. Howells chose it for its durability. “No matter what you use for a deck here, it will probably get a little slimy in the winter. But in the spring you can power-wash this wood and it’s as good as new. It’s really, really tough,” he says.
Behind the dining area, a fountain provides the relaxing sound of splashing water. The fountain is a black concrete-coated fiberglass trough that lines up with the board-formed-concrete planting beds.
Howells used an axis to organize the patio’s elements. On the plan, seen here, it is represented by the dashed line in the center. From left to right, this implied line runs through the center of the garage, the fire pit, the planter, the platform, the dining table and the fountain. The axial arrangement is what makes the composition so pleasing.
Here’s another beautiful view of the backyard from the kitchen.
Three large windows over the main kitchen sink provide views of the cedar fence and the bamboo canopy.
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See more photos of the kitchen
More on Houzz
Read more landscape design stories
Get landscape design ideas
Find a landscape designer or architect
Shop for outdoor products
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A writer, a filmmaker and their two children
Location: Portland, Oregon
Size: 1,200 square feet (111 square meters)
Designer: Michael Howells of Howells Architecture + Design
Contractor: ReCraft
It’s unconventional to begin a patio story with a photo of a kitchen, but this is where the seeds of the backyard renovation were sown. Howells suggested combining the kitchen with an adjacent library, because besides filling the library’s bookshelves with beloved books, the couple rarely used the space. They had admired a hotel dining room lined with bookshelves that they’d visited on a Scandinavian trip, so they were excited about a combination kitchen-library. The kitchen’s eating area now feels like a cozy European cafe, where they can grab a favorite book to enjoy with a cup of coffee.
After getting to know what his clients liked, Howells proposed a bold color palette for the kitchen — lemon-bar yellow on the millwork and cabinets, and beautiful blue 3-by-9-inch tiles from Heath Ceramics for the backsplash. His courageous clients were on board as soon as he proposed it. Knowing their appreciation for books, the architect stacked the backsplash tiles vertically to hint at stacks of book spines.
As the kitchen started to come together, Howells and his clients took a look out its windows and doors at the backyard. They agreed it was a good time to establish a strong relationship between indoors and out. Look to the right side of this photo, then through the doors to the blue-and-yellow planter to see the relationship between the kitchen and the outdoor space.
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