Before and After: 3 Side Yards Add Outdoor Kitchens and Seating
Designers turn underutilized outdoor spaces into places for cooking, lounging and more
Annie Thornton
March 15, 2021
Houzz Editorial Staff
When considering how to make the most of your outdoor space, don’t overlook the side yard. Though they may be narrow or lack the views of the front or backyards, side yards can provide intimate and secluded outdoor spaces for dining, relaxing and entertaining — leaving the front and backyards to satisfy your other outdoor living goals. Check out the makeovers of the following three side yards and see if any of these projects inspire ideas for your space.
Before Photo
1. Designer’s Cozy Retreat
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: Trevor Fulmer (who also designed the space) and his husband, Jim Mattus, a corporate attorney
Location: South Boston
Size: 585 square feet (54 square meters); 15 feet (4.7 meters) wide and 39 feet (12 meters) long
Contractor: B H Brown Landscape Design
Before: Designer Trevor Fulmer’s 15-foot-wide side yard provided little to entice him outdoors, but he saw incredible potential in having any outdoor space in the center of Boston. Setting out to make the space more functional and inviting, Fulmer obtained a permit to move the edge of the perimeter fence forward 5 feet so it would sit flush with the front of the house.
He wanted to take advantage of any available space as he planned to design areas for cooking, dining and lounging during the warmer months of the year. “We wanted the space to feel very lush and green, like a little oasis in the concrete jungle,” he says.
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Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: Trevor Fulmer (who also designed the space) and his husband, Jim Mattus, a corporate attorney
Location: South Boston
Size: 585 square feet (54 square meters); 15 feet (4.7 meters) wide and 39 feet (12 meters) long
Contractor: B H Brown Landscape Design
Before: Designer Trevor Fulmer’s 15-foot-wide side yard provided little to entice him outdoors, but he saw incredible potential in having any outdoor space in the center of Boston. Setting out to make the space more functional and inviting, Fulmer obtained a permit to move the edge of the perimeter fence forward 5 feet so it would sit flush with the front of the house.
He wanted to take advantage of any available space as he planned to design areas for cooking, dining and lounging during the warmer months of the year. “We wanted the space to feel very lush and green, like a little oasis in the concrete jungle,” he says.
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After: The redesigned yard maintains the same footprint as before but has been completely transformed from the inside out. Subheated bluestone pavers cover the ground, making the space more usable throughout the year and tying in with Boston’s Colonial architecture. “I selected materials that will only look better with age, like bluestone taking on a patina. I want this patio to develop character, just like the city,” Fulmer says.
A new fireside lounge anchors one end of the patio. The custom-built gas-burning fireplace adds visual weight to the front of the yard and extends the couple’s enjoyment of the space. The bluestone hearth adds an extra ledge for resting a glass or overflow seating if the patio furniture is filled.
One way the designer made the space feel more expansive is by framing the yard with lush plantings. An existing tree sits to the right of the fireplace and new hydrangeas and other shrubs fill out the left side, softening the edge of the yard and blurring the boundary of the fence.
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A new fireside lounge anchors one end of the patio. The custom-built gas-burning fireplace adds visual weight to the front of the yard and extends the couple’s enjoyment of the space. The bluestone hearth adds an extra ledge for resting a glass or overflow seating if the patio furniture is filled.
One way the designer made the space feel more expansive is by framing the yard with lush plantings. An existing tree sits to the right of the fireplace and new hydrangeas and other shrubs fill out the left side, softening the edge of the yard and blurring the boundary of the fence.
Shop for patio furniture
On the opposite end of the patio, a new custom outdoor kitchen nestles into the corner next to the side yard entry gate. The kitchen features a grill, an undercounter fridge, storage drawers and a concealed trash can. Honed granite counters and a brick veneer base complement the materials of the yard and the surrounding neighborhood. Porcelain mosaic tiles create a light, textured backsplash.
See more of this outdoor transformation
See more of this outdoor transformation
2. Luxe Lounge in a Former Trash Area
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: This is a New England couple’s vacation home; during the pandemic they’ve been staying here full time.
Location: Del Mar, California, just north of San Diego
Size: 400 square feet (37 square meters)
Architect: SJS Studios
Contractor: Cross Construction
Before: With no outdoor living space to enjoy at their coastal Southern California home, a couple aimed to transform a small concrete area used for storing trash cans and recycling bins into an intimate outdoor lounge. The house itself takes up the majority of the lot it sits on, so there weren’t many options for an outdoor living space.
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: This is a New England couple’s vacation home; during the pandemic they’ve been staying here full time.
Location: Del Mar, California, just north of San Diego
Size: 400 square feet (37 square meters)
Architect: SJS Studios
Contractor: Cross Construction
Before: With no outdoor living space to enjoy at their coastal Southern California home, a couple aimed to transform a small concrete area used for storing trash cans and recycling bins into an intimate outdoor lounge. The house itself takes up the majority of the lot it sits on, so there weren’t many options for an outdoor living space.
After: A cozy outdoor living room, anchored by an expansive built-in banquette for lounging and dining, has completely transformed the space. Taking up most of the patio’s 400 square feet, the seating was designed to accommodate the couple’s grown kids and grandkids. Teak clads the banquette, warming up the patio and creating a vibe that is casual yet polished. The cushions are custom, covered in Kravet fabric.
A bluestone fire pit that runs on natural gas fits beautifully with the seating. Its wide lip can be used to rest glasses and small plates on. A custom teak cover can be placed over the fire feature when it’s not in use, allowing the piece to double as a table.
Architect architect Stephen Scirrotto of SJS Studios and his team found a new spot to store the homeowners’ trash and recycling bins, moving them to the far end of the patio into a new teak-clad enclosure.
A bluestone fire pit that runs on natural gas fits beautifully with the seating. Its wide lip can be used to rest glasses and small plates on. A custom teak cover can be placed over the fire feature when it’s not in use, allowing the piece to double as a table.
Architect architect Stephen Scirrotto of SJS Studios and his team found a new spot to store the homeowners’ trash and recycling bins, moving them to the far end of the patio into a new teak-clad enclosure.
At the far end of the patio, a petite outdoor kitchen allows the owners to grill next to their outdoor seating area. Teak slats cover the base, tying in with the built-in banquette. The grill station has a waterfall-edge concrete countertop by Concrete Collaborative.
Handmade cement tile from Ann Sacks forms a backsplash, framed by a teak cap. When Scirrotto was selecting the tile, he looked to the home’s interiors for inspiration. The homeowners “are big travelers,” with photos of Morocco and other far-flung destinations filling their home, he says. The tile nods to those locales, adding to the feeling of a vacation escape.
LED strip lights above the backsplash give the kitchen area a warm glow at night.
See more of this outdoor transformation
Handmade cement tile from Ann Sacks forms a backsplash, framed by a teak cap. When Scirrotto was selecting the tile, he looked to the home’s interiors for inspiration. The homeowners “are big travelers,” with photos of Morocco and other far-flung destinations filling their home, he says. The tile nods to those locales, adding to the feeling of a vacation escape.
LED strip lights above the backsplash give the kitchen area a warm glow at night.
See more of this outdoor transformation
Before Photo
![[SHELL] Before and After: Side Yard Lounge + Outdoor Kitchens](https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/8251beab0046960a_1093-w618-h463-b0-p0--home-design.jpg)
3. Semiprivate Dining Area and Grill Station
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A young family with two kids
Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts
Size: About 300 square feet (28 square meters)
Landscape Architect: Inge Daniels Design
Contractor: Curbs
Before: This early-1900s shingled home sits on a compact corner lot overlooking the Charles River and abuts a road and public footpath. The clients wanted a private outdoor space in their side yard (their home’s largest outdoor space) where they could cook, dine and entertain in a somewhat private space that also wouldn’t block views of the river from the home.
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A young family with two kids
Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts
Size: About 300 square feet (28 square meters)
Landscape Architect: Inge Daniels Design
Contractor: Curbs
Before: This early-1900s shingled home sits on a compact corner lot overlooking the Charles River and abuts a road and public footpath. The clients wanted a private outdoor space in their side yard (their home’s largest outdoor space) where they could cook, dine and entertain in a somewhat private space that also wouldn’t block views of the river from the home.
After: The renovated side yard sits just past the waist-high hedge seen in the previous photo.
Landscape architect Inge Daniels started by marking this space off with a privacy screen to shield the space from pedestrians on the adjacent walking path. The L-shaped screen was constructed with concrete posts and horizontal ipe wood slats. “The slats provide privacy but also allow some sunlight to filter through,” Daniels says.
The patio also features new bluestone pavers that form a path to connect the space to the rest of the yard.
Landscape architect Inge Daniels started by marking this space off with a privacy screen to shield the space from pedestrians on the adjacent walking path. The L-shaped screen was constructed with concrete posts and horizontal ipe wood slats. “The slats provide privacy but also allow some sunlight to filter through,” Daniels says.
The patio also features new bluestone pavers that form a path to connect the space to the rest of the yard.
The screen includes a custom concrete shelving system that surrounds the grill station and forms bench seating. Storage underneath holds firewood used to fuel the egg-shaped wood-burning grill.
In the center of the new patio, a stylish teak and aluminum dining table anchors the area. Lush green shrubs and hydrangeas envelop the space and complement the sage green seat cushions of the dining set.
See more of this outdoor space
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In the center of the new patio, a stylish teak and aluminum dining table anchors the area. Lush green shrubs and hydrangeas envelop the space and complement the sage green seat cushions of the dining set.
See more of this outdoor space
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Read more stories about landscape design
Browse thousands of landscape photos
Hire a landscape contractor
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I actually just did a side yard makeover so I could leave my fenced in backyard as an open space for a vegetable garden and room for the dogs to run. I created a small patio with a firepit next to a small waterfall feature. Everything flows right off a screened on the back corner of the house. Its an unexpected "wow" feature in a location that is easy to access and surprising to guests!
Love the use of brick and bluestone in 1
The before and after pics of #3 Semi Private Dining area are not aligned. Though there is an explanation of where the new space is in conjunction to the before photo, the house nor the land in the before looks anything like the after photo.