Before and After: 3 Patios for Comfy, Stylish Lounging
These makeovers show how furniture, plants and minor structural upgrades can transform an outdoor space
When tackling a patio makeover, it can be appealing to want to tear everything out and start from scratch to realize your dream space. Before you do — especially as summer edges closer — consider if new furniture, potted plantings and other outdoor accessories could be a more efficient and budget-friendly way to upgrade your outdoor living experience.
In the following three patio before-and-afters, the designers transformed the outdoor spaces with stylish furnishings, new plants and other clever details. While one project got new paving, the patios otherwise retained their original bones, with the designers enhancing existing features to make the spaces more stylish, inviting and livable.
In the following three patio before-and-afters, the designers transformed the outdoor spaces with stylish furnishings, new plants and other clever details. While one project got new paving, the patios otherwise retained their original bones, with the designers enhancing existing features to make the spaces more stylish, inviting and livable.
After: Forgoing more costly features like built-in furniture, a fire pit or a pergola, Hassen created a comfy, cozy lounge space anchored by a sectional sofa that nestles into the corner of the patio. Indoor-outdoor pillows add softness and a colorful punch — and they can double as seating around the weatherproof concrete coffee table. An outdoor rug grounds the yard and adds softness underfoot.
Overhead, a shade sail keeps the sun out of the space and provides privacy from surrounding neighbors. It hangs from wood pieces Hassen attached to the yard’s existing fence.
Hassen collaborated with Dirt Queen NYC on the plantings, with two potted Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) framing the design. The team also planted ivy behind the fence, which will eventually grow to create a living wall of green over the existing concrete wall. “It will add more lushness and create more privacy so [the space] feels like an enclosed outdoor oasis,” Hassen says.
Low-growing flowers and vines trail out of the maples’ planters, adding color and life to the paved space. Wall-mounted herb boxes soften the wood fencing and give the couple something delicious to garnish their food and drinks with.
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Overhead, a shade sail keeps the sun out of the space and provides privacy from surrounding neighbors. It hangs from wood pieces Hassen attached to the yard’s existing fence.
Hassen collaborated with Dirt Queen NYC on the plantings, with two potted Japanese maples (Acer palmatum) framing the design. The team also planted ivy behind the fence, which will eventually grow to create a living wall of green over the existing concrete wall. “It will add more lushness and create more privacy so [the space] feels like an enclosed outdoor oasis,” Hassen says.
Low-growing flowers and vines trail out of the maples’ planters, adding color and life to the paved space. Wall-mounted herb boxes soften the wood fencing and give the couple something delicious to garnish their food and drinks with.
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Hassen splurged on the six accent pillows at a local shop. “It gives this space true character while supporting Brooklyn’s local businesses,” she says. The rug’s blue-and-white diamond pattern complements the pillows’ colors and adds more of a living room feel to the space.
Bright side tables on either end of the couch provide a place for guests to rest their plates or glasses and add more color to the space. “There are a lot of colors going on, but they all connect back to something else in the space,” Hassen says.
String lights on the fence allow the patio to come alive at night, whether the homeowners are lounging with friends, grilling (the grill is just out of view) or playing darts on the wall-mounted dartboard.
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Bright side tables on either end of the couch provide a place for guests to rest their plates or glasses and add more color to the space. “There are a lot of colors going on, but they all connect back to something else in the space,” Hassen says.
String lights on the fence allow the patio to come alive at night, whether the homeowners are lounging with friends, grilling (the grill is just out of view) or playing darts on the wall-mounted dartboard.
See more of this patio makeover
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2. Stylish Garden Retreat
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who travel often for work and enjoy entertaining when home
Location: Corona Heights neighborhood of San Francisco
Size: Total exterior space is 700 square feet (65 square meters)
Landscape architect: Steve Ritchey of Seed Studio Landscape Design
Before: This side yard in San Francisco sits directly off the home’s kitchen and dining room through folding glass doors. Slate pavers covered the floor before the renovation, and an existing cedar fence separated the yard from a neighboring property.
The pavers and the fence were in great shape, so landscape architect Steve Ritchey wanted to incorporate them into the new design in a way that created an inviting garden feel.
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who travel often for work and enjoy entertaining when home
Location: Corona Heights neighborhood of San Francisco
Size: Total exterior space is 700 square feet (65 square meters)
Landscape architect: Steve Ritchey of Seed Studio Landscape Design
Before: This side yard in San Francisco sits directly off the home’s kitchen and dining room through folding glass doors. Slate pavers covered the floor before the renovation, and an existing cedar fence separated the yard from a neighboring property.
The pavers and the fence were in great shape, so landscape architect Steve Ritchey wanted to incorporate them into the new design in a way that created an inviting garden feel.
After: In designing and decorating the side yard, “it needed to read as a furnished room and function as part of that space,” Ritchey says. Carefully arranged furniture fits into the narrow outdoor area, borrowing space from the sliding glass doors.
The patio furniture — which includes a sofa, armchair and accent tables — complements the furniture used in the rest of the home. The arrangement and finishes make the patio feel more like an interior space. The existing cedar fence received a darker, more modern stain that also helps the space read more like a walled room.
A new Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), seen here in the foreground, and potted New Zealand flax (Phormium sp.) add greenery to the space.
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The patio furniture — which includes a sofa, armchair and accent tables — complements the furniture used in the rest of the home. The arrangement and finishes make the patio feel more like an interior space. The existing cedar fence received a darker, more modern stain that also helps the space read more like a walled room.
A new Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), seen here in the foreground, and potted New Zealand flax (Phormium sp.) add greenery to the space.
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Overhead are new wood crossbeams, “creating a sense of an outdoor room instead of the existing slot canyon feeling,” Ritchey says of the three-story-tall walled space. “My goal was to bring down the ceiling to something approximating a more typical room height, which feels more comfortable and inviting.”
New planter boxes top the perimeter fence, creating an even more attractive view for the many rooms in the three-story house overlooking the patio. Blue chalk sticks (Senecio mandraliscae), native island alumroot (Heuchera maxima) and western sword fern (Polystichum munitum) grow in the planters.
From this view, you can also see where Ritchey removed a portion of the side yard’s paving, replacing it with river rock and floating pavers that invite visitors to explore deeper into the yard.
Mounted heaters and lighting extend the enjoyment of the patio into cooler evenings.
Mounted heaters: Infratech Comfort Heaters
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New planter boxes top the perimeter fence, creating an even more attractive view for the many rooms in the three-story house overlooking the patio. Blue chalk sticks (Senecio mandraliscae), native island alumroot (Heuchera maxima) and western sword fern (Polystichum munitum) grow in the planters.
From this view, you can also see where Ritchey removed a portion of the side yard’s paving, replacing it with river rock and floating pavers that invite visitors to explore deeper into the yard.
Mounted heaters and lighting extend the enjoyment of the patio into cooler evenings.
Mounted heaters: Infratech Comfort Heaters
See more of this patio makeover
3. Colorful Compact Courtyard
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple
Location: Camden area of London
Size: 452 square feet (42 square meters)
Landscape designer: Georgia Lindsay of Georgia Lindsay Garden Design
Before: Like many urban yards, this patio in London needed to serve many needs: It’s the owners’ only outdoor space, their home’s entrance and where the car and trash cans are stored. “The owners were keen to make the whole rectangle usable when the car isn’t there,” Lindsay says. “The parking space had to look like a garden.”
Before the renovation, there was little in the yard that helped create the feeling of being in a garden. This view from the parking space shows the planting that wasn’t doing well and the lack of screening or outdoor comforts. “It was like being at the side of a car park,” Lindsay says.
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple
Location: Camden area of London
Size: 452 square feet (42 square meters)
Landscape designer: Georgia Lindsay of Georgia Lindsay Garden Design
Before: Like many urban yards, this patio in London needed to serve many needs: It’s the owners’ only outdoor space, their home’s entrance and where the car and trash cans are stored. “The owners were keen to make the whole rectangle usable when the car isn’t there,” Lindsay says. “The parking space had to look like a garden.”
Before the renovation, there was little in the yard that helped create the feeling of being in a garden. This view from the parking space shows the planting that wasn’t doing well and the lack of screening or outdoor comforts. “It was like being at the side of a car park,” Lindsay says.
After: New seating anchors the space, with a built-in bench running along the fence and helping to create a small footprint. “In a small garden, it’s always going to be a good use of space,” Lindsay says. A raised concrete planter creates the framework for the bench.
Planting behind the seating area softens the edges and blurs the yard’s boundary. “It’s a dark corner, so there are lots of ferns and plants that can do well in the shade,” Lindsay says. Plants showcased here include Dryopteris, grassy Carex and a new magnolia tree growing through the bench.
Custom Cor-Ten steel panels behind the plantings add more texture and interest to the space. The rust and bronze hues of the plants and panels are also picked up in the throw pillows that decorate the wood bench.
10 Top Trees to Grow in Containers
Planting behind the seating area softens the edges and blurs the yard’s boundary. “It’s a dark corner, so there are lots of ferns and plants that can do well in the shade,” Lindsay says. Plants showcased here include Dryopteris, grassy Carex and a new magnolia tree growing through the bench.
Custom Cor-Ten steel panels behind the plantings add more texture and interest to the space. The rust and bronze hues of the plants and panels are also picked up in the throw pillows that decorate the wood bench.
10 Top Trees to Grow in Containers
At night, the backlit Cor-Ten panels and illuminated magnolia tree invite the homeowners to venture out — just outside the home’s bifold doors. “Pools of light fall onto the bench and paving. It’s like dappled tree light making patterns on the ground. It’s really magical,” Lindsay says.
The designer also upgraded the patio’s paving, choosing an exterior porcelain for its durability and minimal maintenance. “When you have kids and spillages are likely, porcelain is a great option,” Lindsay says. The two-toned striped paving reflects the siding on the house.
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Tell us: How have you improved your patio this year? Show us your best photos in the Comments.
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The designer also upgraded the patio’s paving, choosing an exterior porcelain for its durability and minimal maintenance. “When you have kids and spillages are likely, porcelain is a great option,” Lindsay says. The two-toned striped paving reflects the siding on the house.
See more of this patio makeover
Tell us: How have you improved your patio this year? Show us your best photos in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Read more stories about landscape design
Browse thousands of landscape photos
Hire a landscape contractor
Shop for your outdoor spaces
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A professional couple and their dog
Location: Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York
Size: 260 square feet (24 square meters); 13 by 20 feet
Designers: Alicia Hassen of Brooklinteriors, and Dirt Queen NYC (plantscapes)
Before: Seeking outdoor space, a New York couple left Manhattan for a ground-floor brownstone in Brooklyn with a shared, divided back patio. The existing concrete-tiled space needed some work to make it more inviting, and the owners were looking for a cost-effective way to upgrade the yard for improved outdoor living.
To save on project costs, the homeowners decided to keep the patio’s existing river rock and concrete paving seen here. “It drains properly and is sturdy, so you just throw a cute rug on it, add plants and cute furniture, and you won’t even notice it,” designer Alicia Hassen says.