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Collection by Isla Wright

Patio Designs That Will Elevate Your Garden Style

A beautifully arranged garden patio provides a cosy and relaxing living space in the summer months. With the right garden design and a fire pit, it can be a welcoming place even in winter. When compared to lawns and flower gardens, patios ask for little maintenance during the year. Still, if you feel you are not getting the most out of your patio, there are plenty of different designs and inspiring upgrades you can try, regardless of the type of your home and size of your outdoor space.

Modernist patio garden

If your patio tiles or stone make a distinct contrast to the surrounding grass, make sure you keep the look light with modern garden furniture that pairs well with a polished floor finish. Finely woven faux wicker chairs and a glass-topped table seem to float in the air and present a crisp centrepiece against the green backdrop. Make the patio dining zone more bound together with a large white parasol that will also provide lifesaving shade on sunny summer days.

Walled courtyard patio

If you are stuck with a compact outdoor space that is literally bordered by a flat or a house, turn it onto a secret garden haven. One way to do it is to let the floor tiles run out from the interior, implying that the patio is just an outdoor extension of the living room or the kitchen. Scour garage sales for a dozen large weathered clay pots, and group them in clusters holding lush plants. The feeling of closeness to nature achieved this way is only augmented by horizontal board panels. Check out the empressofdirt.net to see how a large mirror panel on one side can double the space. Finally, if you can’t fit a whole garden set, a bistro table and two benches will be more than enough for casual drinks.

Mountain chalet styled

You don’t have to be blessed with an alpine retreat to enjoy the charms of a ski-chalet style patio. Following the idea of a functional garden patio, this style is perfect for winter outings, stargazing and snuggling under faux seal fur blankets. If a lovely gravel fire pit is out of your reach, an outdoor electric heater can provide the heat, while flickering candles in glass lanterns burn out throughout the evening.

Tiered patio garden

Where does it say that a patio has to be a one-level outdoor extension of a home? Although it may require more courtyard space, a tiered patio as seen on pinterest.com is rightfully called next level (forgive the pun) in patio design. Each level has a different feel and function. The topmost level, the one next to the house is suitable for an alfresco/drinks/lounging area, while a shady seating area is located down the paved space. Use planters to your advantage and make a distinction between the tiers even more. This way it seems you have not one, but two patios.

Easy family dining area

You have spruced up your kitchen area, but the adjoining patio doesn’t really match up. With just a few details and a modern bench and table set, you can turn it into the family’s favourite dining area. Distract the eye from potentially unsightly concrete pavers with a set of rattan chairs and woven dining accessories. A row of selected pot plants and a custom shade sail, as the ones offered at shadesailsydney.net.au will complete an upscale rooftop restaurant look.


Garden patios have a huge potential of providing many pleasant hours spent outdoors; from dining alfresco, to afternoon reading and entertaining a company of friends in the evening. If you have worked hard to achieve a dream-like interior, the next logical step would be to bring the outdoor area closer to your home’s style.

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The deck connects to the open kitchen and living room through Loewen sliding glass doors. Photo by Patrick Bernard.
The deck connects to the open kitchen and living room through Loewen sliding glass doors. Photo by Patrick Bernard.
Looking back on the home from the concrete patio, its verticality becomes apparent. The zinc, cedar, and glass extension erupts from the base of the old brick envelope—diminutive but disruptive.
Looking back on the home from the concrete patio, its verticality becomes apparent. The zinc, cedar, and glass extension erupts from the base of the old brick envelope—diminutive but disruptive.
The back patio is bordered by boulders picked up on the Gambys' land. Tanya says that particular design element will be repeated in the next home they build: "We've actually unearthed one the size of a minivan that we're going to use in the bigger house."
The back patio is bordered by boulders picked up on the Gambys' land. Tanya says that particular design element will be repeated in the next home they build: "We've actually unearthed one the size of a minivan that we're going to use in the bigger house."
Each of the four units has a private patio.
Each of the four units has a private patio.
To save money, the main patio was updated with fresh decking, but the metal awning was kept intact.
To save money, the main patio was updated with fresh decking, but the metal awning was kept intact.
Known for furniture and interior design, Ezequiel Farca transformed a 1970s-style concrete home in Mexico City into a tranquil sanctuary. The temple-like retreat blends into the hilly Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood with its pale gray-green hue and strategic plantings, which soften the boundaries between house, garden, and street. The Recinto lava stone patio accessed through the living room holds teak outdoor furniture designed by Farca himself.
Known for furniture and interior design, Ezequiel Farca transformed a 1970s-style concrete home in Mexico City into a tranquil sanctuary. The temple-like retreat blends into the hilly Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood with its pale gray-green hue and strategic plantings, which soften the boundaries between house, garden, and street. The Recinto lava stone patio accessed through the living room holds teak outdoor furniture designed by Farca himself.