This classic San Francisco backyard was transformed into an inviting and usable outdoor living space. A few steps down lead to a lounging area, featuring drought-friendly and maintenance-free artificial grass as well as a cozy, custom-built natural gas fire pit surrounded by a Redwood bench. Redwood fencing, low-voltage LED landscape lighting, drip irrigation, planting and a water feature completed the space.

Surrey Fun House

User

Nick Smith Photography
Photo of an eclectic backyard outdoor sport court in London with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

BluHomes Sonoma Breezehouse

Rollin Landscape Design

Cathy Stancil Photography
Design ideas for a large modern backyard partial sun garden for summer in San Francisco with a fire feature and gravel.

Apartment 34 Traditional Modern

Growsgreen Landscape Design

More beautiful shadows and light. The feeling of this garden for me is calm but interesting. Grounded but airy. Please note the gradient spacing I used on the beam screens.

Amazing Berkeley Back Yard

Sarah Herman Landscape Design

You can read more about the project through this Houzz Feature link: https://www.houzz.com/magazine/hillside-yard-offers-scenic-views-and-space-for-contemplation-stsetivw-vs~131483772

Barton Hills Family & Entertaining Space

B. Jane Gardens

Photo by Ryann Ford
Photo of a transitional backyard partial sun garden in Austin with a fire feature.

Parkland Ranch Home

Scott Subko Construction

Country garden in Miami with a fire feature and gravel.

Rock Landscaping Design Ideas - Austin, TX

YardDoc

YardDoc designed and created multiple rock landscapes for customers in Austin, TX. These drought resistant landscapes liven up your yard with unique designs and individual beauty. While we craft every landscape to the yard and customer, we present examples here to inspire you. Working with the existing trees and plants, we built this landscape to match the wrought iron fence. First, we placed a limestone barrier in a design reminiscent of a lake emptying into a river. Outside the retainer stone, we laid larger, red river rocks. On the inside we placed smaller, black rocks to highlight the rest of our modifications. We built a stone fire pit in the center then crafted stone benches for seating around the campfire. We built a path our of large, flat stones that bring the different colors and textures together. Finally, we placed one last stone that, while decorative, can also be used as an end table, if necessary.

Estelle

Falling Waters Landscape

Brett Hilton
Photo of a midcentury backyard garden in Orange County with a fire feature and gravel.

Contra Verde

TLC Gardens

Inspiration for a modern backyard full sun formal garden in Denver with a fire feature and gravel.

Nashville Estate

Pro-Land Landscape Construction Inc.

With a lengthy list of ideas about how to transform their backyard, the clients were excited to see what we could do. Existing features on site needed to be updated and in-cooperated within the design. The view from each angle of the property was already outstanding and we didn't want the design to feel out of place. We had to make the grade changes work to our advantage, each separate space had to have a purpose. The client wanted to use the property for charity events, so a large flat turf area was constructed at the back of the property, perfect for setting up tables, chairs and a stage if needed. It also created the perfect look out point into the back of the property, dropping off into a ravine. A lot of focus throughout the project was the plant selection. With a large amount of garden beds, we wanted to maintain a clean and formal look, while still offering seasonal interest. We did this by edging the beds with boxwoods, adding white hydrangeas throughout the beds for constant colour, and subtle pops of purple and yellow. This along with the already breathtaking natural backdrop of the space, is more than enough to make this project stand out. Photographer: Jason Hartog Photography

Seattle Cozy Patio

SCJ Studio Landscape Architecture

In Seattle's Fremont neighborhood SCJ Studio designed a new landscape to surround and set off a contemporary home by Coates Design Architects. The narrow spaces around the tall home needed structure and organization, and a thoughtful approach to layout and space programming. A concrete patio was installed with a Paloform Bento gas fire feature surrounded by lush, northwest planting. A horizontal board cedar fence provides privacy from the street and creates the cozy feeling of an outdoor room among the trees. LED low-voltage lighting by Kichler Lighting adds night-time warmth . Photography by: Miranda Estes Photography

The Belgard Collection

Belgard

Mid-sized traditional backyard partial sun formal garden in New York with a fire feature and natural stone pavers for summer.

Outdoor Room with a View

C&H Landscaping

Mid-sized contemporary backyard full sun xeriscape in Denver with a fire feature and natural stone pavers for summer.

Landscape

Table2Garden

A great garden begins with great design. Table2Garden specializes in drought dazzling designs utilizing native plants and sustainable materials. We pride ourselves on innovating unique garden spaces that reflect our customers style. There are so many creative uses of outdoor space - we encourage our clients to collaborate with us! Whether you are designing a new garden that can grow with your new family or want a design that reflects your lifestyle - let us inspire you.

Rosedale Modern Courtyard

Native Edge Landscape

This duplex has a very modern aesthetic with focuses on clean lines and metal accents. However, the front courtyard was undeveloped and uninviting. We worked with the client to tie the courtyard and the property together by adding clean, monochromatic details with a heavy focus on texture. The main goal of this project was to add a low-maintenance outdoor living space that was an extension of the home. The small space and harsh sun exposure limited the plant pallet, but we were able to use lush plant material to maximize the space. A monochromatic pallet makes for a perfect backdrop for focal points and key pieces. The circular fire-pit was used to break up the 90 degree angles of the space, and also played off the round pottery.

Outer Sunset Landing

Seed Studio Landscape Design

photo by Seed Studio, editing by TR PhotoStudio
Inspiration for a small modern backyard full sun formal garden in San Francisco with a fire feature and decking.

Hillside Garden Landscape with Water Features and Beautiful Plantings

Accent Landscapes

Natural stone slabs create stairways as beautiful as they are practical.
Inspiration for a large eclectic backyard partial sun xeriscape for spring in Denver with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Fire Pits

Stone Ledge Designs Inc

Large traditional garden in Cleveland with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Outdoor Living Spaces: Beverly Project

Zaremba & Company

Photo by Patrick Zaremba
Inspiration for a backyard garden in Detroit with a fire feature and natural stone pavers.

Garden Design Ideas with a Fire Feature

Get Inspired by Gardens on Houzz

A lot of the time when you get home from a long day at work, all you want to do is wind down. Where better to do this than in your very own garden at home? If you do it right, a great garden design can send you right into holiday mode. But where to start? There’s so many styles to choose from when it comes to garden design. Whether you want to create a tropical, modern, contemporary, beach style or country garden - or something else entirely - the large garden image gallery on Houzz has got you covered. Get inspired and collect your ideas to narrow down your desired garden style and features.

How to Create a Garden for Your Home

Depending on which style you’re going for, be sure to know what makes a garden and if it’s appropriate for your climate. You may want to consider adding a deck or other landscaping features, but the plants you choose will mostly dictate your style and what kind of ongoing maintenance is required. Don’t worry if your backyard isn’t very spacious - there are many plants that can thrive even in a small space and allow you to turn your space into a little paradise of your own, regardless of size.

Decide which plants to use

The greenery you choose is critical to your look. For example, if you’re trying to create a tropical garden palm trees and bamboo are your go-to options. Other popular options are golden cane palm trees and fern for ground cover. From there you can add some colour with bright flowers like frangipani, hibiscus or bromeliads. All these are actually quite hardy plants, so once established, your tropical garden is actually quite easy to maintain. Use this structure and apply it to your style. Research which plants you need to set your base for a garden and go from there.

Add some decor

If the plants don’t quite do it for you yet, or if you want to add some extra wow-factor, consider adding some extra features. Even if you can’t accommodate a swimming pool, hot tub or pond, you could look at smaller water features. Simple rocks can also have a great effect, while statues and gnomes will add some extra character. Don’t forget to add some furniture so you have a nice place to sit and enjoy your garden!

Need some help?

Once you know what you want your garden to look like, it may be hard to make it a reality on your own. If that is the case for you, consider consulting a professional to help you with your garden design. Every photo you find on Houzz will lead you to the local pro that did the job, so you won’t have a problem picking the perfect person to help! Whether you need a gardener in Brisbane, a landscape architect in Melbourne or a fireplace installer in Sydney, you can be sure to find one on Houzz.