Fire pit area. Specialty evergreens throughout this landscape add color year round and privacy. Custom powder coated metal tubes top all the cedar structures on this project. Stamped and colored concrete make great accent to house and contrast with evergreens.

Residential Firepit & Seating Wall
This is an example of a small transitional backyard patio in Richmond with a fire feature, brick pavers and no cover.

Design ideas for a small contemporary courtyard patio in London with a vertical garden and concrete pavers.

Design ideas for a small tropical backyard patio in Miami with an outdoor kitchen, natural stone pavers and no cover.

La terrasse en enfilade - 1er printemps
Photo of a small contemporary patio in Paris with a container garden, natural stone pavers and no cover.

Ryann Ford
Inspiration for a small contemporary backyard patio in Austin with concrete slab and a roof extension.

This outdoor remodel consists of a full front yard and backyard re-design. A Small, private paver patio was built off the master bedroom, boasting an elegant fire pit and exquisite views of those West Coast sunsets. In the front courtyard, a paver walkway and patio was built in - perfect for alfresco dining or lounging with loved ones. The front of the home features a new landscape design and LED lighting, creating an elegant look and adding plenty of curb appeal

A family in West University contacted us to design a contemporary Houston landscape for them. They live on a double lot, which is large for that neighborhood. They had built a custom home on the property, and they wanted a unique indoor-outdoor living experience that integrated a modern pool into the aesthetic of their home interior. This was made possible by the design of the home itself. The living room can be fully opened to the yard by sliding glass doors. The pool we built is actually a lap swimming pool that measures a full 65 feet in length. Not only is this pool unique in size and design, but it is also unique in how it ties into the home. The patio literally connects the living room to the edge of the water. There is no coping, so you can literally walk across the patio into the water and start your swim in the heated, lighted interior of the pool. Even for guests who do not swim, the proximity of the water to the living room makes the entire pool-patio layout part of the exterior design. This is a common theme in modern pool design. The patio is also notable because it is constructed from stones that fit so tightly together the joints seem to disappear. Although the linear edges of the stones are faintly visible, the surface is one contiguous whole whose linear seamlessness supports both the linearity of the home and the lengthwise expanse of the pool. While the patio design is strictly linear to tie the form of the home to that of the pool, our modern pool is decorated with a running bond pattern of tile work. Running bond is a design pattern that uses staggered stone, brick, or tile layouts to create something of a linear puzzle board effect that captures the eye. We created this pattern to compliment the brick work of the home exterior wall, thus aesthetically tying fine details of the pool to home architecture. At the opposite end of the pool, we built a fountain into the side of the home's perimeter wall. The fountain head is actually square, mirroring the bricks in the wall. Unlike a typical fountain, the water here pours out in a horizontal plane which even more reinforces the theme of the quadrilateral geometry and linear movement of the modern pool. We decorated the front of the home with a custom garden consisting of small ground cover plant species. We had to be very cautious around the trees due to West U’s strict tree preservation policies. In order to avoid damaging tree roots, we had to avoid digging too deep into the earth. The species used in this garden—Japanese Ardesia, foxtail ferns, and dwarf mondo not only avoid disturbing tree roots, but they are low-growth by nature and highly shade resistant. We also built a gravel driveway that provides natural water drainage and preserves the root zone for trees. Concrete pads cross the driveway to give the homeowners a sure-footing for walking to and from their vehicles.

This patio space embodied a modern zen design in which our client could relax & engage with his guests in. PC: Robert Hatch Photography
Inspiration for a small contemporary backyard patio in San Francisco with natural stone pavers.

Rick Bethem
Small traditional backyard patio in Miami with a fire feature, tile and a roof extension.

Vertical garden with (plastic) plants. No maintenance. This green wall covering is made of interlocking panels. The material can be created in any pattern from swirls to linear shapes. I know everybody now a days wants real greenwalls with succulents but these plastic ones are a fraction of the cost with no monthly maintenance fee. It's a piece of art for the outdoors.

Outdoor shower next to pool with shampoo shelf and towel hooks on wall.
Inspiration for a small contemporary backyard patio in San Francisco with an outdoor shower, tile and no cover.

This is an example of a small tropical side yard patio in Hawaii with a water feature, stamped concrete and no cover.

Gorman Outdoor Kitchen - Seaboard marine grade cabinetry featuring a Delta Heat grill & refrigerator. Sweet setup!
This is an example of a small contemporary backyard patio in Miami with an outdoor kitchen, concrete pavers and a roof extension.

The exterior shingle color was selected to match the surrounding meadow grasses in winter, and to blend with the hues in the stone and wood. Photo: Rebecca Lindenmeyr

Curved Drylaid Stone Patio with Brick Paver Borders
This is an example of a small traditional backyard patio in DC Metro with a water feature, natural stone pavers and no cover.

Another small back yard design challenge One Specialty was happy to take on. Our clients wished to remove a large planter bed against the wall and create a covered seating area in place of it. For the decking, we used Trex materials for lasting durability and easy maintenance and added new steps with lighting. The metal cantilevered pergola custom designed with shade panels provides the needed shade during the hot Texas summers. And to add more luxury, we suggested a vent-less fireplace ensuring the family could enjoy their backyard all year and our clients loved the idea!

Joe Runde
Photo of a small traditional backyard patio in Chicago.

A forgotten backyard space was reimagined and transformed by SCJ Studio for outdoor living, dining, entertaining, and play. A terraced approach was needed to meet up with existing grades to the alley, new concrete stairs with integrated lighting, paving, built-in benches, a turf area, and planting were carefully thought through.