Backyard Living

Whether you live in the city or countryside, your backyard can be a serene space for relaxing and entertaining.

Words by Devon Brown | Photos by Ella Howell

Yokohl Valley

Serene mornings. Quiet sips of coffee looking out on the undulating citrus groves that meld into lush, green, rolling hills. This hidden Yokohl gem is strategically placed to take notice of the beauty that surrounds it. This home was thoughtfully planned by the homeowner and executed equally well by Witschi Construction. We were lucky to come alongside them to knit together the indoor-outdoor environment and define this tucked-away treasure.

The back patios make this home shine. Main living spaces effortlessly open up to these easy conversation areas, which is set among a backdrop of natural serene beauty. With two main patios, one is for designed for dinner parties, appropriately sized so a small group can gather without feeling lost or multiple couples could join filling out the ten-person tables. We designed an adjacent “flex space" where conversation could spill out onto the nearby seat walls with a canopy of bay trees or enjoy a game of ping pong.

Over on the main patio, the homeowner matched the length of their main living area to the covered patio. This space, too, features handselected cobblestone that warms up the tone and gives an artisan feel. Because there was more room to work with, the furniture layout creates two separate hubs for gathering. A smaller furniture vignette of lounge chairs is approximately sized for casual daily moments: morning coffee or an evening glass of wine. The next vignette is composed of two sofas, perfect for a small group. There is plenty of space to circulate around the furniture without feeling clumsy. When we design outdoor living spaces we begin to work with furniture layout in model form to make sure the flow is appropriate.

The larger patio is anchored by a limestone fountain that offers a calming sound throughout the area and serves as a focal point as guests enter the home. The homeowner was careful to select pieces that feature an old world feel to ensure a classic aesthetic. To add softness to the patios and play off of the height of the ceilings, we found beautiful pottery and installed irrigation and drainage to each before the flooring was complete. Then we added fruitless olive trees to each pot to bring a personal touch to the space.

On the opposite end of the dining space is a unique twist on contemporary raised gardens. We installed poured in place (PIP) concrete retaining walls with exposed grain lines. All the walls were pre-installed with low voltage path lights that act as way-finding elements and elevate the space at night.

Tips

• Make sure all retaining walls are properly sealed.

• Lay out your lighting plan before hardscape is installed—design your lighting and planting in tandem.

• Plan for irrigation and drainage for all pottery so you do not have to hand water.

• Allow for plenty of space between your furniture.

• Think of sun exposure. This patio is facing east. Beautiful morning light, delightful afternoon shade.

• Allow for “flex space” off your main entertaining areas, where people can step aside to converse, not too far from the crowd.

• Bring in personality: This homeowner chose copper garden markers for their beds.

• Don’t call on too many types of hardscape. This home features cobblestone, one type of gravel, and concrete (as pavers and walls).

• Capitalize on style and function when adding outdoor lighting to your hardscape.

• Think about how guests will enter your backyard. We created a welcoming side entry of concrete pavers lined with fruitless olive trees that usher you through the garden space. Path lighting along the space creates the perfect welcome mat. Fig Garden

Fig Garden

There is intentionality when you create a space for outdoor living. This classic Fig Garden home is the epitome of California classic. The perfect balance of posh and casual. When the homeowner approached us for this project, it was an immediate “yes!” Not only does it contain all the things we adore, but it has a very unique twist. Their main outdoor entertaining area happens in their front yard. Old Fig is a highly social community, with much happening near the street; these older homes have evolved over time. The garage for this particular property was moved from the front of the property around the side of the house in years past. The current homeowner was resourceful in renovating the old garage space into a unique hang out spot with roll-up glass doors that tie together their front yard entertaining areas to their backyard pool area. Finding unique opportunities to redesign your space that doesn’t go with the norm creates an opportunity to build something truly amazing.

Their main outdoor entertaining hub contains a covered dining space, a fire pit and an outdoor cooking area. The covered dining space is attached to their home; it is the only gathering area with a hard surface area for paving. The brick pattern featured here seamlessly flows from the indoors to the outdoor patio, solidifying the casual flow between the two environments. Beyond the covered patio a PIP (poured in place) concrete fire pit with vertically exaggerated seams transitions into the next gathering space. We loved this fire pit's generous ledge space that acts as a shelf for food and drink. The gravel ground plane surrounding the fire pit reinforces the passive flow between the pathways and the outdoor kitchen, grill, and pizza oven. If you have a desire to create an outdoor kitchen but feel intimidated on the scale of the project, be modest with your needs. A simple space for a grill or sink may fit the bill perfectly. Creating outdoor living spaces does not need to feel overwhelming, it just needs to match your lifestyle.

Tips

• Create gathering hubs close enough to each other and to home entrances to bring it all together. Spaces that are distant or isolated won't be used as often.

• Stay focused on your material selection. We create a mood board during the concept design and continue to revisit it along the design and material selection process.

• Plant things you use. Every morning I drink a warm mug of water with a sprig of parsley and lemon. Great for hydration, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. If you have a consistent habit that can be incorporated in your landscape, do it.

• Think of the user experience as you are designing. Oversized ledges on the fire pit can be used as a side table, for example. Also consider the distance between furniture pieces.

• Account for future phases. If you want to create a fire pit someday, or may add hardscape at a later date, install the proper plumbing when the ground is open.

• Create a phased plan if you cannot make the dream happen all at once.