As part of a remodeling project to their home, our client had a new front walk and porch/patio area installed. They weren't entirely happy with the paving as just concrete, so they came to us asking if there was a way to improve the aesthetics of that paving and the balance of the front yard. They were also hopeful that we could design a new patio for the backyard.
Using a material that would fit with the Tudor architecture of the home, we designed bluestone landings at both ends of the front walk, bordered in a brick to match the home. We used an arc tangent theme for the planting beds and filled them with a mix of evergreens, flowering shrubs and long-blooming perennials. To replace the oversized and declining arborvitae on the left side of the home, we added a Japanese tree lilac for a vertical element. The existing birch was to remain so we added a simple circle of hostas at the base.
For the backyard, we had a blank slate as there was so existing patio, just a large parking pad as the garage is on the back side of the home. Since the existing front walk had been done in concrete, we proposed that the new patio be done in concrete, which would also be budget friendly. To dress up the concrete, we added a brick border and made the fire pit area paved in bluestone to tie things together with the front. The fire pit itself would be custom cut Lannon stone while the patio includes a grill/bar island along with a cedar pergola over the dining area. A planting bed separates the driveway from the new patio. For visual consistency, the back plant palette uses the same plants as the front, with added varieties for the shaded plant beds around the backyard perimeter. Serviceberry trees provide some privacy along the north side of the patio while magnolias anchor the plant beds that flank the fire pit area. Low-voltage landscape lighting rounds out the design.
Designed by James Drzewiecki, CPLD and Hannah Paulson, landscape designer