Photos of houses with a courtyard
How to arrange a patio, project options with photos
When talking about the design of a patio, we, of course, do not mean flower beds and planting fruit trees, but a stylish arrangement of a place for family recreation in the open air. It is important that it be especially comfortable, cozy, beautiful, and at the same time fit harmoniously into the landscape. All elements of the patio arrangement should be combined with the style of the house and complement each other.
The design of a country patio should begin with a design project: zoning, drawing up a diagram of the location of small garden architectural forms, decorative compositions and ponds, laying out a network of paths, as well as choosing a suitable landscaping style. Ideally, this is done during the construction of the house.
The most popular design option for a patio is the so-called atrium layout. All main buildings - a house, gazebos, a block of utility rooms - are located around the perimeter of the courtyard, in the center there is an area for a patio, an artificial pond, a fountain or a pool, decorative flower arrangements and rockeries.
A layout in which buildings and additional barriers - gratings, fences, high borders of trimmed bushes, etc. - completely border the courtyard (in the shape of a square or rectangle) is called closed, or closed. If garden buildings and fences surround the patio on only three sides, they speak of an open plan.
In the design of country open courtyards - landscaping, creating decorative plant compositions, the location of artificial reservoirs, the construction of small architectural garden structures - designers use several landscape styles.
For your country patio you can choose the most suitable design:
- classic, or regular;
- English, or landscape;
- Provence, or French;
- country, or rustic;
- oriental, Japanese, Chinese;
- exotic Moorish or Moroccan;
- modern minimalist.
The design of a patio in a regular style presupposes strict and orderly lines of the landscape: symmetrically located straight paths, perfectly regular shapes of flower beds and decorative ponds, carefully selected color combinations and contrasts. Please note: a regular style patio will also require tireless regular maintenance.
Landscape landscape style , on the contrary, is naturalness itself. All elements are arranged freely, without any symmetry; the outlines of flower arrangements and garden ponds are tried to be as close to natural as possible. The color scheme of landscape-style patios is also dominated by natural, not too flashy combinations.
Arranging a patio in Provence style is simple, cozy and, at the same time, elegant. Several stylish flower beds, laconic arches and pergolas with climbing plants, compact borders of trimmed bushes along narrow winding paths, a miniature decorative pond, a paved area with comfortable and elegant garden furniture in the center - these are the main elements of a French-style patio.
Country style patio design. The name of the style speaks for itself. Country music is characterized by rich and picturesque mixtures of colors, contours and lines of the landscape that are close to natural. The details and techniques for decorating a rustic-style patio are deliberately uncomplicated, natural and, to some extent, even careless. Despite this, all elements of a country patio are carefully verified and thought out to the smallest detail.
Oriental style patio. When choosing Japanese and Chinese styles for decorating the landscape of patios and small garden buildings, you need to take into account their differences. However, oriental design styles, which are conducive to peace and philosophical reflection, also have common features. They are not characterized by pretentiousness and piling up of details. All elements of the arrangement, artificial reservoirs, plant compositions look as if they were created by nature itself, maintaining a mysterious picturesqueness and attractiveness regardless of the changing seasons.
Exotic style patio. A riot of colors in the brightest and most unusual combinations. Lush tiered flower beds, vertical flower beds, many compositions of climbing plants, flowering lawns. Intricate elements and complex patterns in the design of garden buildings, paths and decorative hedges. Expressive paraphernalia: ceramic vases, jugs of rich colors and bizarre configurations, unusual furniture, pillows with bright patterns. All this is typical for the design of landscapes of patios in Moorish, Moroccan and other tropical styles.
Minimalist patio design. Minimalism is one of the trends in modern country design. Style motto: “It doesn’t matter what, it matters how.” Attention to detail, conciseness, restraint and elegance in the arrangement of elements and design of the landscape, compositional precision, precision of lines and outlines, space and atmosphere - these are the main differences of a garden patio in a minimalist style.
Unusual houses
Egg house
stroi.mos.ru
Mashkova, 1
A relatively modern building, the Egg House, dates back to 2003. According to the architect S. Tkachenko, the idea of creating the Egg House came to him during a visit to the Faberge Museum.
The structure, shaped like a red-painted egg, is attached to an eight-story building. The building's cladding is made of crimson-colored ceramic tiles, and the roof is covered with copper sheets.
The extravagant Egg House is currently on the market for $6.2 million. The house has its own entrance with a patio, an elevator and underground parking. Also, in addition to four bedrooms, the house has an entrance hall, a hall, a storage room, a sauna, two kitchens, maids' rooms and covered terraces.
Tea house
A.Savin / commons.wikimedia.org
Myasnitskaya, 19
The tea house in the very center of Moscow is not just a stylization on the theme of China. In 1895, Chinese billionaire Li Hongzhang was supposed to come to Moscow. At the time of his arrival, S.V. Perlov’s tea shop was being rebuilt. The facade of the building is decorated with oriental ornaments, statues of dragons and snakes, and curved balconies. Finishing materials were purchased from the Qing Empire. As a result, for unknown reasons, Li Hongzhang stayed in another house and did not see the insane beauty on Myasnitskaya, but thanks to his visit, Moscow received one of the most unusual and beautiful buildings. Nowadays the historic building houses a Tea and Coffee shop. There are over eight hundred types of tea and more than three hundred varieties of coffee. Tea and coffee tastings are also regularly held here.
Beehive house (Melnikov's house)
vk.com/archmuseum
Krivoarbatsky lane, 10
The clearest example of the avant-garde in architecture is the Melnikov house. The architect planned to live in this mansion with his family and also place a workshop in it. Diamond-shaped windows (of which there are 108 in total) tightly cover the walls of the house. Thanks to this, the house was popularly called the House-Beehive.
Now Melnikov's house is under the control of the Museum of Architecture. Shchusev, and excursions are offered here by appointment.
House of Abrikosovs
NVO/commons.wikimedia.org
Krasnoselskaya street
The home of the confectionery dynasty is worth a must-visit. Not only the Art Nouveau architecture deserves attention, but also the aromas that float around the “confectionery kingdom”. The decoration of the building preserves the original window frames with a honeycomb pattern - perhaps a hint of the honey sweets made, among other things, at the Apricots factory. However, apricot marshmallow brought the greatest fame to confectioners - perhaps it gave the surname to the whole family after the serf Stepan Nikolaev received his freedom.
Now the historical building is part of the Babaevsky confectionery concern complex, and is also included in the Red Book of Arkhnadzor.
Patio design, ideas with photos
small patio, ideas with photos
Thinking through the cozy arrangement of all the elements and decorative compositions of the patio, without cluttering up the space, and visually expanding the landscape are the main tasks of the design of small patios.
It is better to place garden furniture for relaxation and leisurely family meals in the fresh air - a table, comfortable armchairs or chairs - not in the center, but on an open terrace near the house, under a canopy, or on a specially arranged area in one of the corners of the garden, fenced on three sides.
A useful purchase if you don’t have enough space in your patio would be high-quality folding furniture and a collapsible canopy. It makes sense to choose portable options for barbecues, barbecues and grills for a small patio.
It is better to plant a regular or Moorish lawn in the center of the patio. It is convenient to use ready-made mixtures of lawn grass seeds or rolled grass to decorate the patio. Another popular patio design option is paving the area or individual sections of the patio area with tiles. Compact mini-flower beds, mixborders and edgings, also located around the perimeter of the site, are perfect as decorative plant compositions for small courtyards.
To leave more space and air, tall trees and shrubs, pergolas and other supports with vertical flower beds are placed around the perimeter. Miniature dry streams, as well as beautiful rockeries with conifers or creeping plants, will also be a successful addition to the landscape.
As for garden ponds, a pool or a pompous fountain is unlikely to look harmonious on a modest-sized plot. A more successful solution would be a small pond with a waterfall or a miniature decorative fountain. They can be designed in the same style as the garden landscape or made into expressive contrasting accents.
large patio, ideas with photos
When arranging a spacious patio, it is important to think about the zoning of the site and arrange the landscape design elements so that there is no impression of emptiness and chaos.
Group plantings of conifers and decorative deciduous trees, formal flower beds and spacious rock gardens in the borders and not too high hedges of climbing shrubs will help make the space of the patio more compact and cozy.
A set of garden furniture is placed under a cozy canopy near the house, in a spacious open or closed gazebo at the side fence of the site or in the far corner of the patio. Here you can also arrange an area with a stationary grill or barbecue.
It is important to think through not only the location and details of the internal arrangement of the place for relaxation and feasts, but also the external design. It would be good if it offers a view of a picturesque alpine hill, an original rock garden, a luxurious flowerbed or a beautiful garden pond. A lush green lawn with a network of garden paths will also be a good basis for floral decorative compositions in the center of the patio.
It’s up to you to decide what type of lawn to choose for your spacious patio. But it is worth considering that a luxurious ceremonial grass carpet is quite difficult to maintain and is very unstable to the vagaries of weather and trampling. Therefore, when decorating a garden patio, it is better to prefer a regular, Moorish or rolled lawn.
Writing a book
Chan wrote the book while building her own home, which also has a courtyard. The home is located in Australia and was designed so that she could share a home with her parents, but at the same time each had their own personal space.
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The book is divided into five chapters, each focusing on a different type of courtyard. “Private Little Worlds” focuses on homes that have areas for privacy and security, while “Young, Old and In-Between” focuses on structures where courtyards allow multiple generations of a family to live together.
In "Major Landmarks," Chan focuses on houses that were open to allow views, while the chapter "Air, Light, Shadow" looked at courtyards to improve the interior climate of the house. Finally, Blurring Boundaries looks at courtyards that have been fully integrated with the house.
Patio areas and paths, photo
As we wrote, already at the preparatory stages of designing a country patio, it is important to think through a network of garden paths and platforms. They have not only a functional purpose - they provide comfortable movement from the entrance to the house to a decorative pond or swimming pool, to a place for family recreation, to a clearing for children's games, to outbuildings. Beautiful and correctly located paths and platforms are a stylish and attractive element of the decor of a country courtyard.
Depending on the design style of the patio, you can arrange paths and areas:
- from ordinary concrete and decorative polymer concrete;
- from granite and marble breccia (free-form tiles)
- from ready-made plastic and rubber blocks of various configurations;
- their wood cuts or materials imitating them;
- from ordinary and clinker bricks;
- from rectangular and shaped wooden flooring;
- from decorative paving and ceramic tiles;
- from natural and artificial polished stone;
- their usual pebbles, gravel and crushed stone.
Concrete and stone paths, paved areas made of plain and clinker bricks, or durable granite and marble breccia specially designed for paving are perfect for arranging patios in minimalist, classic and landscape styles.
Paths made of decorative tiles, figured wooden flooring, large pebbles and polished stone, mosaic stone platforms will stylishly fit into the landscape of patios decorated in ethnic and oriental design.
A good choice for Provence and country courtyards would be paths and platforms made of wood cuts, colored gravel and crushed stone, matching the design of plastic blocks.
Garden paths and platforms made of decorative concrete and polymer concrete are universal. Manufacturers offer such a variety of materials and shapes for concrete paving that choosing the right option for a beautiful patio path of any style is not difficult.
To ensure that the paths and areas in your patio look good and last as long as possible, try to pay attention to qualities such as moisture resistance and wear resistance of materials when choosing. When choosing a covering for a barbecue area, it’s a good idea to take care not only of its beautiful appearance and durability, but also of its fire resistance.
Air, light, shadow
Taking advantage of their unusually long plot, the homeowners chose a section between the front and rear blocks, providing a safe play area for children.
The courtyard is a source of air and natural light. It is the center of almost every room. “Architectural Archeology” allowed us to make the most of this space.
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Patio furniture, material requirements
Garden furniture, unlike interior furniture, is intended for outdoor use. Consequently, it becomes more dusty and dirty, can get wet in the rain, and wears out much faster. Therefore, you need to choose patio furniture carefully and carefully.
Armchairs, chairs, and tables for the patio should be made of durable, strong, easy-to-care materials that can easily withstand high humidity and scorching sun rays.
What garden furniture is best suited for arranging a patio:
- wicker from natural or artificial rattan;
- made of high-quality and durable ABC plastic or fiberglass;
- assembled from wood treated with moisture-resistant impregnation and coated with ship varnish;
- soft, on a metal frame, with seats made of vinyl and moisture-resistant textiles;
- forged garden furniture and combined models (wood or vinyl + forged metal);
- garden sets based on gabions with removable table tops and seats;
- DIY concrete block patio kits with removable tabletops and seating.
Possible options for garden furniture for the patio:
Furniture and decor
Modern garden furniture attracts consumers with its comfort and aesthetic appearance. A table and chairs of original weaving, furniture made of natural wood with soft textiles and pillows, benches made of forged metal, cozy hammocks and even models made of genuine leather - all these elements will be an excellent decoration for a patio in a private home.
But you can choose a cheaper, but no less practical option - plastic garden furniture. It can also be brightly colored and can be folded or solid. It is very light and at the same time reliable, and is not afraid of dampness and hot weather. Recently, owners of private houses like to purchase original swings, not the ones that each of us is used to seeing in childhood, but original soft sofas under canopies, on which it is convenient to swing.
As for the decor, there are no restrictions, everyone can arrange everything the way they want, and besides, you can change the design depending on what your mood is or the season. On the market now you can buy a huge number of clay figurines, pots and other equally beautiful decor.
Patio landscaping, ideas with photos
Landscaping is one of the final steps in patio design. Properly designed landscaping allows you to achieve several goals at once:
- create a harmonious spatial perspective;
- emphasize the chosen landscape design style;
- divide the patio space into zones;
- improve the microclimate in the garden.
The landscaping of the patio is planned in two planes - horizontal (low-lying) and vertical. Ideally, all elements of vertical and horizontal landscaping should be in harmony with each other, as well as with the overall design style of the patio.
Horizontal gardening techniques include:
- seeded and rolled lawns;
- flower beds and flower beds of various types;
- low growing shrubs;
- decorative plant compositions;
- rockeries and alpine slides.
In vertical gardening patios use:
- single and group plantings of bushes and trees;
- supports and arches with climbing plants;
- high/medium height borders made of trimmed bushes;
- "hedges;
- sculptures from plants.
The basis for horizontal landscaping on a patio is a continuous lawn or a lawn combined with platforms and paths. Against the backdrop of velvety greenery, flower beds, flower beds and other compositions of flowering plants look especially expressive and bright. There are three types of grass cover: parterre, standard (universal) and meadow (so-called Moorish).
For arranging a garden patio, the most suitable would be a standard universal lawn made from easy-to-maintain, trampling-resistant and weather-resistant fescue, bluegrass, and bentgrass. You can sow a beautiful grass cover yourself or decorate the patio area using ready-made rolled turf - turf grown in a greenhouse with a dense grass stand.
It’s hard to imagine a stylish patio without flower beds and floral arrangements. They provide colorful shades to woody plants and fill the garden with freshness and intoxicating aromas. In the center of the patio area, you can (if the space allows) arrange a front flower bed.
In landscapes of a regular style, flower beds of regular shape look harmonious - square, rectangular, round, triangular, oval. When designing a landscape patio, you can choose any arbitrary configuration for the central flower bed.
The spacious flower beds combine many types of flowering plants - ground cover, low-growing, tall. They are usually arranged in sectors, diagonal stripes or concentric circles. For compact flower beds and decorative flower beds, select 2-3 types of flowers that harmonize well with each other.
Along fences, paved areas, at the intersections of paths, near terraces, gazebos or canopies for family recreation, flower beds and mixborders are planted - constantly flowering or remontant compositions of one or several types of plants.
Group and solitaire (single) planting of flowers is one of the fashionable techniques for decorating the landscape of a patio. They combine effectively with the lush greenery of the grass and help create a holistic, harmonious picture. As a rule, rather large, bright and attractive flowers are chosen for such plantings, such as roses, daylilies, irises, hosts, peonies and others.
Low coniferous, deciduous shrubs and trees with pyramidal or spherical crowns, trellis and border “live” hedges and lattice pergolas, arches and arcades with flower vines and climbing plants will help decorate the vertical space of the patio. Thoughtful vertical gardening will allow you to enjoy the changing natural colors and bright blooms until autumn.
Landscaping the yard of a private house
After the space has been demarcated, and paths and functional places have been designated, landscaping should be done.
During this process, you need to choose the correct location of the plants, taking into account their size and flowering time. Initially, you need to place trees and large shrubs. It is better to plant the most spectacular and original plants separately, thus focusing attention on them, highlighting these elements from the gray mass. Under one of the large trees you can install a small bench or circular bench
Flowers of bright colors are often used for landscaping. From plant colonies you can create unique monochromatic or multi-colored canvases and flower beds. When planting flowers, you need to know their flowering period so that a single picture is created that can please the eye all year round.
If you are too lazy to constantly mow the lawn, then you can place flowerpots with various plants in the yard. In winter they will be put away in a warm room, and in the spring they will be taken outside again. By doing this, you can grow a heat-loving plant on your site: tangerine, lemon, cypress, and so on. You can also decorate the flowerbed with vegetables and berries.
Finally, the almost finished private courtyard is decorated with decorative elements, sculptures, fountains and other tempting things.
Water feature, pool or patio fountain?
One of the most effective techniques for decorating patios is the construction of artificial ponds in the patio area. Water looks incredibly harmonious and spectacular in combination with greenery and flowering plants. In addition, man-made ponds in the garden help to humidify the air and create a comfortable and pleasant microclimate, which is especially important in the summer heat.
A miniature pond with lilies, a winding flowing stream, a beautiful garden lake with a bridge, a mesmerizing waterfall, a luxurious fountain or a swimming pool - it’s up to you, of course, to decide based on your financial capabilities, style preferences and area of the yard.
According to the designers' recommendations, in order for the pond to look harmonious, it should occupy no more than 3-5% of the patio area and fit well with the overall design style of the landscape.
Some interesting ideas for designing decorative ponds, pools and fountains in the patio area:
Pool and fountain
Projects and layout of country houses
Naturally, the design of reservoirs on the site must be trusted to specialists. But first of all, homeowners themselves decide in what place they would like to create a “water treatment” zone. Moreover, the justifications can be very different:
- Fans of baths and saunas set up a pool next to the steam room. Boardwalks around the pond are an excellent solution for jogging after a spa session.
- If a pool is created primarily for children, then it is located next to the house to make it easier to control children’s water games. The area around the reservoir is tiled, but the best option is wood, which does not heat up on a hot day (it is better to avoid metal and any such elements).
- Fans of sunbathing choose a well-lit area. An area with a sun canopy is being built nearby. It is paved with paving slabs to make it convenient to rearrange the sun loungers.
How to install a swimming pool near your home
The sight of living flowing water is a real paradise for romantic and sensual natures. A special advantage of the source is that you can choose a design that takes up very little space. Before choosing the size and shape of the fountain, you need to assess where the water deposits are located and where it is discharged. The best option is if these territories coincide. In this case, liquid recirculation is created and a device of any size is installed. In other cases, it is necessary to carefully consider the water drainage system.
Lighting the courtyard of a house, photo
Functional and stylish lighting is an important element of the design of a patio in a country garden. Well-chosen street lamps will make it possible to safely and comfortably move around the patio in the evening and at night and will harmoniously complement the style of the landscape.
To illuminate the adjacent terrace, the central patio area and the gazebo for relaxation, you will need wall-mounted, wall-console and pendant lamps for outdoor lighting. Modern models of outdoor patio lighting are equipped with motion sensors and have options for adjusting dimming and programming to automatically turn on/off at a given time.
Along the paths and along the perimeter of the patio area, several lines of beautiful garden lights are usually installed: with conventional incandescent, halogen, LED or solar-powered lamps. It is not difficult to choose lamps with a design that suits the landscape style - classic, hi-tech or vintage - from the diverse range offered by manufacturers.
For decorative lighting of garden beds and flower arrangements, rockeries, alpine slides, waterfalls, fountains and pools, dust- and moisture-proof ground and underwater spotlights are used. If desired, you can choose floodlights for the patio with white, yellow, bluish, combined (RGB) and multi-color glow.
When arranging a patio, you should not try to implement many design ideas and techniques at once. An abundance of details will only disrupt the integrity and harmony of the landscape. A few successful touches are enough to make the patio of your country house a truly beautiful, cozy and comfortable island of family relaxation.
