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How to design a patio: expert advice on patio design

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(Image credit: Future / Annaick Guitteny)

We have come to expect so much from our gardens, so designing a patio well is vital. After all, they must simultaneously act as vibrant social hubs furnished for dining and entertaining, and areas for quiet moments of reflection to escape the stresses of the day. 

Striking such a balance in your backyard takes careful consideration. Finding the perfect location is an important step when designing a patio; a spot that catches the light at the right time of day, but that is also conveniently situated close to the house or sufficiently equipped to provide everything you need. 

The intended function of the space will ultimately dictate the outcome of the design. 

This expert guide brings you all the tips you need to find out how to design a patio perfectly, with advice, inspiration and a ton of patio ideas for you to consider.

Use this step-by-step guide to find out how to design a patio like a pro.

How do I plan a patio layout?

Designing a patio layout should be determined by how you want to use it – and therefore the furniture it will house. So, if you plan to entertain regularly, you will want to consider various patio furniture ideas – a dining set, a lounging set, or both – that will help you make the most of the space. You'll also want to consider how big you need the furniture to be – in other words, how many people you might want to regularly host on it – and whether you need to incorporate patio cover ideas such as pergolas.

Then you need to plan for the negative space on the patio – or, the gaps and spaces between the different furniture, and between the furniture and the edges of the patio. Ideally, you want these negative spaces to be 3ft or 1m wide. 

This gives you space to comfortably move around the patio without it feeling or looking cluttered and, especially if your patio is raised or terraced and doesn't have railings, means furniture – and those seated on it – are unlikely to topple off it.

The simplest way to design a patio that suits your needs exactly is to draw it out to scale. That way, you can plan in patio planting ideas such as beds, borders and pot positions right from the start, and even factor in space for any outdoor kitchen ideas you may have. 

Using rope, you can create the boundary of your patio in your existing yard, too, to double check its dimensions.

(Image credit: Little Greene)

What is a good size for a patio?

This largely depends on the size of your backyard. If you're considering apartment patio ideas or you have a small space to work with, you'll be confined to certain perimeters. If you have a large yard, you'll need to decide whether you want the patio to be an element or the dominant feature of its design. 

But as a general rule, you should again plan a patio's size for how many people it might regularly host – and usually, that means around 25 sq ft of space per person. So, if you are a family of five, that's a 125 sq ft patio.

(Image credit: Little Greene)

Just as you would indoors, it is vital to plan the different zones for your patio right at the beginning of your patio's conception. If, for example, the outdoor dining area is best placed near your kitchen doors and you need to plan shade into the design, the time to work this into your plans is right now.

Similarly, you may want to create a lounging zone, surrounded by pots or scent-led flower bed ideas such as beds filled with aromatic herbs or fragrant climbers.

Zoning a patio is less important if you are happy to use it flexibly – but if you are designing a patio that's fixed, perhaps because it's a series of smaller patios on different levels, you need to consider its zones carefully from the outset.

(Image credit: Future / Annaick Guitteny)

Where to position a patio

There are three factors that will influence this choice: how you want to use your patio; where it will look best in your garden's design overall; and whether it is overlooked or not.

How you want to use the patio: if it's only for dining, a shady spot will suit, but if you are a sun worshipper, then you will want to position your patio in a sunny spot. Conversely, if your entire backyard is sunny and you want to create a dining area in a particular area of it, you can use clever garden shade ideas to perfect the space.

Where it will look best: traditionally, patios are just outside the door to your backyard for convenience – but there is no reason, especially in a large space, not to have more than one. And, of course, if your only sunny space is at the end of the garden, and you can plant around the patio sympathetically to create a lovely view of it from the house, this may be your best option.

Patio positioning for privacy: patios need to feel private but that doesn't mean that you have to position it for privacy in your backyard as it is – there are plenty of garden privacy ideas you can employ to create a new, secluded space.  

(Image credit: Future / Mark Bolton)

Choosing patio materials

While keeping an eye on garden trends for the latest looks is something we would always advise, it's important that how you design your patio reflects the style of the interior of your home and the exterior materials it is built with.

So, modern homes will suit contemporary materials and design tricks, while more traditional homes will need period-style or authentic materials sourcing. 

There has been a big shift in both materials and finishes used in patio design over the past few years, with maintenance and patio cost all factors to consider when selecting a material. 

Porcelain is becoming increasingly popular, 
according to Cassandra Crouch, a member of the Society of Garden Designers (MSGD), primarily 
due to its low-maintenance requirements and 
the wide variety of colors and finishes available. ‘Porcelain can provide a clean, more contemporary look,’ she says. ‘To avoid designs feeling cold or 
hard, I use planting to soften this. ’

Renowned garden designer Butter Wakefield offers this advice to make the best patio material choices:

1. Be sympathetic to locality

Butter Wakefield Garden Designs

(Image credit: Butter Wakefield)

'At my garden design studio, we tend to choose a paving material that directly reflects either aspects of the architecture of the house, or elements of the interior design,' she says.  'We also like to create pattern within the paving, so we often specify a smaller paving unit, sett or brick to use in conjunction with a larger format. The more interest and pattern we can create in the paving, the more visually pleasing the overall scheme.'

2. Choose hardwood for decked patios

(Image credit: Little Greene)

If you are considering deck ideas for your patio, Wakefield advises: 'It is 
worth spending a bit more on hardwood decking, sustainably sourced, as this produces the best and most long-lasting results. We prefer ipe, iroko or teak, in as wide a board as possible, which is usually around 140mm.  

'We tend to specify concealed milled joints; this means the boards slot together side to side, avoiding the need for surface-mounted screws.'  

3. Pick brick for character and style

(Image credit: Future / Annaick Guitteny)

Considering cottage patio ideas or a patio for a historic home? Try brick. 'We love Belgian Vande Moortel bricks, and have created quite a few patio schemes recently using these. The Ancienne Belgique range is a particular favorite as they are the most delightful size, full of character and charm. 

'We also often choose Durlston Driveway and Stableyard cobbles and setts from Allgreen Group 
to add interest and pattern in paving.'  

4. Choose locally sourced, real stone

(Image credit: Future / Alicia Taylor)

Stone sourced and supplied locally is certainly more environmentally friendly than a granite sourced and shipped from China, for instance. 

Going to a local stone yard or talking to your garden designer about this early in the process can help you find local stone that should complement your gardening landscaping overall too, like the rustic patio paving used in this small garden design.

(Image credit: Oliver Bond MSGD)

Pockets of planting around the edges of the patio or as a division between different zones will soften your design. Take inspiration from your existing backyard ideas and choose a planting scheme for your patio that reflects the planting that's successful in the rest of your backyard. However, consider a few stand-out plants, such as specimen trees in containers, to create a stylish finish.

Planting for privacy and scent are both important elements when designing a patio, too. When composing a planting scheme for a patio, work 
with the characteristics of the plants to optimize 
the space. 

Landscape architect Oliver Bond MSGD 
uses tall plants to frame the area and screen at 
the rear of beds, and short or creeping varieties 
that overhang the hard edges of paving to soften 
the division between the two. 

‘I incorporate a planting palette that provides form, structure, color, aromas and sounds, along with tactile and edible elements,’ he explains.  ‘It’s important to provide stimuli for all the senses throughout the year, to allow the patio space to inspire and entice.’

(Image credit: Little Greene)

Raised beds and attractive garden fence ideas are important finishing elements of patio design that need to be planned in right from the start. 

Walls, whether built from stone or cheaper rendered materials will give your patio a more stylish finish, especially if they echo the exterior materials of your home. 

However, you can also finish your patio design with beds and boundaries built from wood, which can be cheaper and quicker to construct.

Garden design by Cassandra Crouch MSGD

(Image credit: Cassandra Crouch MSGD)

Form follows function for garden designer Peter Reader MSGD. He recommends a shelter only if the client needs 
or wants it, or if the site or aspect demands it. 

Incorporate pergola ideas to add height, structure and atmosphere to a patio space and create a dappled shade rather than a full sun block. Pergolas are also perfect for weaving in patio lighting ideas, such as hanging string lights, or training scented climbers up, which will give your patio a sense of secluded serenity.

Garden design by Cassandra Crouch

(Image credit: Cassandra Crouch)

‘Water features are in high demand,’ says Bond, 'mainly as a focal point, but also because the sound of water or the calmness of a still mirror pool will transform a garden into a tranquil space. 

'Water features can be functional and versatile; they can provide habitats for wildlife or be used in innovative ways – I recently designed and installed a small contemporary water feature that doubles as an ice bucket for social gatherings.’

Cherry Mills Garden Design

(Image credit: Cherry Mills Garden Design)

There’s the all important matter of money. 

The hard landscaping is the most costly part of designing a patio – and while labor costs might be fixed, you can reduce or increase costs with different materials and design elements, such as railings, pergolas and walls.

Garden designer Cherry Mills MSGD advises: ‘There’s a vast range of natural stone and manufactured paving available at different prices. But remember to factor in the cost of preparing the ground for landscaping, laying the base material and the labor to install the paving.’

Teresa was part of a team that launched Easy Gardens magazine two years ago and edited it for some time. Teresa has been a Gardens Editor at Homes & Gardens, Country Homes & Interiors and Living Etc magazine since 2020 and has developed close working relationships with some of the top garden designers such as Charlotte Rowe, Butter Wakefield, and has been exposed to an array of rich garden content and expertise. 

15 Perfect Patio Designs — The Family Handyman

From entertaining spaces to cooking stations to areas designed for lounging, patios can add value and comfort to your home. Whether you're looking to design a patio with pavers, brick or poured concrete, here are 15 perfect patio designs to inspire you.

Every editorial product is independently selected, though we may be compensated or receive an affiliate commission if you buy something through our links. Ratings and prices are accurate and items are in stock as of time of publication.

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Photo: Courtesy of Goodmanson Construction

Multi-Level Patio with Water Feature

A backyard waterfall and stream will add beauty and peaceful sounds to your patio. In addition to a water feature, this multi-level poured-concrete patio designs from Goodmanson Construction has plenty of low-maintenance landscaping to add splashes of color.

Photo: Courtesy of Goodmanson Construction

Here’s our list of luxurious multi level decks with sweeping views and multiple seating areas.

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Photo: Courtesy of Reynolds-Sebastiani Design Services

Poolside Patio with Pergola

Build a pergola to add some shade to your backyard patio. This poolside patio design from Reynolds-Sebastiani Design Services offers plenty of space to relax, along with a separate area for dining.

Photo: Courtesy of Reynolds-Sebastiani Design Services

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Photo: Courtesy of Design Builders

Patio Kitchen with Pergola

This outdoor kitchen by Design Builders will inspire any home cook to ditch their indoor kitchen when the weather’s nice.

Photo: Courtesy of Design Builders

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Photo: Courtesy of Second Chance Design

Asian-Inspired Patio

This Asian-inspired patio design from Second Chance Design features a relaxing sitting area with comfortable patio furniture. Selecting your furniture to match your patio’s overall design helps create a cohesive, fully-realized setting.

Photo: Courtesy of Second Chance Design

Shop Our Favorite Products

5 / 15

Photo: Courtesy of Landscape East & West

Multi-Level Patio Designs with Brick Fire Pit

Build a stone or brick patio that you can easily adapt to your own yard. This patio from Landscape East & West features a multi-level design with separate areas for eating and relaxing around the fire pit.

Photo: Courtesy of Landscape East & West

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Photo: Courtesy of Austin Outdoor Design

Patio with Modern Landscaping

For those with small yards, this moderns mall backyard patio design from Austin Outdoor Design features a cooking/dining area and some minimalist landscaping. Get to know these ornamental grasses if you’d like a similar look in your yard.

Photo: Courtesy of Austin Outdoor Design

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Photo: Courtesy of Brookstein Services

Paver Patio

Decorative brick or stone pavers are DIY-friendly and result in a classic, tidy-looking patio. If you already have a concrete patio, you can cover it with pavers to get a different look.

Photo: Courtesy of Brookstein Services

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The Treesdale Landscape Company

Large, Open Patio

This large, open, raised patio from Treesdale Landscape Company is built with retaining wall blocks. A raised patio planter would make a great addition to a large, open patio and helps add a splash of color.

Photo: Courtesy of The Treesdale Landscape Company

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Photo: Courtesy of Sacred Space Gardens

Sun-Soaked Small Backyard Patio

Here’s a great alternative to a grass lawn. This small backyard patio from Sacred Space Gardens is surrounded by some ornamental grass and large stepping stones.

Photo: Courtesy of Sacred Space Gardens

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Photo: Courtesy of Cedar Creek Landscaping

Concrete Patio with Fire Pit

A metal fire pit is at the center of this concrete patio from Cedar Creek Landscaping. The curved edges of the small backyard patio help it blend right in to the backyard.

Photo: Courtesy of Cedar Creek Landscaping

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Photo: Courtesy of Teacup Gardener

Patio with Grilling Station

This brick patio includes the ultimate grilling station, along with an outdoor sink for easy cleanup. If you’re designing an outdoor kitchen, laying down a wide, open brick patio is a great place to start.

Photo: Courtesy of Teacup Gardener

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Photo: Courtesy of Dayton Deck Builder

Enclosed Patio

An enclosed patio lets you use the space even on rainy days. Turn your backyard into a space as comfortable as any other room in your home by building a screened-in patio.

Photo: Courtesy of Dayton Deck Builder

13 / 15

Photo: Courtesy of Stone Age Landscaping

Stone Patio with Pond

Consider building a low-maintenance pond next to a small patio. This design from Stone Age Landscaping offers a small sitting area, just big enough for two patio chairs.

Photo: Courtesy of Stone Age Landscaping

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Courtesy merchant

Fire Pit Centerpiece

The fire pit is the centerpiece of this stone patio from Ageless Concrete. If you’re looking to build a place in your yard perfect for long conversations, a rounded patio with plenty of seating will absolutely do the trick.

Photo: Courtesy of Ageless Concrete

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Photo: Courtesy of Roots Landscaping

Patio with Retaining Wall

This patio, built on a slope, offers an area for entertaining, relaxing or enjoying the fire. It’s surrounded by a strong retaining wall that can double as additional seating.

Photo: Courtesy of Roots Landscaping

Originally Published: July 08, 2021

Rachel Brougham

Writer and editor with a background in news writing, editorial and column writing and content marketing.

Summer patio in a village near Moscow

A small gazebo with a patio, delicately inscribed in a forest area, has become a place of power for her customer.

Location:

Moscow Region, Zapovedny Bor Cottage Village

Photo: Ilya Ivanov

sales:

2022

total area:

85 m 2

project authors:
Bureau A4

Sergey Markov, Alexey Afonichkin, Margarita Selkova, Anastasia Medvedeva, Ekaterina Mezentseva, Ksenia Maksimova, Anton Larionov, Valeria Pchelintseva

location:

Moscow, Leningradsky prospect, 36

photo: Alexey Naroditsky

design:

2014-2016

completion of construction of the second stage:
2020

area:

414 217m 2

number of storeys:
11-26

project authors:
SPEECH

Sergey Tchoban, Sergey Kuznetsov, Alexey Ilyin

TPO "Reserve"

The summer patio is located in a cottage village in a nature reserve on the territory of the former hunting grounds of Baron Rosendorf near the Nerskaya River. The place is located in a beautiful ecological zone: it is surrounded by a pine forest, and the air here is clean and fresh. All houses and buildings in the village are made of wood and logs. The environment and lifestyle of the landscape design customer became the starting point for creating the image of the patio: small buildings are united into a whole and do not dominate the area - they face nature and harmoniously fit into the overall landscape.

Usually A4 Bureaus are involved in public spaces and complex beautification projects, but in unique cases, they take on intimate projects, applying the same integrated approach, allowing the new space to be “in place”.

Axonometry, fragment. Axonometry, fragment. Axonometry.

“Working with Margarita, the patio customer, on a major expo project, we realized that our views on architecture and design coincide. Having decided to create a chamber space on her site next to the main house, she invited us, me and the second partner of the bureau, Alexei Afonichkin, to visit her. After drinking coffee and walking around the house under the pines, we chose the ideal place for the future patio near the strawberry meadow” — Sergey Markov, co-founder of Bureau A4.

As a child, Margarita and her parents, geologists, lived for a long time in the Far East and the North. “As children, we ran away to fishermen’s houses that were over 100 years old. Huge, abandoned, empty, knocked together from boards bleached and salted by the sea, they fascinated us, children, playing among the old nets and boats. The landscape of the site also comes from childhood. Pine trees, mosses, ferns and - in the absence of the sea - a man-made, but looking absolutely natural pond. Working together on the idea of ​​a patio became for me an architectural psychoanalysis, a search for deep archetypes, a re-creation of a piece of childhood, a piece of happiness - in a modern interpretation of Bureau A4. Now this is my main place of power, whitewashed and salted by the sea, under the pines near the “sea”, she shares.

Incision. Incision. Formation. Layout. Frame.

There are only 12 wooden houses on the territory of the village with access to the river. The patio was conceived as an additional place to relax with family and friends, or for a secluded pastime in nature. Architecture here was only an intermediate step between the outside world and the comfort of a home. The trees on the territory have become part of the composition - in order to avoid cutting down, the building is divided into several parts, and the existing natural landscape remains untouched. The volume is divided into the following zones: main veranda, bedroom-living room (recreation area), pergola canopy with a pond and storage room.

The bedroom-living room on the patio has become a special place where the hostess can stay alone and enjoy communion with nature. In addition, the bedroom can be combined with the podium of the veranda, thereby increasing its space. Panoramic glazing of the wall seems to blur the boundaries between the living room and the street and allows you to feel surrounded by a pine forest. For maximum convenience, a niche with a built-in kitchen is provided on the veranda. The unifying platform of the podium faces the inside of the site and towards the forest, and the remaining patio structures along the perimeter close it from the roadway and parking; the pergola protects from the sun, and the pantry room perfectly copes with the function of long-term storage.

Finishes include oiled larch planken, metal, large-format porcelain tiles for the built-in kitchen and natural stone for the steps. The highlight of the lighting was the Luna lamp by the Italian factory In-es.artdesign, romantically reflected in a pond among water lilies. The object was realized by manufacturers and builders, Margarita's good friends, workshop "Tsekh", which also deals with expo exhibitions.

10/26/2022

Moscow region, wooden structures, private houses, Bureau A4

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