The Brief
An underused paved courtyard with a gorgeous wisteria-covered facade above and nothing much happening below. The owners wanted somewhere to actually sit, not just look at.
Evening drinks, weekend lunches, quiet mornings with coffee. It needed to work for all of it.
The Approach
Deep rattan seating with soft blue cushions was arranged around a weathered copper fire pit. Stone planters and sculptural accents line the gravel border, adding texture and interest at ground level. The wisteria was left to cascade naturally overhead, which was already the best thing about the space.
“An outdoor space works when you stop thinking of it as ‘outside’ and start treating it like a room.”
The Result
It is now the most-used space in the house. On summer evenings the fire pit glows beneath the wisteria, and the whole courtyard feels like somewhere you would choose to be, not just pass through on the way to the garden.
