Patio of the Week: Dramatic Black Accents and Layers of Plantings
A minimalist pergola, chic color scheme and romantic planting palette transform a backyard in British Columbia
This stylish backyard was born from the homeowners’ love of modern design and their desire to have an inviting outdoor space where they could enjoy meals outside or relax at the end of the work day. Their newly planted contemporary garden provides that with patios for outdoor dining and lounging surrounded by plants that will fill in to form lush borders.
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Front Yard
One of the challenges for the design was marrying the home’s traditional architecture with the clients’ preference for contemporary style. Designer Denise Ashmore says they played with this tension and contrast. She cites the bold paint choice for the exterior of the home as well as the backyard pergola and fences surrounding the garden as examples. “Black forms create an architectural language that speaks to modern and traditional,” she says.
For the front garden, the team at CYAN Horticulture used a combination of evergreen shrubs and mixed flowering perennials and grasses to form a dynamic planting. Magenta blooming coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Fatal Attraction’) and feathery fountain grasses (Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’) stand out in contrast to the dark backdrop of the home. The Burgundy Hearts redbud trees (Cercis canadensis ‘Greswan’), pictured here with bright chartreuse leaves, will turn deep purple-red in fall.
Exterior siding paint: Off Black; trim paint: Pitch Black in soft gloss, both Farrow & Ball
One of the challenges for the design was marrying the home’s traditional architecture with the clients’ preference for contemporary style. Designer Denise Ashmore says they played with this tension and contrast. She cites the bold paint choice for the exterior of the home as well as the backyard pergola and fences surrounding the garden as examples. “Black forms create an architectural language that speaks to modern and traditional,” she says.
For the front garden, the team at CYAN Horticulture used a combination of evergreen shrubs and mixed flowering perennials and grasses to form a dynamic planting. Magenta blooming coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Fatal Attraction’) and feathery fountain grasses (Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Hameln’) stand out in contrast to the dark backdrop of the home. The Burgundy Hearts redbud trees (Cercis canadensis ‘Greswan’), pictured here with bright chartreuse leaves, will turn deep purple-red in fall.
Exterior siding paint: Off Black; trim paint: Pitch Black in soft gloss, both Farrow & Ball
Backyard
The backyard sits a few steps down from the home, reached via a new set of stairs designed by Project 22 and constructed from durable composite decking (TimberTech in Amazon Mist). The landing serves as an outdoor cooking station and provides easy access to the kitchen inside.
Sleek new matte black exterior light fixtures nearly disappear against the black walls in the daytime but send pools of light over the grill and stairs in the evening.
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The backyard sits a few steps down from the home, reached via a new set of stairs designed by Project 22 and constructed from durable composite decking (TimberTech in Amazon Mist). The landing serves as an outdoor cooking station and provides easy access to the kitchen inside.
Sleek new matte black exterior light fixtures nearly disappear against the black walls in the daytime but send pools of light over the grill and stairs in the evening.
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Dining Area
The backyard dining area slots into the rear corner of the garden, adjacent to the back steps and grill area. A contemporary metal pergola designed by CYAN Horticulture frames the table and seating area, turning the patio into an outdoor room.
The custom pergola is 10 feet tall at its highest point and slopes to 8 feet tall at the back, suggesting a view that opens to the garden. It was constructed from 3-by-3-inch aluminum square tubing, welded on site and painted black; it’s set into concrete footings. The hollow aluminum tubing allows for the electrical cord (run underground from house to pergola) for the overhead pendant light to be completely hidden inside.
The backyard dining area slots into the rear corner of the garden, adjacent to the back steps and grill area. A contemporary metal pergola designed by CYAN Horticulture frames the table and seating area, turning the patio into an outdoor room.
The custom pergola is 10 feet tall at its highest point and slopes to 8 feet tall at the back, suggesting a view that opens to the garden. It was constructed from 3-by-3-inch aluminum square tubing, welded on site and painted black; it’s set into concrete footings. The hollow aluminum tubing allows for the electrical cord (run underground from house to pergola) for the overhead pendant light to be completely hidden inside.
For the outdoor dining table, they selected a sleek contemporary design paired with iconic Kartell Masters chairs by Philippe Starck. The homeowner also chose the outdoor-rated Foscarini Gregg Sospensione pendant light above the dining table. Made of semi-luminous blown glass, its organic shape resembles a suspended cloud over the seating area. “Furniture selections were very collaborative, as this client has a great knowledge of furniture,” Ashmore says.
Seating Area
A second seating area sits at the end of a series of poured-in-place concrete pavers that run through the lawn. A cushy outdoor sofa and lounge chair offer seating areas for curling up with a book or a cup of morning coffee. A circular coffee table, made of concrete composite, offers a handy spot for drinks or a plate of nibbles. (The furniture is covered in winter and cushions are brought indoors and stored in the basement.)
A second seating area sits at the end of a series of poured-in-place concrete pavers that run through the lawn. A cushy outdoor sofa and lounge chair offer seating areas for curling up with a book or a cup of morning coffee. A circular coffee table, made of concrete composite, offers a handy spot for drinks or a plate of nibbles. (The furniture is covered in winter and cushions are brought indoors and stored in the basement.)
Apart from the poured-in-place pavers, all other pathways and patios use precast concrete pavers interlocked in a herringbone pattern. “They’re low maintenance and durable,” says Rechsteiner Construction principal Philip Rechsteiner.
The pavers are also tough enough to withstand the freeze-thaw cycle in winter. “The precast concrete stepping stones contain reinforcing mesh, providing crack-resistant strength during cold months of the year,” Rechsteiner says. From a design standpoint, the herringbone pattern of the interlocking pavers helps break up what would otherwise be plain expanses of hardscape.
The pavers are also tough enough to withstand the freeze-thaw cycle in winter. “The precast concrete stepping stones contain reinforcing mesh, providing crack-resistant strength during cold months of the year,” Rechsteiner says. From a design standpoint, the herringbone pattern of the interlocking pavers helps break up what would otherwise be plain expanses of hardscape.
Plantings
CYAN Horticulture’s plantings soften and fill in the areas around the patios and provide year-round interest to the backyard. Two dozen European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus ‘Emerald Avenue’) march along the perimeter fences, where they will grow to form a leafy screen from neighboring homes.
Fall-flowering ‘Setsugekka’ sasanqua camellia (Camellia sasanqua ‘Setsugekka’) fill in behind the outdoor sofa and evergreen yew (Taxus sp.) hedges border the side of the patio.
Ornamental grasses, such as feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Avalanche’), provide movement and texture diversity alongside clumps of fragrant English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Blue Cushion’) and Seaside Serenade bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla).
CYAN Horticulture’s plantings soften and fill in the areas around the patios and provide year-round interest to the backyard. Two dozen European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus ‘Emerald Avenue’) march along the perimeter fences, where they will grow to form a leafy screen from neighboring homes.
Fall-flowering ‘Setsugekka’ sasanqua camellia (Camellia sasanqua ‘Setsugekka’) fill in behind the outdoor sofa and evergreen yew (Taxus sp.) hedges border the side of the patio.
Ornamental grasses, such as feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Avalanche’), provide movement and texture diversity alongside clumps of fragrant English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Blue Cushion’) and Seaside Serenade bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla).
Natural shade from a trio of Japanese snowbell trees (Styrax japonicus ‘Snowcone’) covers part of the seating area in dappled light. The tree has showy, bell-shaped white flowers in late spring and early summer, followed by golden leaves in fall. In early spring, bulbs such as allium and narcissus emerge below the trees.
Before planting began, Rechsteiner reports that he had his team replace much of the existing poor-quality soil with a rich garden soil mix to set up plants to thrive. All beds are on automatic irrigation systems.
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Before planting began, Rechsteiner reports that he had his team replace much of the existing poor-quality soil with a rich garden soil mix to set up plants to thrive. All beds are on automatic irrigation systems.
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Shop for outdoor products
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A married professional couple
Location: New Westminster, British Columbia, near Vancouver
Size: 1,000-square-foot (93-square-meter) backyard on a 4,100-square-foot (381-square-meter) lot
Interior and exterior home designer: Denise Ashmore of Project 22 Design and Megan Baker of Megan Baker Interiors
Landscape designer: CYAN Horticulture and Project 22 Design
General contractor: Rechsteiner Construction
“The clients are very much modernists at heart,” says principal designer Denise Ashmore of Project 22, whose firm handled the interior and exterior design of the home, in partnership with Megan Baker Interiors. Vancouver-based landscape architecture firm CYAN Horticulture was responsible for the landscape design and plant selection. Rechsteiner Construction served as the installation’s general contractor.