A focus on creating functional outdoor living spaces can help transform a traditional urban lot into a personal oasis
From New York City to Chicago to Seattle , you ’ll observe them — urban cookie - cutter neighborhoods . With the roar of affordable living accommodations in the 1950s postwar earned run average , these practical tract - built homes became an iconic sight across the American landscape . They have very trading floor program , frontal , and , to begin with , manicured lawn in the front and back . Many of these homes have withstood the tryout of time and still fork up on affordability , charm , and prime city - life locations .
But the cookie - tender landscape is no longer cutting it . Maintaining sizable expanses of lawn is not only taxing on the environment , it ’s also a missed opportunity to improve your place life with outside living spaces for dining , entertaining , restful , and nurturing good plants . I recently face a cookie - cutter challenge . The client had a traditional front and backyard but wanted a space with right curb entreaty and corking chance for enjoying the outside . And , thanks to a elaborate landscape - renovation plan , that is precisely what she got .
Key elements of the front
What : Cookie - cutter , urban property
Where : Seattle , Washington
Zone:7b
Size:1/8 acre
precondition : Full sun ; gravelly , better , well - drain soil
Key elements of the back
Size:1/4 Accho
condition : Full sun to partial shade ; meliorate , well - drained land
Map out your wish list and outdoor living areas
Although I ’m technically a landscape architect , I like to think of myself instead as an “ outdoor life style decorator . ” My greatest joy is cooperate close with householder and help them figure out how to use their property to its fullest potency by create a more enjoyable and sustainable support environment . Most urban lots are not very big , so you need to be creative when it comes to tamp in a deal of desire feature of speech , keep in mind the overall blank still need to feel roomy and not overcrowded . This householder asked for several outdoor seating areas , a billet to eat with friends , a firepit for evening natural action , some specter for the warm days of summertime , and a small lawn area for yard games and the four - legged family line member .
We took a general inventory of the space in both the front and back of the dimension and determined where case-by-case rooms could be created . I mapped out the proposed space to scale on report to see if the wish list of region would all fit . Your outdoor rooms need to be lock and easy to navigate , like a puzzle . In the case of this cooky - cutter with limited space , we had to contrive on sure areas pulling double duty . A front paseo double up as a seating area for salutation guests , for example ( photo above ) .
One matter that is commonly overlooked in planning a revamp of a cookie - cutter landscape is an examination of what you see beyond your property boundaries . Ask yourself what you might comprise into your aspect from a “ borrowed landscape . ” Your neighbor may have a stunning , gravid Nipponese maple ( Acerpalmatumcv . , Zones 5–9 ) like the one I enjoy eight calendar month out of the year in my neighbor ’s yard . I would never conceive plant a tree diagram to block my view of that majestic specimen . The opposite take hold true though as well . You may also see a downhearted tarp over the top of a motor home next door that you need to block from your view . In this case , you ask to insure there is way in the plan for a privacy fence or hedge .
Tip: Use gravel for multiple areas
I wish to instal 7/8 - in round gravel or heavy in between stepping stones and as mulch . These rocks are heavy enough to abide in spot if you apply a leaf blower for descent cleanup position yet small enough to keep weed intrusion .
Consider topography adjustments and privacy issues
Most cookie - cutter properties are n’t without their plowshare of challenge along with their small sizing . Although the basic lot dimensions might be square , modification in peak — especially here in Seattle — are common . At this home there was an aggrandisement rising slope from the street to the bottom of the front door steps of virtually two feet .
To create a more welcoming front incoming , we prefer to set up orotund concrete pads that were framed and poured in place . Each one is slightly off - centre from the other , and each slab gains a few inch in elevation as they mount toward the stoep below the front door ( photo below ) . We require it to feel more like a way and not whole step , so there is cobble rock and roll in between the slabs . The area to the left at the top of this path became a topographic point for a larger landing place with just enough way for two ruddy Adirondack hot seat . They are somewhat hidden by the surrounding garden but intended to still be seen by the well-disposed region John Walker . This became the sunset patio , a modest outdoor keep area .
The backyard topography presented a similar challenge . The land from the rearward dimension line to the foundation peddle toward the house again , just over 2 feet . To work this , we chose to work up a deck to fulfill up with the existing threshold of the doors into the home base ( photo below ) . The decking is a sustainable material , a manufactured lumber , which is available in a wide range of a function of costs and colour . This enabled us to twist an embarrassing , fresh gradient into a sizable entertainment and dining smear . We brought the deck out to meet the next “ way , ” which we used for a firepit . The firepit bench also serves as another entertaining spot . This area is where the altitude really startle to go up toward the back of the dimension . By using large Pennsylvania bluestone slabs for steps , we were able to mitigate the class alteration . The stone slab three-fold as seats around the firepit .
Another challenge for us was that because the houses are so close together on inner - city piles , the fresh deck for eating and socializing needed to have more privacy . In this case , with not enough room between the properties to grow a tall hedge , it mold to design an attractive cedar tree board that divided theupper deck from the sight of the lower neighbour ’s backyard . The comment I hear most often about strong panel fences is that they can create a dark dark with an unsought close - in feeling . The side of this pack of cards faces south , so most of the summertime and winter sun would come from that focal point . By inserting a frosted polycarbonate control board at the top one - third of this fence ( photo above ) , we could keep the light we desired without experience visually package in with too much shade . heedful consideration was used when we take the height and size of it of this semitransparent fencing panel . The solid wood circumstances was high enough to kibosh the neighbour ’s lights next threshold that would be on in the eve , with the whole anatomical structure being tall enough to enshroud the neighboring roofline .
Let your personality and interests drive your plant choices
The homeowner is an artist who enjoy paint snort , so we created a special shuttle habitat in one destiny of the landscape . This included a water feature that pull in winged visitor and provide a console sound for people ( top left pic ) . Smaller Tree were plant here with low arm for birds to light . Nipponese maples , fume tree(Cotinus coggygriacv . , Zones 4–9),American beautyberry(Callicarpa americana , Zones 6–11 ) , and larger evergreen bush were tot for nesting purposes . Columnar Irish yew ( Taxus baccata‘Fastigiata ’ , Zones 6–9 ) and ‘ Mountain Fire ’ andromeda ( Pierisjaponica‘Mountain Fire ’ , Zones 5–8 ) supply screening from the neighbors but also a safe concealing place for the wildlife that shop at the garden . The plants in this area were choose for the berry and seed heads they produce , which birds feast on all winter long .
give the homeowner ’s desire for this newly designed quad to be wildlife - friendly , the plants selected were mostly aboriginal - driven or from region with similar climatical atmospheric condition . The Pacific Northwest has little rain in the summertime ( but pile in winter ) , similar to other external regions like the Mediterranean , Chili , and South Africa . We chose native vine maple ( Acer circinatum , Zones 5–9 ) and the western sword fern ( Polystichummunitum , Zones 5–9 ) for the west - face front bed and add together play - loving , wanton - care plant in between . We anchored these entry garden with a few Pacific Northwest “ native ” granite boulders too . Using two - third evergreen works material see to it that there will be plenty of interest and garden reportage throughout each season . We cautiously take a plant color pallette that complements the house color , and intentionally incorporated ruby and burgundy plant to connect the centre to the red front door . The same strong hue is dot throughout all the garden beds ( using not necessarily the same plants but the same color range ) , which devote the front and back landscapes cohesiveness . This householder is an avid gardener who wanted a space she could mature with , so we focalize on the plant life choice being foliage - forwards , low - maintenance , and sustainable with crushed water want .
By breaking away from the traditional cooky - cutting tool yard and embracing sustainable practices , this outdoor advanced - daylight landscape created multiple living spaces . We transform a standard urban lot into the year - round harbor this householder hop for . From the inviting front garden with a bird habitat to the various backyard deck of cards and low-spirited bench , every inch of space was carefully design and built to create an environs that foster relaxation , connection with nature , and an enhanced character of liveliness .
Stacie Crooks is a landscape painting designer and educator in Edmonds , Washington . She has panoptic experience contrive in urban neighborhoods .
All photos , unless otherwise noted : DoreenWynja.com
Illustrations : Elara Tanguy
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BEFORE.Photo: courtesy of Stacie Crooks
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BEFORE.Photo: courtesy of Stacie Crooks
If space is at a premium, certain spots can play dual roles.The front walkway of the entry garden has a large landing pad at the top that ended up being big enough for two lounge chairs. The area is perfect for catching late summer sunsets and for waving to dog walkers on the active street below.
Innovative, multifunction hardscaping adds interest.Simplistic pavers could have been used to build the new front walkway, but poured concrete pads allowed the elevation change to be managed in a more beautiful fashion. Each landing is large enough for lingering too, allowing visitors to take a closer look at the colorful beds on either side.
There’s plenty of room for activities.Instead of building a walkway (like in the front), the slope at the rear of the property was mitigated by constructing a large deck. The structure meets up with the back door and covers much of the uneven ground. It’s big enough for outdoor dining and lounging. A fence along the property line gives plenty of privacy to the partygoers on the deck, but the polycarbonate top allows light to stream through, thereby avoiding a claustrophobic feeling.
One patio with many purposes.On the wish list for this small space was a firepit spot for evening entertaining. The patio off the deck serves this role, but also acts as a spillover area if the deck is too full with guests. The long bluestone slabs surrounding the terrace are used as steps up into the backyard and also as seating around the fire when s’mores are being toasted.
The best outdoor living designs keep the wants of humans and needs of wildlife in mind.The owner of this alluring space is also an artist who enjoys painting the birds that visit the small water feature and wildlife-friendly plants outside her studio window (left). The plant choices include evergreens like Irish yews, native woodies such as vine maples, and an assortment of perennials that provide texture and occasional splashes of color throughout (right).Photos: courtesy of Stacie Crooks
Select plants winged visitors will love.Purple and red hues are repeated throughout the gardens, and although foliage takes precedence over flowers, late-season blooms are important sources of nourishment for pollinators and migrating bird species. Native aromatic asters (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, Zones 3–8, above) and ornamental crocosmia (Crocosmiacv., Zones 6–9, below) put on a show in late summer/early fall to the delight of bees and hummingbirds, respectively.
