New Year’s Sale: Get 20% off Dwell with promo code YEAR20
SubscribeSign In
All Photos/outdoor/patio, porch, deck : stone

Outdoor Stone Patio, Porch, Deck Design Photos and Ideas

“Many people said ‘you’re crazy,’ because it’s a circular house,” says homeowner Sergio Goyri. “But in the end, we just love how easy it is to go from one place to the other and how we communicate. Every room is integrated, and that’s what we were looking for for a weekend family house."
According to the homeowners, one concession they made to save money was downgrading the exterior retaining wall from a gabion retaining wall to native limestone blocks.
The Cotage
Danny envisioned the space between the ADU and the house as an informal place to gather. "It creates a sort of courtyard sensibility, which works for our intergenerational family dynamics."
<span style="font-family: Theinhardt, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif;">Wood adirondack chairs surrounding a stone firepit. </span>
The terrace is a favorite gathering place. The house is positioned facing south to get the most sun exposure.
For cross ventilation, the residents can open and close the large sliding doors around the porch, which the architect describes as “the heart of the home.” Likewise, windows are positioned to provide breezes when necessary.
The secluded location of the house at the edge of a retired shale bank allows the luxury of an open outdoor shower. Corrugated steel siding provides a durable, zero-maintenance exterior finish and captures the changing sun and woodland shadows.
The expansive grassy lawns features several ponds, fountains, native greenery, and even a tea house.
Another side of the home opens up onto a large lawn.
“The pool house was something I always wanted to build,” Robert says. The bar is the main attraction. And next to it, a lime tree is within reach to make fresh gin and tonics.
Furniture designer Tom Deacon teamed up with pal and architect Andrew Jones to renovate his Toronto townhouse. “Architects tend to think of the building first, the interiors second, and last, the furniture. Our approach was the opposite,” Jones says.
Barragán designed Casa Gilardi, in Mexico City, around this single jacaranda tree.
"We didn't want to put a lot of furniture out there," says Terry of the east terrace, adding that they sometimes bring the dining table outside for meals. "You can make it work with whatever you want."
Homeowner Jay Longtin served as the general contractor and performed the majority of the remodel work, aside from the outdoor floors, concrete, and pool, which were done by Architectural Blue.
Taking inspiration from the popular Japanese film <i>My Neighbor Totoro</i>, Sydney firm CplusC Architectural Workshop renovated a four-bedroom family residence to celebrate the importance of human relationships and a connection with the natural world. A rear extension with a spacious, open-plan living area connects to an outdoor deck and landscaped backyard.
The tree from the entrance can be seen through a large window.
Primary outdoor porch.
Planters full of green lead the way to a small patio.
The garage’s huge doors had been covered up, so Studio Karhard freed up the openings for steel-and-glass doors from Ferrotec.
One of the second-level bedrooms looks down to the ground-level courtyard.
The rear curtain wall system opens to an outdoor patio raised above the tree-covered landscape.
JJ Joubert
Ridge Mountain Residence was designed to blend into the existing Palm Springs landscape. Cor-Ten steel cladding provides a naturally weathering material, while the concrete structure and flagstone terrace complement the light tones of the surrounding mountains.
Beach days, park picnics, and backyard barbecues—wherever your Fourth of July weekend takes you, these products will elevate your event with ease.
Three brightly colored balconies and an overhanging roof define the home’s front facade.
The entrance to the home features a direct view of the rear courtyard and garden. "We were inspired by the Case Study Houses and some of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian homes," reveals Chevalier. "The relationship between the interior and exterior gardens was [something we] carefully studied."
Now more than ever, having a sustainable home that conserves resources and energy usage is paramount. Sustainable design and architecture has seen tremendous growth over the last decade—as has the number of professionals who specialize in designing and building green homes. While major sustainable features pertain to the initial design, planning, and building stages, there are still plenty of changes to make in your home for a greener lifestyle. Have you covered all your bases?
Once you know your climate zone, timing is everything.
"We imagined that the pool could function year-round," says Chevalier. "In winter, [it] creates an interesting contrast with the whiteness of the snow."
The pool was purposefully constructed close to the indoor living spaces in order to contribute to the interior ambiance. The material palette was informed by the color of the surrounding trees—clay brick for the walls, wood for the soffits, and stone for the flooring.
The entrance to the Residence de l’Isle is planted with large coniferous trees.
The rigid geometry of the home sits in pleasing contrast to the enveloping natural landscape.
The left side of the pool features a terrace and a large outdoor kitchen, while the right side includes suspended lighting and the changing rooms. The masonry screen—which is inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian period—allows for a dynamic display of light and shadows on the terrace.
The architects designed the outdoor courtyards to "define the internal geometry of the house," Morales explains.
The family enjoys the outdoor lounge.
A concrete walkway connects the living and dining rooms to the exterior, and concrete forms a built-in bench for lounging by the Solo Stove fire pit.
Hay outdoor furniture sits underneath the steel pergola.
A sunken courtyard at the front of the home provides a private lounge space that connects to the dining room.
A cobblestone courtyard lined with palm trees and native plants welcomes visitors to the home.
"You can cantilever the timber slab quite far; it’s 10 feet out without any structure supporting it," Hunter says.
The front courtyard is filled with lush greenery, creating an inviting storefront for the business.
The residence, which features two corrugated metal roofs that create natural ventilation for the interior, is set toward the rear of the lot, providing courtyard space for the owners' drink stall business.
Creede Fitch and his wife look out on the courtyard of their Austin home, where a heritage pecan tree has pride of place.
Photo: Willem-Dirk du Toit
Photo: Willem-Dirk du Toit
12345...9