Library Notes
Rebecca Hyde – February 9, 2009
Connecting house and garden happens with the casual placing of a comfortable chair in front of a window, which frames a view to the outside. It happens when the steps at the back door become a favorite place to sit and catch some sun or feel a breeze. Or we walk into the yard to spend time with a favorite plant.
In “Small Patios: Simple Projects, Contemporary Designs,” Hazel White takes these favorite spots, develops them into outdoor retreats, and calls them “patios.” Planning and building a patio can be “a process of discovery.” White guarantees you’ll have a special attachment to that particular piece of earth and will know exactly where you want to place a chair.
The secret is how to design a patio that you will use, that will pull you outdoors. White visited and photographed private patios, from outdoor living rooms to remote stopping places. Some owners wanted a large public outdoor room for entertaining. Others wanted some privacy in an open outdoor space. It could be a shelter from the weather, or a place with a pretty view. In a natural garden, a clearing can be scratched from the dirt, or extra stones added to create room for people to stand and talk.
Avoid the mistake of overdoing the screening around the patio. It may sound counterintuitive, as White says, but total privacy is undesirable in an outdoor room. Tall walls, even leafy ones, create gloom and isolation, not peace and solitude. Plan a path through the space and look for a view.
Pick your paving material carefully. Will changes in the weather from season to season cause a slippery or crumbling surface? Will the surface be too hot or too dazzling with sun?
Decorate a patio as you would decorate a room. Have a plan or you may end up with a cluttered space with no room for you or guests. Landscape architect Thomas Church is quoted: “If the eye sees too many things, it is confused, and the sense of peace is obliterated.” You’ll miss the details of dew on a leaf, and the smell of a single fragrant plant.
The patio as an outside destination or an extension of your house – you still want the feeling of home.
