Tag: Decks & Patios

Nicholas Morton’s SGLD Award-Winning Coastal Garden

Last Friday night the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers (SGLD) gathered in London to present their annual awards. Gardenista got the scoop on this year’s winners, which include several firms who won multiple awards for their submissions.

The “Garden of the Year Award” went to a family garden in Putney designed by Tomoko Kawauchi, the design director at Charlotte Rowe Garden Design; this garden was a triple-winner, also taking home the prizes in the “Small Residential Landscapes & Gardens” and “Built Landscape Design” categories. Another multi-award winner was a shady, terraced London garden submitted by Adolfo Harrison, which won both the “Judges’ Award” and the “Garden Jewel Award.” Fi Boyle took home the “People’s Choice Award,” which is the only category decided by public vote, for a garden sited in an old quarry.

But the garden that most caught our eye was the winner of the “New Designer Landscapes & Gardens” award design by Nicholas Morton, though he’s no novice designer: Before starting his own firm he worked for more than a decade for well-known designers Charlotte Rowe and Arne Maynard. Morton had also previously won one of SGLD’s Student Awards. “It is an incredible confirmation for a young design studio to be recognised by the SGLD,” says Morton.

Judges praised Morton’s restoration of a coastal town garden as a “a delightful, well-planted garden that overcomes challenging conditions with skill,” while remarking on the thoughtful planting, high-quality materials, and clever use of budget. They also noted: “The restrained design works beautifully with the building and its history.

Here’s a peek at Morton’s winning garden.

Photography by Elissa Diver, courtesy of Nicholas Morton.

Above: Added as part of architectural work on the house, new French doors connect the garden to the open-plan sitting room and kitchen. Morton describes the resulting indoor-outdoor space as “a place that feels like it is very private and a far away from the world outside.

Above:”The clients’ in-town property was a tricky L-shaped garden that wraps around the house, from the back to one side. “The challenge was to connect two arms of a garden, which had very different conditions, using planting that would both look good year-round and have seasonal highlights from multiple windows. All whilst breaking up the space to create a journey that both utilised, and encouraged use of, all of the space,” says Morton.

Above: For the hardscaping, Morton paired reclaimed Yorkstone pavers with a shell-based gravel mulch, which helps the garden retain water, for a welcome time-worn feeling. Outdoor furniture pieces from HAY’s iconic Palissade collection appears in each of the garden’s seating areas.

Above: Custom wood fencing and a row of newly-planted pleached trees and two specimen multi-stem ‘Strawberry’ trees create privacy and vertical interest along the property line.

Above: Morton describes his drought-tolerant planting scheme as “deceptively simple,” noting he used repeated structural planting with a matrix of grasses that “allow the feature plants to really stand out when it is their turn to shine.” Strategically-placed, naturalistic evergreen shrubs break up the space and define different areas within the garden.

Above: Note how Morton cleverly concealed an external oil boiler (at right) that dominated the view along this arm of the garden. Morton designed what he calls a “collector’s table,” a reclaimed slate table top with custom-made corten legs, to hold the clients’ potted sun-loving plants.

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February 12, 2026
10 Ways to Save Money on a New Patio – Gardenista

If you’re upgrading an existing landscape, you can reuse pavers from an old path or patio to create your new outdoor space.

7. Build a patio in stages.

Above: Photograph by Brett Wood, courtesy of Dirt Queen NYC, from Before & After: A Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, Backyard Reimagined.

To save money on construction costs, build a patio in sections. If you need to have soil compacted to create a solid base for a patio, plan ahead by leveling the entire area. Then build the patio in stages, as your budget allows for expansion. In the meantime, you can cover the unused area with mulch.

8. Mix and match materials.

Above: The concrete pad at the edge of the deck was existing when the homeowners bought the house. Photograph courtesy of Terremoto, from Before & After: From Desert to Redwood Forest, the Essence of California in One LA Garden.

“The first thing you do in a small garden project is to take inventory to do an analysis, so you can make decisions about the things that are existing and are good,” says landscape architect David Godshall of Terremoto, who elected to salvage an existing concrete patio as part of a garden rehab (shown above) in Los Angeles.

Mixing materials—such as redwood decking and poured concrete—can add interest and texture to a patio (while saving money).

9. Create a focal point with inexpensive furnishings.

Above: Ikea chairs flank a ceramic stool-turned-side table. Photograph by Matthew Williams.

Instead of expensive outdoor furniture, you can hang a hammock to create a focal point for the patio. Create a seating arrangement with flea market finds or outdoor furniture from Ikea—versatile pieces can do double duty indoors in the off season.

1o. Define a patio’s perimeter with potted plants.

Above: See more at Enchanted Garden: Whimsy and Wit at Palihouse in Santa Monica. Photograph by Bethany Nauert.

Building a fence or wall around a patio is an expensive undertaking. A budget-friendly alternative to create privacy is to group together a few tall potted plants.

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N.B.: This post was first published January 2019; it has been updated with new photos, prices, and links.

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January 22, 2026
A Secret Garden in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, by Julie Farris of XS Space

Overhauling a townhouse backyard after a renovation is a fairly common assignment for a New York City landscape designer. For one recent project, Julie Farris, the founder of XS Space, was given different a task. “Rather than erase and start anew as most projects do, the goal with this project was to identify the aspects of the previous garden, and to try to magnify those aspects in a more targeted and precise way,” says Farris. The results are a garden that felt deeply personal from Day One.

Farris’s clients had lived in their Brooklyn brownstone for some time before deciding to add an addition to the ground level. The family loved their home and slightly wild yard, where they had built many memories. “It sort of had this secret garden kind of feel,” says Farris. But as is so often the case post-construction, the 20 x 45-foot garden was left in a sorry state in need of a total overhaul.

“They wanted it to feel very natural and organic—sort of revealing what was there rather than inventing a new landscape,” says Farris. The clients requested a stretch of grass for the kids and a little more privacy from the nearby neighbors, but they didn’t have a laundry list of outdoor rooms and functions they wanted to cram into their space. What they wanted was simply a garden.

“It was more about having a quiet sanctuary for their family and some friends and not being a showy kind of garden,” says Farris. The family was also intent on doing it as sustainably as possible. “They wanted native plantings, birds, and butterflies,” says Farris.

The resulting garden is something of a sleight of hand: It honors the spirit of the previous garden, but almost every inch of it was built from scratch. It’s a lesson in the power of restraint and resourcefulness: All the sustainable materials and climate-appropriate plants make this garden feel like it belongs here. Now it’s ready for decades more memories.

Take a tour of the understated yet elegant space.

Photography by Matthew Williams, courtesy of XS Space, unless noted.

Above: Architecture firm Bangia Agostinho Architecture designed the two-story rear extension and deck on the house. The renovation resulted in three different outdoor spaces for Farris to design: The backyard, a new deck, and a little terrace off of the primary bedroom that sits on the roof of the extension.

Above: Farris describes designing the garden as a process of “sculpting the edges” to draw the eye outwards. “There’s this negative space, and then you’re just kind of feeling how you want to structure the space in terms of hierarchy and softness,” she says.

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December 10, 2025
A Santa Monica Backyard by ORCA Inspired by Mediterrannean Landscapes

For those familiar with Los Angeles, the words “Santa Monica” will likely conjure up a very Californian version of the all-American idyll: an iconic pier and long stretches of boutiques surrounded by tree-lined streets and quaint homes with tidy lawns and the occasional shrub or agave. The scene is so picturesque that you can’t blame most homeowners for choosing to simply cut and paste these same elements onto their own landscapes.

So when Molly Sedlacek, the founder of ORCA, was contacted by two prospective clients seeking a Mediterranean-inspired garden for their Santa Monica property, she was intrigued. And when they mentioned the idea of ripping up the existing driveway and replacing it with more garden, she knew immediately she would accept the job. In the world of landscape design, it’s typically the designer finding, and sometimes fighting for, more green space—not the other way around.

What proved problematic was the site itself. A relatively small footprint meant that every square inch, including the aforementioned old driveway, had to be put to good use, especially since a new outdoor kitchen would also be required. So Sedlacek went about designing programmatic areas that would blur the lines between each other and the home’s interior. “The client needed a garden that is connected to their everyday lives: an art room that spills into the entry courtyard, a living room that opens up onto the dining patio, and a dining room that overlooks the pool.” To better define these areas, Sedlacek leaned heavily on the home’s existing white stucco and Spanish-influenced exterior to select hardscaping elements that would feel “naturally weathered” and right at home on a Balearic island.

Her inspiration: Potter’s House Mallorca, the retreat made instagram-famous by European garden designer Luciano Guibbelei. “We studied it for plants colliding with the water’s edge, groundcovers feeling very effortless, and also the use of fruit trees, bees blossom, and Ligularia dentata.” But while the resulting garden may look just like an arid landscape pulled from the coast of Gibraltar, it is primarily composed of U.S. natives and nativars, with a sprinkling of Mediterranean species for effect. Sedlacek and team brought in deep-green species like Ceonathus ‘Snow Flurry’, Frangula californica and Dryopetris arguta to contrast with the lighter palette, while Oenothera lindheimeri and Carex pansa create languorous drifts in sunnier areas.

The whole effect is of something wild and slightly forgotten. Sedlacek’s favorite element is tucked in the back corner of the garden, next to the site of a brand new pool, where the native Rosa californica clambers up a brick wall from the early 20th century to form a near-perfect simulacrum of an old European villa. “Seeing something built in 2025 that highlights something that has [already] lived here for a century is very special.”

Photography by Justin Chung, courtesy of ORCA.

Above: Sedlacek carved out new beds and added permeable paving in what used to be the entry driveway. The new space functions as a courtyard where kids can play, and still has enough hard surfaces to squeeze in a car if necessary.

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October 23, 2025
Native in West Cork, Ireland: A Landscape-First Hotel

Increasingly vacation time is doing double-duty as a nature fix, an opportunity to be immersed in plants and nature for immediate decompression and reconnection. At Native, a destination on the beautiful wild coast of West Cork in Ireland, they’ve fashioned a new term for it: “a landscape hotel,” where vegetation is not mere dressing but an integral part of the experience.

Founders Simon and Didi Ronan, who moved to West Cork from Dublin in 2021, spent three years looking for a site before finding (with some help from the local community after another purchase fell through) an overgrown derelict dairy farm. Simon, head of sustainable landscape studio SRLA, is originally from Wexford, while Didi is Irish but grew up in Belgium. Both have spent time living and working in London and Paris before relocating to Ireland. Part of the attraction to the area was the lively local scene; the village of Ballydehob on the Wild Atlantic Way, is home to a bohemian and arty scene with one of Ireland’s finest live music venues, Levi’s Corner House, as well as a Michelin-starred restaurant, Chestnut.

Since the opening of their guesthouse last year (the rooms can be booked individually or the whole house can be taken over), the couple have added three garden suites, each with their own private garden and outdoor bath (and for the largest suite, its own sauna too). In addition there’s the Milking Parlour, a communal event and dining space where they plan to stage supper clubs that will showcase the area’s incredible local produce, from foraged plants to artisan cheeses.

Outside the focus is on pollinator-friendly plants. Thanks to the North Atlantic Drift, this south-westerly point of Ireland enjoys warm air and water that arrives from the Gulf of Mexico. It provides a damp and temperate climate, and as a result, more opportunities for growing. The site also lies in a natural east–west valley, so that it’s sheltered from prevailing winds.

But their project stretches much farther than the 2.5-acre site that surrounds the guesthouse and garden suites. Twenty per cent of the profits from the business is used to rewild a 75-acre site, just 10 minutes from Native and open to guests. Here, the couple has been eradicating invasive non-natives and allowing the land to regenerate.

Let’s take a closer look.

Photography courtesy of Native.

Above: The exterior of one of Native’s new garden suites. The planting peaks in late summer and early autumn, when the garden hums with insects. In shadier areas, a more woodland feel is created with evergreen ferns and woodland flowers adding seasonal pops of color.

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September 17, 2025
Ditmas Park Backyard: Dirt Queen Redesigns a Brooklyn Garden to Be More Functional

When a family came to Dirt Queen NYC seeking a backyard makeover, they really just wanted one thing: to be able to use their yard. The existing “garden” was a patchy stretch of grass with garages on three sides. Now that their kids were older, the family no longer felt they needed a lawn for playtime. Instead they craved an adult space for hosting dinner parties and a dedicated firepit area, which might even entice their teens to hang out at home.

Jarema Osofsky and Adam Bertulli, co-founders of Dirt Queen NYC, took stock of the existing conditions. The family wanted to keep the existing trees, including some arborvitae that were nicely screening the neighbor’s garage and some Norway maples that were creating dense shade on one half of the garden. Bertulli and Osofsky saw an opportunity to give their clients the function they craved, carving out two distinct garden rooms in the small space, while also creating a dynamic pollinator garden.

Here’s how they did it.

Photography by Brett Wood, courtesy of Dirt Queen NYC.

Before

Above: The yard was nothing but balding grass, arborvitae, and a stand of Norway maples. One impactful move Bertulli and Osofsky made was asking the neighbors if they could paint the back walls of their garages the same color. Luckily, they agreed.

After

Above: From uninspired and useless to inviting and functional.

Above: Native flowering shrubs are the backbone of the new garden. For the garden’s midlayer, Osofsky used Clethra summersweet, oak leaf hydrangeas, and Viburnum dentatum, which she notes provides really beautiful berries for birds.

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September 16, 2025
Meanwhile, on Remodelista: An Ode to Humble and Honest Design – Gardenista

We are not immune to the appeal of cushiony upholstered outdoor lounge sets that are essentially cut-and-pastes of their indoor counterparts. That said, there is charm, too, in simply designed, bare-bones wood furniture. Here are some excellent recent examples of artful understatement in outdoor spaces, spotted over on our sibling site. See also: Meanwhile, on […]

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September 11, 2025
Courtyard Gardens in New York City: Our Favorite Backyards in Manhattan and Brooklyn

This week, we’re revisiting some of our all-time favorite stories about gardening in New York City. Cultivating plants in the Big Apple comes with challenges—yards tend to be small and shady, and privacy is rare—but if you have the patience, these urban gardens can produce some big-time magic. Behold…

Courtyard gardens, enclosed on all sides by walls or fences, can transform a cramped space into an oasis. They preserve privacy while welcoming sunlight. And they can make even the smallest townhouse feel larger. We’ve collected 10 of our favorites from New York City, the unofficial epicenter for courtyard gardens.

Boxwood + Brick in Upper East Side

Above: Columnar boxwoods and brick walls lend this Upper East Side garden, designed by Lili Herrera, an elegant and somewhat formal look. Photograph courtesy of Fawn Galli, from True Blue: A Jolt of Color Enlivens a Manhattan Townhouse Garden.

Balcony Views in Flatbush

Above: When garden designer Brook Klausing first saw his clients’ townhouse backyard in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood, it looked bleak: a chain-link fence, an old concrete patio, and a patch of hard-packed dirt. No more. Photograph courtesy of Brook Landscape, from Garden Designer Visit: Brook Klausing Elevates a Brooklyn Backyard.

Sustainable Design in Bed-Stuy

Above: Lauren Snyder and Keith Burns’s Brooklyn townhouse has a rainwater reclamation system (on the roof), a compost tumbler, and permeable hardscaping. Photograph by Jonathan Hokklo, from Sustainable Solutions: A Modern Garden for a Historic Townhouse in Brooklyn.

A Bamboo Grove in Greenwich Village

Above: An airy hedge of bamboo provides screening at the garden’s perimeter while a pared-down palette of green and white focuses the eye on the center of the space. “The white limestone is like a canvas. When the sun is directly overhead, you can see the shadows of the bamboo and other plants starkly against it,” says designer Julie Farris. Photograph by Matthew Williams, from Before & After: From ‘Fishbowl’ Townhouse Garden to Private Oasis.

Wisteria + Steel in Upper West Side

Above: “We essentially built the garden around the wisteria,”says Devin O’Neill (O’Neill Rose Architects), of the tree on the left. It’s the only plant they kept from the original backyard. The walls are made from sheets of corten steel, the same type of metal favored by artist Richard Serra. Photograph by Michael Moran, from A New York Story: The Stunning Revival of a Landmarked Townhouse with an Intriguing History.

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August 28, 2025
A Westchester Garden Designed by Landscape Designer Ashley Lloyd

Oftentimes landscape designers are called in to execute a one-time overhaul or to create an instant landscape for a site that’s been ravaged by construction. Every once in a while, though, they’re enlisted for more nuanced work, such as when a mature garden needs a new steward and editor. The “before and after” results may not be as dramatic, but the process of refinement can take a garden from good to great. Such was the case when landscape designer and ISA-certified arborist Ashley Lloyd, of Lloyd Landwright, was brought in to usher a garden in lower Westchester into its next chapter.

The garden had been lovingly designed and tended by a fine gardener for many years, but after his departure, weeds had overtaken the property and much of the perennial layer had been lost during construction projects, including a new retaining wall. “The goal was to create layered texture, seasonal contrast, and movement—and to design with the garden’s future evolution in mind,” Lloyd says.

Arriving as the homeowners were in the midst of rethinking the garden, ended up being a gift. “I had time to observe the land—its microclimates, light shifts, drainage patterns—and respond accordingly,” Lloyd says. Building on the existing palette of shrubs and evergreens, she brought in more native and pollinator plants and created moments that would consistently surprise and delight the clients. She also designed dozens of seasonal planters and new outdoor lighting.

Through her years of working on this garden, Lloyd learned that “the best design happens in relationship and collaboration with the land and not from a fixed plan,” she says. Lloyd recently relocated to the West Coast, handing this garden off to its next steward in much better shape than she found it.

Take a tour of the resulting garden, a layered landscape that evolves through the seasons.

Photography by Kyle J Caldwell.

Above: “This wasn’t a ‘look but don’t touch’ garden,” says Lloyd. Rather, it was designed to invite interaction, with the client choosing to leave the front garden unfenced, so neighbors could enjoy it too. However, no fencing meant intense deer pressure, so Lloyd focussed her plant palette on those that were unpalatable to deer, including floss flower and allium. “Grasses, including sesleria, really knit everything together there,” she says.

Above: Lloyd says she tries to place plants that deer don’t like around plants they prefer; for example, lamb’s ear and allium are positioned to protect asters. As part of a local Pollinator Pathway, the garden is pesticide-free and designed to support bees, birds, and butterflies.

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August 19, 2025
10 Things Your Landscape Designer Wishes You Knew About Gravel (But Is Too Polite to Tell You) – Gardenista

My clients are often in love with gravel, or at least with the idea of gravel. But as a landscape designer, I have a love-hate relationship with the paving material.

The other day I visited a clients’ newly purchased house—and realized that the sellers had put pea gravel between the entry pavers to “dress it up.” Instead of neatly tucked between paving stones, the gravel was scattered everywhere, making for an uncomfortable walking experience. I thought: right material, wrong place.

Here are 10 things I wish all my clients knew about gravel:

1. Not all gravel is created equal.

Above Beth Chatto’s gravel garden in Elmstead, Essex. Photograph by Clare Coulson, from Expert Advice: 11 Tips for Gravel Garden Design.

After you decide to add gravel to your landscape, the next question to ask yourself is: what kind? Each type of stone has its own distinct look and textural appeal, and its own purpose. Your selection will vary regionally, so I recommend the first step should be to visit a local stone quarry to see what is available.

2. Get to know the three most common textures of gravel.

Above: Pea gravel in a courtyard. Photograph courtesy of Verne, from Steal This Look: An Artful Gravel Garden in Antwerp.

After you settle on a variety and color of stone, you will need to consider size and texture: decomposed granite, crushed stone, or pea gravel?

In a nutshell: Decomposed granite (or DG, as it’s known) is a powdery granite that makes a fine texture of silt and little rocks. DG is a popular option for paths and patios. Usually yellow-gold and fading to tan in color and relatively affordable. Crushed stone is probably the closest to the typical idea of what a gravel driveway looks like. This material is also used for patios, retaining wall drainage, back fill, and grading. Pea gravel is tricky because its name has the word “gravel” in it, but some note that pea gravel is actually a small and smooth river rock. See Hardscaping 101: River Rocks to learn more.

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October 4, 2024
Secret Garden: At Home with Marnie on Cape Cod – Gardenista

All week, we’re republishing some of our favorite Garden Visits that have a personal connection to our writers. No public gardens here, no vast estates, no professionally designed landscapes—just the backyards, vegetable patches, and flower beds that remind our writers of home. This story by contributor Justine Hand is from July 2016.

After bouncing along an undulating, rutted track, wheels crunching over shell drive while wisteria vines lap at the windows, the entrance to my friend Marnie’s garden is like a transition to another world.

Her landscape is an informal, unfussy affair that draws equally from the traditions of English cottage gardens and the wilds of Marnie’s native Cape Cod. Here and there is also a dash of the Mediterranean, reflecting Marnie’s travels to Italy and California. It’s a romantic, unfettered place, full of discovery—the kind that invites children to romp around its pathways. Among the blooms one might find edible treats like thimble berries, or an old pot perfect for the clubhouse, or an ocean-tossed treasure that Marnie has collected from the sea.

Full of proliferous blooms that encroach on paths and climb the walls, Marnie’s world borders, Secret Garden-style, on being overgrown. “I like to let plants do their thing,” she notes. “Sometimes a plant will disappear for a year, and then the next it surprises me by coming back.” This laissez faire approach leads to a much more dynamic garden, “that, like me,” she adds, “changes every year.”

Photography by Justine Hand.

Above: Cape Cod meets Mediterranean—a lobster buoy found washed ashore rests on a deck bordered by a long lavender bed.

Above: The pert faces of verbena and native yarrow bloom in front of the garden shed in July.

Above: Marnie’s signature colors, pink and orange, are reflected in these splendid echinacea.

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August 28, 2024
Steal This Look: A Streamlined Outdoor Kitchen, Lakeside in Michigan – Gardenista

Some time ago on Remodelista, we took a tour of A Low-Maintenance Lake House on Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula, a new-build project by two Mainers: Jocelyn O. Dickson Architecture and Heidi LaChapelle Interiors. Today we’re zeroing in on the outdoor living spaces—the wide cedar deck and custom outdoor kitchen—designed by Jocie for one of the homeowners, an avid cook. Here’s a breakdown of the elements (and where to find lookalikes).

Photography by Marta Xochilt Perez.

Above: The house is clad in shou sugi ban and nestled beside a small lake. “The lot is extremely long and narrow,” says Jocie, “and the building site was only possible thanks to a variance granted by the town, which allowed us to build up to about 40 feet from the lake (typically the setback is 75 feet). So this made for a very special condition: to be literally right on the lake.”

The homeowners worked with a close friend, a landscape designer, to create a “minimal and low-maintenance” planting plan, says Jocie. “Because of our proximity to the lake, we were limited with our hardscape and plantings on the water side of the house, so this area was left mostly natural.” A wide cedar deck along one side of the house creates multiple outdoor living spaces: a lounge area, an outdoor kitchen and dining area, and a fire pit. Fortunately, Jocie notes, the deck was completed before the price of cedar skyrocketed during the pandemic.

Above: The custom outdoor kitchen was designed by Jocie and built by Shugart Builders.

Furnishings

Above: The outdoor table, ideal for summer meals by the lake, is Hay’s Palissade Dining Table and Chairs Set in Olive ($3,445).

Above: The concrete counters and shelves were custom-designed by Jocie, but Netherlands-based WWOO Outdoor Kitchens offers customizable designs of their own. Shop their Concrete Outdoor Kitchens department for more. Photograph by Matthew Williams from Gardenista: The Definitive Guide to Stylish Outdoor Spaces from Steal This Look: The Ultimate Summery Outdoor Kitchen.

Appliances

Above: The Blaze Prelude LBM 25-Inch Three-Burner Built-In Propane Gas Grill is a close lookalike ($1,359.99).

Above: Big Green Eggs come in a variety of sizes, though the Large ($1,100) is the most popular and can cook up to eight steaks or 12 burgers at once.

Lighting

Above: The prep space is flanked by two Thorburn Wide Wall Sconces from Rejuvenation ($489 each).

Accessories

Above: The Brice Medium Planter is $99 from Rejuvenation.

Above: DeVOL’s Iron Hook Rack, $153, is suitable for hanging gardening tools and kitchen essentials alike.

For more Steal This Look posts, see:

N.B.: This post has been updated with new prices, products, and links. It was first published April 2022.

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July 25, 2024
10 Easy Pieces: Nautical Rope Doormats – Gardenista

After just a week in Maine a few summers ago, I decided that it was my favorite state. The beaches were how I like them: light on people, heavy on dramatic vistas. The weather, too, was my preferred type: temperatures that required at least half of the body (your choice of top or bottom) be covered up. I enjoyed my stay there so much that I did what I usually pride myself on not doing when playing tourist: I left with a souvenir—a doormat woven from reclaimed lobster rope. Every time I step barefoot onto its knotty surface, I am reminded of my trip.

Recently, I noticed that I’m not the only one enamored with nautical rope doormats. They’re popping up in quite a few stores outside of Maine. Here are 10 I like. I am partial to the washed-out, rustic look of the versions made from upcycled lobster rope, but I’ve also included rope doormats that are a bit more refined.

Above: From New England Trading Co.’s Wicked Good line of handwoven Nautical Rope Doormats, this one features a classic tan and black palette; $69.95.

Above: From Cape Porpoise Trading Co.’s website: “The rope used to make this doormat was once connecting a Maine lobsterman’s buoy to his lobster trap on the bottom of the ocean floor. This lovely doormat will not only decrease the footprints in your house it will also assist in decreasing your environmental footprint.” The Recycled Lobster Rope Doormat in Machias comes in five sizes; starting from $76 at their Etsy site.

Above: This Fisherman Rope Mat in the colors of Maine’s Bicentennial Flag colors is hand-made in Maine; $60 from Sea Bags.

Above: From Maine Rope Mats, this Double Weave Mat is $59.95 to $164.95, depending on the size, which ranges from small to runner length.

Above: “New federal regulations mandate that lobster fisherman can no longer use floating line to connect their traps together, because the northern right whale was becoming entangled in the floating line.” Custom Cordage is saving the rope from ending up in a landfill by weaving them into doormats. The Original Reclaimed Fishing Rope Doormat is $56.99 at Kittery Trading Post.

Above: Washashore uses nautical rope that has either been found washed ashore or retired from ocean farming and donated. Their Custom Rope Mats allow you to choose the size and colors; from $50.

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June 28, 2024
DIY Boardwalk: How to Lay Down a Planked Path Yourself

Lately I’ve been hankering for a woodsy, off-the-grid, no-screens-allowed place to escape to—no text messages, no email, no Netflix, just a paperback and someplace to float. Which has me revisiting the cabin in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region that Alice Saunders and Greg Ralich found on Craigslist and fixed up, DIY style (and which we featured on Remodelista).

The cabin—which is about as rural as it gets, down the end of a class IV road—might not have running water or electricity, but it has simple summer pleasures: a hand-built dining nook/game table, a bright kitchen, a simple and sumptuous-looking bed, even an ad-hoc outdoor shower. It’s hands down the best-looking totally off-the-grid place we’ve seen (no surprise; Saunders is the founder and designer behind Forestbound Bag Co.). Our favorite detail? The couple needs to paddle out to the center of the pond just to get a hint of cell service. Unplugged weekends indeed.

Recently we spotted that the couple had taken on another DIY project at the cabin: a boardwalk. “While fairly simple, it might be my favorite project to date,” Saunders wrote on Instagram. “It feels like a small way to highlight and appreciate the beauty of our land. Plus Greg and I finished this in one afternoon and didn’t get in any fights along the way, a true win when working on home projects with your partner.”

Intrigued, we asked Saunders how this old-school, summer-camp-style boardwalk came together in just a few hours. Here’s the rundown.

Photography courtesy of Alice Saunders.

Above: The area before the boardwalk.

Watch and learn.

“Our goal was to build a very simple wooden boardwalk that wouldn’t take the focus away from the beauty of our land,” says Saunders. “We didn’t want something overbuilt and technical; we sought to make something that became part of the landscape and that, in time, it would just look like it was always there.

“It was especially important to watch how the land and water and light changed over the year and years before I felt confident building something in this exact spot. It’s definitely the focal point of the view from our porch, so I was nervous, but this year I was ready to take on the challenge.”

(Gently) create a path.

“Before starting the project, we prepped the area by transplanting any ferns and other plants that were in the area we planned to build on, leveled out the soil (or well, mud), and cut back a large stump that the boardwalk would hug on its slight curve,” says Saunders.

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June 21, 2024
Small Container Garden Balcony in San Francisco: Steal This Look

Here, we present the concept of a dry garden applied to an urban balcony. The project is located in Hayes Valley of San Francisco and is designed by Daniel Nolan, landscape designer and former in-house designer at Flora Grubb Gardens. The garden features a cohesive look created by way of “the repetition of specific plants […]

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May 28, 2024
DIY Outdoor Planters: A Cool Palette for Hot Weather – Gardenista
I garden in pots on my front porch, and by the time summer arrives, I just want my containers to look good…and I don’t want to spend a lot of time on them. So I always create at least one lushly planted pot filled with low-care plants, since that’s all you need to keep a small space looking gorgeous for the season.

Photography by Julie Chai for Gardenista.

Above: I like to garden in larger pots–at least 14 inches or more in diameter–and I usually use a container I already own. I replant my containers as the seasons change.

Above: When I’m shopping at the nursery, I like to know my container’s size. But I’m not about to lug heavy pottery with me, so I came up with an easy way to measure: take a large piece of scrap paper (newspaper or a paper bag work well), place it over the pot, and cut out a circle that’s about the same size as the container’s opening.

Then, I take my paper disc with me to the nursery so I can arrange plants on it while I shop. This helps me estimate how many plants will actually fit in my pot without overcrowding, and also gives me a chance to play around with the plant arrangement.

Above: For summer, a simple color combination of cool blue, white, and silver balances the heat. This month’s container is a mix of four hardy summer workhorses:
‘Blue Bird’ Nemesia. It’s is an upright plant that grows to a height of 12 inches and blooms until frost.

‘Gulliver White’ Bacopa has pure white flowers on trailing stems–perfect for the front of a container.

Lamb’s ears have large, fuzzy gray-green leaves. It’s technically a ground cover–so it will eventually spread and you’ll need to reduce the clump or replant in another pot. It also forms lavender flower spikes (bees love them, but you can cut them down if you don’t like the way they look).

‘Glacier Blue’ Euphorbia. It can reach 18 inches tall, and has thin, silvery leaves edged in white along with blooms in late winter or spring.
Above: I generally aim for five or fewer types of plants in a pot because I like to let each plant stand out. When creating combos, it’s important to mix growers that have the same water and light needs so that everything will thrive–this grouping likes full to part sun, and regular water.

Above: I always use a container with a drainage hole, and before planting I gently loosen any matted roots. It’s best to fill your pots with fresh potting soil because it drains well and is packed with the nutrients your plants need.

Above: Water thoroughly after planting, and then again whenever the top inch or so of soil feels dry.

Above: You can also feed your plants with a liquid organic fertilizer (just follow the instructions on whatever product you buy) to keep everything happy from now into fall.

N.B.: This post is an update; it was first published June 2013.

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May 17, 2024
Wood Decks: Everything You Need to Know, Pros and Cons

Would you like to add an extra 250 square feet of living space without spending tens of thousands of dollars? Read on to learn everything you need to know:

Above: An indoor fireplace transitions into the exterior stone wall of a picturesque deck by mwworks. Photograph by Kevin Scott, courtesy of mwworks, from Outside In: A Multi-Generational Retreat on Whidbey Island Welcomes Nature Inside.

What is the difference between a deck and a patio?

A patio is built at ground level, on a level surface, and typically is constructed of a “permanent” material such as stone pavers, brick, or poured concrete. A deck floats above the ground, supported by footings, at a height of anywhere from a few inches to many feet and can be built on an existing slope.

Typically, a patio is considered more of a permanent feature–and is more expensive to build. For instance, a 250-square-foot bluestone patio costs $3,797 to build (including materials) on average, more than twice as much as the $1,882 price tag to build a wood deck of the same size, according to Homewyse.

Above: A redwood deck in a garden designed by Talc Studio in San Francisco. Photograph by Jorden DeGaetano, courtesy of Talc Studio, from Landscape Design Visit: ‘Moving Art’ in a San Francisco Yard by Talc Studio.

OK, a deck. How do I design a deck?

Pros know: Start the design process by consulting a landscape architect or designer, who will help you come up with a design based on how you want to use a deck and the physical properties of your land (Does your yard slope? Is the ground marshy? Do you want to build around existing trees without causing them damage?). A professional also will know if you need a permit for a deck and whether local building codes require a railing.

Attached vs. freestanding: You can build a freestanding deck on your property, but if you plan to use a deck as an extension to everyday living space, consider attaching it to the house for indoor-outdoor flow. Use string and stakes to lay out the design to make sure you like the size and shape.

Above: Photograph courtesy of Mason St. Peter. For more of this raised deck (including construction photos), see Outbuilding of the Week: A Bohemian Surf Shack in Topanga Canyon.

Can I build my own deck?

After you have a plan in hand, if you are extremely handy you may want to build your own deck. But keep in mind there is more to building a deck than sawing and nailing lumber planks. In a cold climate, you will need to dig piers below the frost line to support the deck and make sure it doesn’t heave in winter as the ground freezes and thaws. If you are not Bob Vila, you probably will be better off (and save money in the long run) by hiring a contractor or master carpenter.

Above: In Carmel Valley, California architects Sagan Piechota and contractors Stocker Allaire designed a multi-tiered batu wood deck. Photograph by Joe Fletcher courtesy of Sagan Piechota Architecture, from Design Trend: 15 Wooden Decks That Disappear Into the Landscape.

Is wood the best material for a deck?

Wood is our favorite choice for a deck because it’s a natural material that complements the surrounding landscape; left untreated, wood decks will fade to a soft silver color that plays a supporting role to the garden that surrounds it. Other than wood, the best choice for a deck is a composite material–made of a combination of wood and recycled plastic–which has its own pros and cons.

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May 10, 2024
An Artful and Eclectic San Francisco Garden by Talc Studio: Steal This Look

In San Francisco’s often foggy, dune-filled Outer Sunset neighborhood, landscape design firm Talc Studio transformed a small “sand pit” into a lush and characterful garden. While the garden is equal parts custom and artful, there are a number of design details and useful sources to glean. Here we detail our favorite components. Materials Furniture & […]

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May 7, 2024
Brick Patios: The Pros and Cons of Choosing Brick for Outdoor Flooring
We learned this young: When the third little pig chose brick, he knew what he was doing. As a building material, brick has stood the test of time. It’s hardworking, aesthetically versatile, easily maintained, eco-friendly, and affordable. Although it’s sometimes considered a formal look for a patio, that depends on the type of bricks, the color, the pattern, and the application.

Here’s everything you need to know to design a brick patio:

What types of bricks are good for a patio?

Above: Bricks are ubiquitous in the Netherlands. See 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from Amsterdam’s Canal Houses.

Most bricks are composed of clay soil combined with lime and sand. Although red bricks are the most common, bricks come in many colors, including cream, grey, tan, buff, pink, brown, and black.

The color varies according to several factors: the relative proportion of lime, the color of the sand, and the temperature and duration of the firing. One strong attribute is that brick color doesn’t fade with age or wear.

If you’re looking for a weathered look and don’t want to wait years to get it, you can buy tumbled bricks. Used bricks are another option–try searching under “building materials” on Craigslist. But don’t buy unless you’re assured that any residual mortar has been cleaned off. Whatever you choose, make sure they’re bricks that will work well for a patio–they’re not too porous, for example, or prone to flaking in freezing temperatures. If in doubt, check with a stonemason or stoneyard worker.

What are some patterns for laying a brick patio?

Above: A brick patio featuring a double basketweave pattern. Photograph by Gillian Steiner for Gardenista, from Pretty in Pink: An Artist’s Dry Garden in LA’s Topanga Canyon.

Your choice of pattern will be largely determined by how much space you have and how much money you want to invest. Here are the most common patterns, from the least expensive and labor-intensive to the most:
- Running bond just means bricks laid in simple rows. Concentric squares or rectangles are variations on running bond; these are appealing if you have enough space to show them off. In smaller spaces, a concentric pattern can look busy.
- Basketweave is a classic pattern that’s slightly more labor-intensive than running bond. It comes in many variations. To make the pattern work, you’ll need bricks that are twice as long as they are wide (plus any mortar joint). That also reduces the number of bricks that will need to be cut.
- Herringbone is a timeless look that works well for both pathways and patios. A herringbone set at 45 degrees is somewhat more expensive because the bricks on the edges all need to be cut. Herringbone set at 90 degrees involves less cutting.
Above: Common brick patterns, courtesy of Rubio’s Masonry and Construction. For more information or an estimate, see Rubio’s.

Should a brick patio be set in sand or mortar?

Above: A stylish pairing of pea gravel and brick. Photograph by Laure Joliet, from Garden Visit: At Home with LA Artist Kelly Lamb.
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April 26, 2024
Best Neutral Indoor/Outdoor Rugs of 2024: Our Favorites

When the line is blurred between indoor and outdoor living spaces, a versatile rug is essential. Here is our edit of outdoor rugs that are just as suitable for indoor or liminal spaces, all in neutral palettes and designs to complement a variety of settings. For more rugs, see our picks: 10 Easy Pieces: Washable […]

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April 5, 2024