Medium sized contemporary back patio in London with natural stone paving.

Photo of a patio in Gloucestershire with natural stone paving and no cover.

Teamwork makes the dream work, as they say. And what a dream; this is the acme of a Surrey suburban townhouse garden. The team behind the teamwork of this masterpiece in Oxshott, Surrey, are Raine Garden Design Ltd, Bushy Business Ltd, Hampshire Garden Lighting, and Forest Eyes Photography. Everywhere you look, some new artful detail demonstrating their collective expertise hits you. The beautiful and tasteful selection of materials. The very mature, regimented pleached beech hedge. The harmoniousness of the zoning; tidy yet so varied and interesting. The ancient olive, dating back to the reign of Victoria. The warmth and depth afforded by the layered lighting. The seamless extension of the Home from inside to out; because in this dream, the garden is Home as much as the house is.

In this design we sought to create a quirky yet stylish family space suitable for a variety of uses. The area directly adjoining the house was paved with Indian sandstone in a random lay pattern featuring a large paved circle slightly to the right of the main double patio doors. Metre wide curved paths lead around either side of an oval shaped lawn in the centre of the space. The left hand path leads to a second, smaller, paved circle in the left hand corner of the space, while the right path terminate in a small area of paving directly adjoining the existing shed in the to right corner of the space. All paving and lawn is edged with attractive granite sett bricks. The paved circle outside the back door features a semi-circular fixed bench approximately 3m long, constructed from rendered blocks and capped with and Indian sandstone seat. The bench is backed by a tall rendered block raised bed, which acts as a backrest to the bench seat. Circular rendered planters planted with a large box ball frame the bench at either end, to give this seating area a sense of seclusion. Large swirling and scrolling white rendered block walls provide an arresting focal point to the garden. Running down each side of the space, these walls undulate and taper in height, reaching a maximum of 1.8m in parts then dipping to almost ground level while curving around the space. At their highest points, the walls act as a frame to the circular paving to the left, and as a screen to the shed in the right hand corner. The planting scheme incorporates native English And New Zealand plants in hot and spicy colours. Finally, a simple lighting scheme gives gentle illumination to the garden. Flush stainless steel ground lights set into the riser of the arced fixed bench provide a wash of gentle light to the paved circle. Low voltage lighting placed throughout the beds highlight individual plant specimens while providing ambient background illumination. To complete the scheme, a series of in-ground walk-over lights installed in the curved pathways guide the user up either side of the space.

Inspiration for a contemporary patio in Sydney with a fire feature, natural stone paving and no cover.

London Stone clay pavers in a herringbone pattern on pathway connecting wide steps from house to tumbled limestone cobbles on main eating area.
Inspiration for a small contemporary back patio in London with a water feature, natural stone paving and no cover.

This is an example of a medium sized classic front patio in Paris with a potted garden, natural stone paving and no cover.

Pro Colour Photography
Inspiration for a small contemporary back patio in London with a living wall and natural stone paving.

Inspiration for a small contemporary back patio in London with a fire feature and natural stone paving.

Barnes Walker Ltd Lots of comments about this project of ours and it's been included in so many ideabooks! Thank you. To answer a few questions: Yes, the cows are real. The paving is all natural stone, we used different types of natural sandstone in various unit sizes to create the effects and organisation of space. The aim of the design was to create a sunken garden leading out from the basement. The garden was to be a secluded, comfortable outdoor room and not simply a 'lightwell'. The surrounding landscape is very flat and the winds can be harsh. This layout offers the homeowners shelter.

Inspiration for a classic back patio in West Midlands with natural stone paving and no cover.

Dry Stone Walled Private Sunken Garden area with Box & Mature Hedging and Naturalising Bulbs. Built in an area which used to be wasteland and a bog on this Llama Development. The sunken area is flagged with Reclaimed 150 year York Stone and the Bull Nosed York Stone tops of the sunken area were off an old Railway Platform. Low LED spots are on the floor of the sunken patio area so as to give low lighting in the early evening.

Outdoor entertaining around the fire pit, meandering through the coastal gardens and vegie gardens, and sweeping views of Port Phillip Bay, at this Coastal haven in picturesque Mount Martha, Mornington Peninsula. Landscape Design and Build: Bayon Gardens Photography: Tim Turner

Inspiration for a contemporary back patio in London with natural stone paving and no cover.

Ein gemütlicher Hinterhofgarten mit detaillierter Lichtplanung, Loungeecke und Pergola in einem modernen Innenhof.
Contemporary patio in Hamburg with a fire feature, natural stone paving and a pergola.

Photography by Gathering Light Styling by Greypeg Interiors
Medium sized nautical back patio in Perth with natural stone paving and a roof extension.

Hand-crafted using traditional joinery techniques, this outdoor kitchen is made from hard-wearing Iroko wood and finished with stainless steel hardware ensuring the longevity of this Markham cabinetry. With a classic contemporary design that suits the modern, manicured style of the country garden, this outdoor kitchen has the balance of simplicity, scale and proportion that H|M is known for. Using an L-shape configuration set within a custom designed permanent timber gazebo, this outdoor kitchen is cleverly zoned to include all of the key spaces required in an indoor kitchen for food prep, grilling and clearing away. On the right-hand side of the kitchen is the cooking run featuring the mighty 107cm Wolf outdoor gas grill. Already internationally established as an industrial heavyweight in the luxury range cooker market, Wolf have taken outdoor cooking to the next level with this behemoth of a barbeque. Designed and built to stand the test of time and exponentially more accurate than a standard barbeque, the Wolf outdoor gas grill also comes with a sear zone and infrared rotisserie spit as standard. To assist with food prep, positioned underneath the counter to the left of the Wolf outdoor grill is a pull-out bin with separate compartments for food waste and recycling. Additional storage to the right is utilised for storing the LPG gas canister ensuring the overall look and feel of the outdoor kitchen is free from clutter and from a practical point of view, protected from the elements. Just like the indoor kitchen, the key to a successful outdoor kitchen design is the zoning of the space – think about all the usual things like food prep, cooking and clearing away and make provision for those activities accordingly. In terms of the actual positioning of the kitchen think about the sun and where it is during the afternoons and early evening which will be the time this outdoor kitchen is most in use. A timber gazebo will provide shelter from the direct sunlight and protection from the elements during the winter months. Stone flooring that can withstand a few spills here and there is essential, and always incorporate a seating area than can be scaled up or down according to your entertaining needs. Photo Credit - Paul Craig

Garden landscaping in Twickenham. Stone: Indian Mint Sandstone (riven) from London Stone Bricks: Reclaimed London yellow stock Fence: Jackson's featherboard fencing Raised bed, low retaining wall, and a bench: green oak untreated sleepers Corten steel planters Irrigation system and led Hunza copper spike lights Positive Garden Ltd

Outdoor kitchen including BBQ, pizza oven and sink. the cupboards are of oak with a concrete worktop.
This is an example of a large farmhouse back patio in Surrey with an outdoor kitchen, natural stone paving and a pergola.