These 70 Beautiful Patio Ideas Have Us Dreaming of Backyard Gatherings
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There's no need to travel far to find yourself in a serene escape when you have a well-designed patio in your own back yard. To inspire your own al fresco retreat, we rounded up beautiful backyard patio ideas with pictures from notable designers across the world.
Whether your space is small or large, concrete or stone, covered or uncovered, you can select seating and decorative items from simple to ornate, modern to traditional to create the ideal outdoor room for gathering your family and friends. You can also add pops of color with landscaping and beautiful flowering shrubs, taking your space from a room to an oasis. Whether you have fountain or fire pit in mind for your yard, we have photos to give you plenty of design ideas. While many patio ideas play out well in the privacy of backyards, we're also keen on a pretty front porch design and how it engages you with neighbors and arriving guests alike.
Read on for our 70 designer patio ideas that are sure to inspire your perfect outdoor space.
White Elegance
In this 1920s Mediterranean style Palm Beach estate named Casa della Porta, designer Mary McDonald selected simple yet elegant white seating (Formations) to allow the loggia’s dramatic vaulting and arches to star. Fabric, Perennials. Lanterns, Paul Ferrante
Rooftop Fountain Beauty
In a 1901 seven-story townhouse on New York’s Upper East Side, Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller paid homage to the house’s Beaux Arts beginnings by installing a carved French limestone fountain to anchor the rooftop terrace with furniture by David Sutherland surrounding it. Carrier describes it as “a little slice of private park in the sky.”
Monochromatic Florida Homage
In this Kips Bay Palm Beach Show House, designer Billy Ceglia’s crisp monochromatic scheme extends from lacquered bamboo-patterned armchairs and chaises (Brown Jordan) to hammered wrought-iron chandeliers by Currey & Company. Beneath the blue-painted ceilings for never-ending sunny days, chinoiserie seating and a treillage screen nod to traditional Floridian decorating motifs.
Flowering Fabrics
In a 18th-century landmark in Charleston’s South of Broad neighborhood, designers Thomas Jayne and William Cullum chose stainless steel lounge chairs (Janus et Cie) with Cactus Flower cushions (Christopher Farr Cloth) for the first-floor piazza thats design came from an 1820s Regency-style addition to the home.
Whimsical Dining Theatre
Vietnamese silk lanterns dangle from the dining pergola, shrouded in banana and areca palms, bleeding heart, and elephant’s ears in designer Mimi McMakin’s home, a cedar-shingled former church fronting the Palm Beach lake trail.
Garden-Accented Patio
In an ancestral millhouse in the North of England, designer Mary Graham, pictured here with her design partner Nicole Salvesen, stands on the dining terrace, where sage green trim and old cobblestone create an enchanting backdrop. A lantern by Hector Finch illuminates the space by night, and the garden design is by Willa Bourne-Arton.
Woven Seating Arrangement
In her Cotswolds home, Oka cofounder Sue Jones selected charming spiral topiaries to edge the sunny front terrace. Woven chairs by Oka sit in front of them to provide ample seating.
Hydrangea Surround
In a home in the Hamptons, a burst of Limelight hydrangeas beckons guests to a garden table dressed in a gingham tablecloth from homeowner and linen designer Julia Amory’s collection and antique majolica.
French-Inspired Living
At this Kips Bay Dallas Show House, Todd Events grounded this pool folly in a floral Tibetan knot rug (Perennials) with French-inspired teak-frame lounge chairs (Sutherland), a skirted bar, and leafy blue pillows and curtains (fabric, Morris & Co.).
Sunny Sitting Spot
Light from this garden casts inside an Upper East Side townhouse designed by Lucy Doswell. Just as you’ll find little pops of juicy color from the artwork indoors, greenery colors this sun-filled dining area.
Cottage-Style Dining
A faux-bois table (Diane Husson) plays off the natural beauty surrounding the dining terrace at architect Paul Bates's Birmingham cottage. Chinese Chippendale chairs (Hall Bradley for Brown Jordan) echo the patterns of trellis which are often seen in gardens.
Conversation Starter
Washington, D.C.-based designer Byron Risdon envisioned the lush patio at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Dallas as an entertaining haven. In the primary seating area, Risdon replaced the existing fireplace with Strike’s Laguna stone mantel and created a conversational pit with crescent sofas upholstered in a woven salmon-and-cream acrylic fabric by Perennials.
Abstract Beauty
A larger-than-life glazed ceramic and lava stone mural by Michelle Grabner animates the inviting patio at this art collector's Florida retreat designed by Ellen Hamilton.
Townhouse Charm
Designer Summer Thornton pulled inspiration from the courtyards of New Orleans for the playful patio at her Chicago townhouse. The black and white floor features stone (Exquisite Surfaces) sourced from quarries in cold parts of northern China and Europe.
English Entertaining
Esther Cayzer-Colvin drew inspiration from her own family when it came time to decorate the indoor and outdoor rooms of her English estate. For example, the dining set on her garden patio was passed down by Cayzer-Colvin's grandmother Nancy Lancaster, the influential post-war Anglo-American designer and co-owner at Colefax and Fowler.
Pergola-Covered Dining Patio
At this Napa Valley family retreat, designer Dan Fink and architect Carl Baker of Ike Kligerman Barkley extended the living space by adding a pergola-covered gravel dining patio just off the great room. Striped cushions (fabric by Perennials) outfit the seating around a custom iron-and-teak dining table.
Soothing Patio Fountain
When designers Jeffry Weisman and and Andrew Fisher first discovered their San Miguel de Allende home, they were struck by the patio garden's cool, dappled light and and gentle, splashing outdoor fountains. Here, custom urns flank the entrance to a magical middle garden.
Dining Under Jacarandas
At designers Jeffry Weisman and Andrew Fisher's home in San Miguel de Allende, a series of sinuous bronze-tone nesting tables on the garden patio is set for Christmas dinner. Spheres of greenery and florals shroud electrified chandeliers overhead, strung from the jacaranda trees. Tables and teak Klismos chairs, Fisher Weisman Collection
Rowhouse Escape
Built in 1840, this London rowhouse recently redesigned by Gary McBournie features an expansive urban patio in the back. Custom latticework garden mirrors flank the terrace’s stone fountain, adding symmetry and the illusion of depth. Furnishings, McKinnon and Harris
Poolside Patio
At this Ross, California, home, landscape designer Erica Timbrell carved out extra poolside seating with the addition of a patio under a canopy of California redwoods. A teak sectional commands the stone-wrapped alcove.
Patio Sculpture Garden
At the 2021 Kips Bay Decorator Show House Dallas, designer Ken Fulk took inspiration for the courtyard patio off of his study, where a trio of classical figures surrounds a commanding armillary as Fulk's homage to the three fates—Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos—and the rites of spring. The settee is trimmed in sapphire fringe and red cord trim, both by Perennials.
Dining Under the Vines
At her new home in Sonoma, California, Chairish co-founder and president Anna Brockway sets a "classic California table," alive with organic craft and and electric color—and of course layered with vintage finds. Tablecloth, lisacorti.com
Oceanfront Firepit
At this Pebble Beach, California, home designed by Mary McDonald, a stone firepit anchors an expansive patio overlooking the Pacific. Furniture, Janus et Cie
Covered and Collected Patio
At the 2020 Kips Bay Decorator Show House Dallas, designer Kevin Spearman treated his covered patio space "like an indoor room without walls," making sure to furnish it with luxurious comforts and a collected mix. Highlights include a vintage Moroccan rug from Carol Piper made by the Tuareg tribe, 1940s French wicker chairs from Galerie Novella, and the vintage wicker Parisian light fixtures from fellow Show House designer M Naeve.
Awning-Covered Patio
On a brick-paved patio in Hancock Park’s historic Fremont Place, designers and VERANDA 2022 Next Legends Ron Woodson and Jaime Rummerfield capture the essence of the home’s early mid-century DNA with a Regency barkcloth table covering from the same era and a vintage Salterini garden dining set. “The home was built by 1940s architect Clarence J. Smale, who was known for his brickwork and plaster-finished estates and movie theaters, including the Loyola Theater on Sepulveda Boulevard,” says Rummerfield.
Fireside Patio Dining
At this Nashville, Tennessee, home designed by Richard Hallberg, a bluestone patio is one of several places designed for outdoor entertaining. Intimate dinners by the fire are served at a French limestone table with a shapely urn base. Furniture, Formations.
Covered Poolside Patio
Designer Meredith McBrearty collaborated with architect Ryan Street on this Dallas home, which features seamless transitions between indoor spaces and the outdoor living spaces. Here, native dry-stack limestone from Leuders, Texas, cloaks the newly built house in sculptural, organic beauty. Douglas fir ceiling paneling extends from indoors out, stretching across the home’s deep overhangs to create a covered patio. Lounge chairs, Sutherland. Cushion fabric, Perennials
Sunken Patio Fountain
At this West Hollywood home, landscape architect Anna Hoffman designed a simple stucco fountain along one side of the sunken dining patio to drown out noise from the nearby street, creating an utterly transportive effect using very little square footage.
Sunset Cocktails Patio
At this Birmingham home designed by architect Paul Bates and designer Melanie Pounds, a cocktail patio extends off the butler’s pantry, at the ready for refills. Wicker chairs, Patina.
Reclaimed Firepit
In the inner courtyard patio of this Santa Monica home, landscape architect installed Forest Pansy trees, known for their early spring, pink blossoms, at the corners of this stone patio featuring a 13th-century well reclaimed as a firepit.
Bamboo Covered Dining Patio
The family room of this Santa Monica home, with gardens and outdoor spaces designed by landscape designer Scott Shrader, opens to a bamboo-covered outdoor dining patio shrouded in black Mission fig trees.
Herringbone Pavers
At this Santa Monica, California, home, landscape architect Scott Shrader paved the poolside patio with black herringbone pavers, abutting a century-old olive tree underplanted with cape rush.
Retro Paradise
This Napa Valley estate, designed by Ken Fulk, is full of Old Hollywood glamour that evokes the allure of Slim Aarons-era California. Its poolside scene fits right in with retro-chic Restoration Hardware chaises and cushions in a striped Sunbrella fabric. This outdoor space also features 1940s Walter Lamb rockers that once belonged to Shirley Temple, making the perfect spot to recreate Aarons's iconic Poolside Gossip.
Alfresco Dining with a View
Fulk designed this second outdoor space to be more apt for dinner parties and wine tastings from the vineyards within view (swoon!). Shade from this coastal live oak makes a lovely focal point and keeps the space cool, while the Ralph Pucci chairs add a sleek, modern element. The best part? Your table's centerpiece can be made of blooms and greenery within reach.
Charming Gathering Spot
This dreamy scene is proof even the smallest of patios can have a huge impact. Designer Beth Webb does a masterful job making the most of every square inch of this cozy Brays Island cottage. Everyone will gravitate to this Horchow faux-bois dining set for morning coffee, a sunny lunch break, or an indulgent Sunday brunch.
Teatime for Two
In the walled garden of textile designer Richard Smith's home in the English countryside, vintage Brighton cafe chairs and a chinoiserie bench (Andrew Crace) create a small spot for breakfast, tea, or cocktails al fresco.
Outdoor Entertaining Suite
An outdoor fireplace, dining set, and plenty of prime poolside seating make this setup at a colonial Connecticut manse an entertainer's dream. Designer David Netto ensures that this outdoor space won't be wasted even when the pool is closed for the winter with a warm and toasty dining and drinks area. The teak dining table is Summit Furniture and the lounge and Adirondack chairs are both Loll Designs.
Natural Wonderland
Designer Cliff Fong thoughtfully crafted this Lake Toxaway retreat to blend into its Blue Ridge Mountains surroundings. Double terraces allow for double the guests. Comfy seating is a must for hosting into the evening, and the James Perse seating is covered in an inviting Donghia cushion fabric.
Lush Lounge
Designer Matthew Carter's Bahamian vacation home is full of tropical treasures, and we love the way he made the most of this narrow patio space. One side acts as a lounging area, where guests can cozy up and enjoy a festive libation, while the other serves as a casual dining (or WFH) spot.
Refreshing Retreat
At a closer glance, Carter's dining area is ideal for enjoying lunch, a cup of tea, or catching up on emails at any time of day, thanks to plenty of shade and a ceiling fan. Portuguese cement tile work adds an artistic element and the Brown Jordan dining set is coastal chic at its best.
Old Florida Glamor
At this Naples, Florida, home designed by Celerie Kemble, a knife-edge pool sits flush with a coral stone deck. Beneath a canopy of coconut palms, an emerald privacy screen of areca, traveler’s, fishtail, and cat palms flourishes. Chaise longues, Celerie Kemble for Lane Venture. Umbrella, Santa Barbara Designs
California Cool
At this Newport Beach, California, retreat, designer Peter Dunham and architect Bob White fashioned a bluestone dining banquette under an Italian stone pine for the ultimate in laid-back, luxurious outdoor dining. The Mandevillea vine brings a powerful fragrance akin to gardenias. Fabrics, Peter Dunham Textiles
Poolside Dining
This lush patio belongs to Jenna Bush Hager, who gave us on a tour of her Long Island home in our November/December 2019 issue. Vintage iron garden furniture, layered table linens from Amanda Lindroth, and Juliska glassware make this an ideal setup for all your garden parties and summer luncheons.
Pink Paradise
There's nothing like a beachy pastel, shiplap and rattan furniture to bring some island vibes to your patio—whether it lies in Nassau or Nebraska. This stunning scene lies in a stunning British colonial home in Naples, Florida, designed by the one-and-only Celerie Kemble. Those cool concrete tiles offer a modern take on this classic design style.
Seaside Solace
This Baker's Bay home maximizes everyone's ability to enjoy sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean with several simple, yet stunning columns. Designer Miles Redd uses a neutral palate with pops of color to allow the sea and sky to be the focal points of this outdoor space. The casually elegant chairs from Michael Taylor Designs and table from Serena & Lily make for easy-breezy entertaining.
No Matter the Weather
This precious cedar pavilion is ideal for those who love to host afternoon tea or apértifs. The best part? There's never a need for a rain check!
Cathy Kincaid designed this poolside hideaway with inspiration from the home owners' antique birdhouses, offering one-of-a-kind charm and class to this outdoor space on the Connecticut River. The banquette fabric from Lisa Fine Textiles and bold, striped pillow fabric from Nicole Fabre Designs offer a fun punch of color in this otherwise earthy space.
Haute in the Hamptons
Alex Papachristidis designed this Hamptons hideaway with a Midas touch. Everything in this house is filled with warm metallic tones—even the outdoor space. A neutral motif allows the stunning views of the Atlantic (and those lovely bayberry hedges) take center stage, while sliding panels allow the home owners to enjoy this lovely outdoor space whether or not they want to enjoy the outdoors.
Au Naturale Entertaining
This earthy and magical patio was designed by Toronto-based designer Colette van den Thillart for the 2020 Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Palm Beach. This whimsical, garden-like space stays true to its roots (literally) with palm tree-inspired plaster columns to reflect the sunshine state's unofficial state tree. Though this space is jaw-dropping, it feels playful enough to make you comfortable enough to spend an entire day lounging in its luxury.
Jungle Fever
Breakfast has never felt so wild and fun, thanks to Joe Lucas'artful blend of organic prints, patterns, and textures. This Kips Bay 2020 Decorator Show House room makes the most of an oddly shaped outdoor space, making even the smallest nook of your patio a prime spot for drinking coffee or cocktails. And we absolutely adore this paper lantern-inspired light fixture from Remains Lighting.
Fireside Pergola
This beautiful fireplace patio is ideal for allowing designer Phillip Mitchell to enjoy the sea breeze outside his Nova Scotia cottage year-round. Covered in Beach Stone by Shaw Brick, this fireplace offers a rustic, homey feel to an otherwise light and breezy seaside escape. Greenery peering through the patio's pergola offers a dreamy place to crack open a book and stay awhile.
Kitchen Alfresco
Designer Amy Meier creates an outdoor kitchen full of functionality at the Kips Bay Show House in Palm Beach, FL, where she opted for easy-to-wipe-down quartzite surfaces from Marble of the World, professional-grade appliances from Dacor, and durable outdoor furniture from Sutherland.
Playing with Fire
An old water well becomes an antique stone firepit after landscape designer Scott Shrader decks out a backyard in Beverly Hills with antique architectural pieces and Arras patio chairs.
A Pop Of Purple
Designer Ruthie Sommers adds some color to a patio in Newport, Rhode Island, with outdoor furniture from Restoration Hardware, upholstery fabric from Perennials, and bright purple hydrangeas.
Living Among the Palms
At his West Palm Beach home, designer Lars Bolander extends his living room outside where he can enjoy the balmy Florida weather. He furnished the space with a dining table from Becara, an umbrella from his store, and a collection of treasures that he and his wife have amassed over the years.
It's All in the Architectural Details
This outdoor space comes to life when designer Richard Hallberg plays off the patio's geometric ceiling and stone pillars by choosing a neutral color palette and comfortable seating, like these plush lounge chairs from John Himmel.
Apéritifs in the Garden
Memphis-native William Eubanks redesigns a storied Tudor house in his hometown that he co-owns with longtime friend John Ferguson. A small dining table surrounded by American boxwoods seems to beg for intimate conversations to be had. See more of this gorgeous garden and home here.
Meet Me Under the Pergola
Designer Phoebe Howard creates a summer-inspired oasis in Palm Beach, FL, for her clients to escape to when winter arrives in Chicago. A pretty pergola sets the scene with chairs from McKinnon and Harris and an ottoman from Made Goods. Step inside this Palm Beach getaway to see more blue and white beachy decor.
All Around the World
Houston-based designer Kevin Spearman transforms a Tel Aviv home into a Tuscan-style retreat with a color palette inspired by the muted shades of stone used in the house's architecture. A dining table from W. Gardner Ltd. helps ground the space, while fans from Boffi make the ceiling soar.
Moroccan Nights
Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo and designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard come together to host a Moroccan soirée on the actress's back patio. The host and hostess serve up apricot-mint cocktails on a table draped with a tablecloth from the designer's collection surrounded by lanterns from Berbere World Imports.
Let's Go for a Dip
Designer Scott Shrader gives new life to a 1970s pool at this Beverly Hills home by having it resurfaced and trimmed with Carrara marble. To create a comfortable lounge area, a custom limestone banquette is softened with cushions and pillows covered in fabric from Perennials.
Stop and Smell the Roses
Danielle Dall'Armi and husband Bill Hahn, farmers and founders of Rose Story Farm, convert a 1930s Spanish colonial barn into their office and workshop, complete with a patio for planters and potting.
The Fabric of Life
Designer Susan Zises Green outfits the patio of this Palm Beach home with coral-hued slipper chairs from Oomph, outdoor fabric from Perennials, and garden stools from Holly Hunt.
Set In Stripes
To frame the 19th-century fountain at this Washington D.C. estate, designer Alessandra Branca opts for trailing green ivy, a blue striped awning, and vintage iron tables and chairs.
Shades of Blue
Designer Phoebe Howard proves that fireplaces can be used year-round at this summer house in Palm Beach, FL. Blue and white tiles from Tabarka Studio are accented with chairs from McKinnon and Harris, a coffee table from Selamat, and garden stools from The Van Cleve Collection.
Stateside Mediterranean
Designer Emily Summers creates an idyllic patio for her son and his wife at their Dallas home with lounge chairs and ottomans from Bielecky Brothers, upholstery fabric from Perennials, and a dining table and dining chairs from McKinnon and Harris.
The Water's Fine
The chevron brick-paved inner courtyard of designer Betsy Shiverick's Palm Beach home is a no-frills space where her pool-soaked dogs are more than welcome to snuggle up on the outdoor furniture from Brown Jordan.
From the Top
Designer Tammy Connor creates a simple black-and-white patio with a table from McKinnon and Harris and chairs from Janus et Cie. With a view overlooking Central Park, who needs a backyard?
Art in the Wild
Bunny Williams proves that art belongs outside on this Palm Beach patio by outfitting a tile tapestry with seating by Bielecky Brothers, pendants from Paul Ferrante, and a rug by Bunny Williams for Dash & Albert.
A Room with a View
In addition to a seaside view, blooming bougainvilleas bring in the color on this master suite patio at designer Betsy Shiverick's home in Palm Beach, FL.
Keep It Simple
Turquoise umbrellas from Santa Barbara Designs and a bright blue dining set and lounge chairs from McKinnon and Harris pop against this Mediterranean-style Long Island villa designed by Katie Ridder.
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