How to build a circular patio
There’s something inherently comforting about a circle. Put yourself in the center of a circular patio, for instance, and its gentle curves seem to embrace you. A circle is the ideal form for a satellite deck or patio where you can relax over morning coffee, dine at dusk, or linger next to a firepit at night. Circular patios can easily fit into gardens of any style, and they can be constructed of various materials. (For do-it-yourselfers, a circle is also the easiest shape to draw accurately. Follow our step-by-step instructions to build an elegant slate patio.)
1. DESERT TERRACE A circular patio of tinted concrete aggregate is edged with rose flagstone. The naturalistic spa backing, tough plantings, and the paving’s rosy tones visually connect the patio to the surrounding desert.
Info: Mary Rose Duffield, Duffield Ratliff Landscape Design, Tucson, AZ (520/577-1241); Rosalee Gage, formerly of Santa Rita Landscaping, Tucson, AZ (520/623-0421)
|
3. COBBLES AND ROCK Rectangular chunks of tumbled Connecticut bluestone, set on a bed of decomposed granite and sand, form a 12-foot-diameter dining patio in a wooded Berkeley backyard. Info: Vanessa Kuemmerle, Vee Horticulture, Berkeley, CA (510/653-7667); BlueJay Feldman, Blue Ridge Landscape Co., Orinda, CA (925/258-9233) |
|
|
4. RECYCLED MATERIALS Large and small aluminum letters, set between irregular chunks of black slate, gives this 8-foot-wide patio in Alameda, California, contemporary flavor. Info: Shirley Alexandra Watts, Alameda, CA (510/521-5223) |
|
|
5. SQUARES AND ROUNDS Colored stones, surrounded by pavers of stained concrete, create the illusion of a stream bubbling through the center of this 12-foot patio in Berkeley. Info: Keeyla Meadows, Keeyla Meadows Gardens & Art, Albany, CA (510/559-1026) |
|
ENLARGE IMAGE
