How to Find Design Ideas for Patios

Whether you'll design and build it yourself or have it built for you, you'll need some ideas about what kind of patio you want. Here are some tips for finding inspiration.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Measuring Tapes
• Design Magazines
• Sketchbooks
• Cameras
• Cameras

1. Look in books and magazines about landscape architecture, architecture, interior design and travel. Scan the photos for patios (and other details). Delve into books on swimming pools as well, since the patio and the pool are often combined.

2. Sketch, photograph and measure patios that you like. (See 'eHow to Record Landscape Ideas in the Field.")

3. Tour an upscale neighborhood (where the professional designers have been at work) and keep your eyes peeled for patios and terraces. Since they are often concealed from the street for privacy, you may only catch glimpses.

4. Research the garden traditions of Mexico and Spain, in which the patio plays an important part.

5. Watch videos and TV with a pad in hand so you can record any inspirations that flash past.

6. Stroll the nearest historic district and note what patio and terrace designs are common there. Historical sites and museum houses often have details that are appropriate for the architecture and materials of your region. These have stood the test of time in your region for various reasons - be it a sensible response to the climate or as an expression of the local heritage - and will probably employ materials and methods that can be found nearby.

7. Make a diagram of the activities that you'd like to enjoy on your patio - dining, lounging, gathering a group of friends - and build a patio around these.

on 11/22/2005 Patios are generally formed in an informal manner in modern construction. This is to complement the asymmetry of most homes, and to instill a natural feeling. Corners are rounded and the overall form doesn't conform to a particular shape. Unless the surrounding landscape is formal, or symmetrical, the patio shape should be informal.

on 11/22/2005 Some materials to consider are: flagstone, various types and colors of decomposed granite, Mediterranean concrete, salt/broom/scored/banded/stamped deck, redwood or synthetic.