Patio of the Week: Playtime for the Whole Family

Before its remodel the main feature of this Oakland, California, backyard was a gray concrete wall with a weedy hillside above it, and a small lawn area where no grass would grow. The lackluster view was all that could be seen from the living room windows.

The clients had no interest in gardening, says landscape architect Ive Haugeland of Shades of Green Landscape Architecture, but they wanted a modern low-maintenance outdoor space the whole family could enjoy.

A bold splash of red, a play area and climbing wall, low-maintenance bamboo and grasses, a rock garden and a fountain fit the bill. An existing deck above provides shade.

Red stucco now covers the gray concrete wall, and a new raised planter conceals the staircase to a play area on the upper patio. A gas fire pit filled with red glass keeps things toasty on cold nights.

Black bamboo in planters adds softness and rustles in the breeze, and the concrete keeps runners from spreading.


The new built-in benches are made of wood salvaged from a local bridge. When the fire pit is not in use, a cover transforms it into a table and extra seating.





The fountain adds the tranquil sounds of water. Iridescent glass tiles reflect the light and create a focal point that breaks up the expanse of the red wall.

"We tried to make all the elements as multipurpose as possible; the edge of the fountain also serves as seating," Haugeland says.

In the back you can see the handrail on the stairway that leads to the upper patio.


Steel cable railings give the upper play area a modern look. "We used the lightest material possible for the railings to keep things light and open," Haugeland says.


"I climb myself and set up the holds to be very kid easy," Haugeland notes. "They are really easy to move around if they ever want to change them up."

The flooring here is made of recycled rubber tires. Its thickness and the rubber feet beneath each tile create a soft landing.


The plan (click on it to enlarge) illustrates the awkward space the designers had to work with; the red represents the red stucco-covered concrete wall.


A cedar slatted wall covers the existing redwood retaining wall and weedy hillside, adding strong modern horizontal lines around the edge of the yard. Striped paving is alternately bluestone and precast white concrete.





Deer grass punctuates a narrow spot between the wall and the slatted fence with spiky life. A bamboo and rock garden in another narrow spot is about as low maintenance as one can get.

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