Patio of the Week: Water and Fire Mingle in a Canadian Front Yard

“Would you believe that my husband started out as a plumber?" asks Terri Laan, whose husband, Christopher Farner, gave their front patio a modern makeover. "He has an amazing sense of balance and style, and over the years I have pushed him to do more of that kind of work," Laan says. "We did not have much space to work with, but what is there is over the top."

The base of the space is decks and stone pavers surrounded by a lazy moat; fires, fountains and a dazzling LED lighting scheme create comfortable zones for lounging and entertaining. Here's a closer look at the talented Farner's vision and work.

Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their teenage son
Location: Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Time to build: About 2 months

The deck is made of ipe and contains several different spaces for relaxing out front. Two tall concrete structures provide privacy from the street — one features fire; the other, water. The fountain is 6 feet wide and 6 feet high; the fireplace is 8 feet wide and 6 feet high.

Farner designed and built everything — custom concrete fireplaces, cabinets, fountains, decks and the illuminated lazy river. The extraordinary front yard foreshadows the contemporary renovation inside.


"Our neighborhood is seriously heritage, but strangely the house is getting all sorts of applause," Laan says.

Because they are located in a historic high-end shopping district with a lot of pedestrian traffic, people are constantly walking by and peeking into the intriguing space. "We have met more people since we renovated the patio than we have over the previous 23 years lived here," she says.


This patio stone divides the space and emphasizes the entry sequence.

Patio stone: 24- by 24-inch gray, Banas Stones; stone on house: Grey Natural Bed, Bruce Stone


The front patio is great for large parties and intimate get-togethers; the seating area on the right is where a group of two to four tend to hang out. The seats surround a 3- by 3-foot concrete gas fire pit. LED lights give off a soft glow underneath.


A lazy-river moat surrounds the decks. Eight pumps filter and circulate the chlorinated water, keeping it clean. The moat also contains 50 LED lights. "It's very cool when it's lit up at night," Laan says.


The furniture's modern lines work well with the architecture, yet all the pieces are very comfortable and stand up to the elements.





This 8-foot-long gas fireplace to keep things toasty on cold Ontario nights. The front yard has extended the family's living space and is a favorite spot for friends old and new. "We are very casual entertainers ... we don't mean to entertain, but we know so many people and it is very hard to reserve patio space in town, so now I get text messages from my pals asking, 'Is the patio open?'" Laan says.

Large events tend to bring the guests as well, some invited and some that happen by. "During next week's jazz festival there will be about 50 people here, and usually some stragglers we don't know who feel entitled to visit ... we are cool with that," she says.

Have you creative used your front yard? Please show us what you did in the Comments!

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