A 1920s Grill Inspires a Patinated Patio

This new patio next to an estate's carriage house is full of unique character; features include a vintage stone grill, a custom trellis and a table crafted from a salvaged balcony railing. Starting from a blank slate, landscape designer Susan Cohan created an inviting, sunny patio that just calls out for enjoying a cold drink, a chat and even a full summer meal. Here's a closer look at how she pulled it all together.

When Cohan arrived on the scene, there was nothing here but the 1920s wood-burning granite grill, which was in such disrepair that a tree had grown right through it. A big believer in reclaiming and reusing, Cohan had the uncommon piece completely cleaned out and refurbished. The doors are covered in a metal paint that matches that of the new trellis, and she added another salvaged piece, an old radiator grate, to a hole located up the center of the chimney.


An iron balcony railing from a local salvage yard became the base for an outdoor serving table. "I love to find an architectural feature and use it another way," Cohan says. "Using something like iron is a way to add patina to a project that might be brand new; it gives it some history and warmth you just cannot find in new materials." The tabletop is a custom-cut slab of bluestone. It now serves as a spot for a buffet or bar, and can also serve as a potting bench.

Cohan had the artisans at Recycling the Past build it out, adding new legs to the railing to balance and support the heavy top. The table base, including the new legs, plus labor was $400. The custom-cut bluestone top was $200.


Hayrack window planters draw the eye up from the patio. "The color up there helps tie the space together; people often forget to use vertical space in the garden," Cohan says.

Patio furniture: Lloyd Flanders


The patio is about 10 inches off the ground on this side. Hypertufa pots containing sempervirens, sedums and thyme sit atop a new Pennsylvania fieldstone wall.

The patio is full-range bluestone in an ashlar pattern with a thermal finish. Cohan was also able to incorporate some bluestone flagstone found onsite; if you squint you can spot the pieces surrounding the grill.





Cohan fit a circle within the square of the patio to gain some garden space immediately around the patio. A crabapple tree offers spring blooms; a low-growing boxwood, Buxus microphylla 'Franklin's gem', grows beneath it.

A cedar trellis by Scott A. Patkochis gives a sense of enclosure around two sides of the patio. The open side faces the rest of the farm's meadows and the main house.

Lattice opaque stain: Yorktowne Green, Benjamin Moore


The curved border gave her the opportunity to fit in more gardens against the corner of the trellis. Sedum, dianthus and iris add color and texture, while more of the low-growing boxwood lends a continuous feel from one side of the patio to the other.

Standard gray Belgian block reinforces the edge just slightly above patio grade.


Espaliered apple trees grow up the trellis.

More ways to work with salvage finds

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