#frontpatio Archives - Northern California Style

If there’s one thing we took away from the past year, it was appreciation of home and our own spaces. Being forced to spend more time in our abodes than ever before, home has become a more happy spot than it once was for a lot of people. Many of those who were constantly ‘out’ or going places, found themselves with serious home time and as a result some took the opportunity to create something more cozy and appealing.

In our own little cul-de-sac in Northern California, that has meant using all the spaces of the home, and that includes our front yards as well. The previous ‘just for looks’ front yard has shifted to a space people want to be out in. It’s gives you an opportunity use a previously underutilized area, and also connect with neighbors in a socially distanced or closer way!

I’ve been meaning to write about this trend for a while since we decided to add a front patio to the home remodel in the late stages. I knew I wanted French Doors in the front, but they made no sense if there wasn’t a patio for them to open out onto. After looking at many homes in the Willow Glen section of San Jose, I decided I wanted a small patio and a Mediterranean type of low wall that could be used for seating as well. We figured we might as well use some of that front yard for actual enjoyment, instead of more plants. We removed the grass and added new native landscaping and the patio seemed to work well with that. We feel lucky to have put it in just before the pandemic.

This is few photos of the before and after of our front yard.. We lived here for ten years before remodeling. Taking out a huge Sequoia that was dying and also lifting the foundation, created an uneven look, so with the remodel it was an opportunity to rethink the whole space.

This was right after plants were put in..

California ranch house with new native landscaping and decomposed granite.

And today the plants after almost 2 years..

California ranch house with new landscaping.

Coincidentally, three of our neighbors also added front patios, two in the past year. Our neighbors Ben and Becca were the first. They have a great corner lot. Their rounded and slightly elevated patio/entry just sets off their house beautifully, which has also been updated with all their pretty landscaping.

Before and after..

Isn’t this lovely? They really use their patio and enjoy being out there, having a coffee or a glass of wine after dinner on just keeping watch on their three kids having fun on scooters and such on our street..I just love the pretty stone they used on the patio and their fireplace here.

Our neighbor Wen, who is studying design, besides working, created her own space too. Wen has school age kids who often did their class work outside during the pandemic. Previously, it was a small porch and lawn.

Before and after..

They have enjoyed the views of the mountains from the front and being outdoors the past year. It is a very spacious area now, and she still has plenty of yard.

Next door, my neighbors Ginger and Tao have two younger ones and spend evenings and weekends with their small tykes taking their first steps and learning how to ride a bike, while they garden, or chat with family. Their parents often come for extended visits and enjoy the sunshine out there too!

Before and after..

I like the modern furniture and clean vibe of their home. This space was previously part of the driveway!

One benefit of having a front patio is the ability to relax, and if you have kids you keep an eye out while children play. Another is grabbing a bit of sun or fresh air. For us, it’s our cooler months patio as the backyard is darker in winter, but the front porch is an enjoyable place to savor a book and a cup of tea to just warm up on a cold day.

What I love very much about these front spaces is the ability to connect more fully with your community. Thanks to the patio, we know our neighbors even better since this pandemic began.

The other benefit- using the property you own! How crazy is it that some of us sit in a small house, and have a spacious front yard that sits looking like country club and filled with fertilizers to keep it like a carpet, and is going unused? Why not use the space? If you can get rid of the grass, even better. My neighbors all kept some grass for their small ones to play. You can have both if you want to.

You don’t need a house to do this. Even just placing a chair or bistro set in the front of your patio, in a condo or apartment looks inviting and you’ll be tempted to take a break out there and get social.

When I was last in Europe, this is a big thing, a ritual each evening I noticed. Rome was one place that people dragged chairs out to each doorstep and each night enjoyed a bit of conviviality with neighbors and passer bys. They say people who live in cultures where they socialize daily live the longest. Just love this article about Italians.

Here are other inspiring front spaces that have been transformed..

My talented friend Annie, creator of the blog, Most Lovely Things has always done inviting front porches and her new home in Connecticut is no exception. It’s a beautiful home just four houses from the beach, and Annie created a space to hang and also connect with the neighborhood. Annie says, ” People are always out on their porches and neighbors know each other and help each other. I feel like it builds community.” Annie lives on Long Island Sound and her front porch is a lounging space, but she has also used it for dining with friends on colder days. I love how Annie made this feel cozy and inviting.

Annie even set a table out here on a day there was a chance of rain last fall. It is always so much more fun eating outdoors…

Sometimes it’s easy as adding a chair to front to give your home more curb appeal- and a reminder to use the area! This Home of actress Minnie Driver’s in Elle Decor is made so inviting by these chairs…

This home on Houzz, Brandon Pass architect, has the roof extended with a pergola and a whole living area built.

This contemporary home in Orlando has a ready to socialize vibe..

This front patio below, is so simple, just slightly elevated and surrounded by plants and lawn from Newport Beach based, Black Band Design.

I also love this patio added to the update of a 1969 ranch home in Denver.

This Orange County home was updated and given a space with a simple roof extension.

When searching for front patio spaces, I found the inspiring account of the talented Kelly Vandenberg on Instagram and love her whole house! The front patio is especially lovely..I love how inviting this looks in an entry area.

I hope this has been helpful and a little inspiration if you are planning to remodel..or just use the front spaces of your home more!

Kim

The landscape on my house by The Garden Group and design by Carla Olivet.

Here’s a few items for the front patio I love..

Photos NorthernCalStyle, unless linked to another source.

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Today I’m joining eight other bloggers and sharing my outdoor space with you. In the past few months, I’ve felt very fortunate to have it as it has become an extension of the house during the pandemic with both adult boys home and my husband working here also!

In the evenings, it’s been great to get outside after being in and working all day. We really use the extra space to for all of us to spread out right now. With four adults in one house, we need it. I’ve tried to create a few cozy spots so there is always a place to hang out and work, do a call, or just chill out here.

If you have visited here before, you know we just remodeled our 1965 home after being here for ten years. When we remodeled, I wanted to extend the living space with fold away doors to the back and French doors and a patio in front. These things have made the house more spacious though we didn’t really add any square feet. Our yard is tight with a pool that wraps around the yard and a funky lap lane… And a LOT of brick. Replacing it would be a small fortune so we’ve chosen to love it and its old school look. I like it with the new white stucco of the house even more now.

The yard is divided with an Ipe deck in the center that feels like it floats above the pool. It’s tight though and our main door to the yard was previously through the dining room, not ideal. We changed how the house flowed so we could see the pool and instead come out to the deck from the living room via a folding door. We now see the yard in a way that makes it seem much more expansive and makes the house feel larger too.

The yard once was surrounded by a wall of green – A new owner on the left took the hedge down and the fence needed replacing in the upper yard, so it all was taken out right before the remodel two years ago along with all the mature plants. We started fresh almost, so I am waiting for both fences to be someday again be covered by vines, creeping fig and citrus, but it’s slow going and looks so bare to me right now.

The set above is the Pacifica Serena & Lily couch and chairs in driftwood color. We always knew we wanted a sofa out here and we are very happy with this with the two chairs. It’s an easy brush off Sunbrella fabric and the woven white driftwood color surprisingly doesn’t show dirt. I do like to cover it when we are getting a lot of wind and fall leaves though.

Our round table is from my neighbor Graces’s estate sale. It’s an indoor marble table and so I cover it during rainy days, but it has been perfect out here with this set! We can do a whole lot of appetizers on this baby.

I recently changed all the cushions to black and white to keep things consistent with the house. The two with graphic leave motif pillows are from my January Hawaii trip to the Big Island and one of my favorite shops, SoHa Living.

Below is my rickety teak table I’ve had way too long. It is due to be replaced, but I found these white metal chairs last year and they kind of pulled the yard together, so we are making it work. I will sometimes use a tablecloth or runner to dress it up a bit when we dine out here.

Once we moved in, we removed all the old terra-cotta and colored pots and added these resin/ceramic ones with boxwood. Here in a photo from my Instagram stories..

I have this old bar stand I turned into my herb garden/potting table. I’m hoping to move this to the side yard when I get the French teak console table of my dreams from RH someday…

Our vegetable garden that I wrote about in this post is going great! My oldest son Jackson does most of the work on it with my dad. They are garden nerds. I’m so excited we just got our first heirloom tomato! This year we have tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers and cantaloupe. We are so fortunate that my dad starts all the tomatoes himself by seed, and they are really good.

Our front is another outdoor space we use so much now that we remodeled and added a patio. I always wanted an area that we could hang out in front, chat with neighbors and enjoy the sunset view. This is another thing that has made our home feel so much bigger. The wall serves as extra seating and I still may order some bigger chairs, but for now it’s enough to eat lunch out here and hang with the cat during the winter months. With the western exposure, the front patio is a bit warm to use during the summer except at sunset and in evenings, but it’s super in the winter as it stays protected and warm. We love having coffee out here in winter and wine at night with friends in summer. If we open the French doors, the patio serves as a great spot for guests to grab some air and more seating when entertaining inside. (Will that will ever happen again?!!)

Last winter having my coffee with the cat..

Now we’ve placed pillows on the wall like a Greek hotel LOL.

We did native plants and decomposed granite in this front landscape. I used French Provencal gardens as my inspiration. I especially love the two non-fruiting olive trees and the agaves. Right now it’s busy with all the lavenders blooming we have butterflies, bees and birds all day. It’s very low maintenance, organic and pesticide free. All I have to do is occasionally weed so we don’t miss our old grass at all. It’s becoming more and more filled in as the bushes spread out and take up space.

I hope this wasn’t too rambling, but I did want to share how we made our smallish home feel a lot bigger by creating indoor/outdoor spots.

Here’s a few links to get the same look if you are interested:

I love these Quinn Stoneware pots at Pottery Barn. Right now they are living up to their name with a great assortment of modern and simple pots for inside and outside.

This black outdoor pillow from Target is my style. I think it’s hard to find outdoor pillows in black and white so I grab them when I find them.

The Target collab with Joanna Gaines is so good now in terms of quality and design! This pretty stripe throw is a great price at $29 and I don’t mind it being outside at that price. I like to have a big basket of throws for cool evenings. ( The table runner on my outdoor teak table is oversized and also well made thick linen from them!)

I don’t do melamine and instead prefer to use my everyday when entertaining outside. Theses stoneware plates are strong enough to hold up to outdoor use and dishwashing by young men too.

A few years ago I replaced my motley group of umbrellas with three Ballard Design Auto-Tilt Sunbrella 11 foot umbrellas with black poles in the black/sand combo. I also bought the 50 pound extra weight to prevent them from falling over in storms. It’s been three years and they are still looking like new and working great. Excellent quality.

I also need to order an outdoor rug for the deck and I love the Seaview Rug from Serena & Lily. I already have it in my kitchen and it’s indestructible. The new rose color would be pretty out here.

Now please go enjoy all these amazing women and their versions of outdoor living. I am excited as I always learn so much from everyone’s blogs and ideas..
ROUGH LUXE
CLASSIC CASUAL HOME
MOST LOVELY THINGS
EDB DESIGNS
KELLEY & CO HOME
MODERN GLAM
SHABBYFUFU

Also joining us in this collaboration is the talented Brooke Giannetti! She is author of the beautiful Patina Farm series of books about the oasis she and her husband Steve have created in Ojai, one of the most beautiful towns in California. Their home is so lovely and inspiring the way in brings the outdoors in!