PATINA PRINCIPLES - DESIGNING OUTDOOR SPACES
- Mar 20, 2025
- 3 min read
When we built Patina Home & Garden, our love of nature and beauty served as the foundation. Throughout our careers, these tenets have been our guiding lights, and our reverence for them has catalyzed every decision.
Though most of those choices are made within the confines of the home in my role as an interior designer and Steve's role as an architect, these two principles come together seamlessly outside its confines as we create outdoor spaces that showcase the majesty of both.
CREATING OUTDOOR ROOMS
In our view, outdoor spaces can be thought of in a similar way to their indoor counterparts: structured rooms that are beautiful, useful, and unique.
To create these individual zones, we begin as we would inside, by building up the walls. To define where each space begins and ends, we rely on tall trees, hedges, or even shutters, trellises, and antique doors.
We’ve found this to be a wonderful way to make the job of garden design a bit less overwhelming, as it breaks up the vastness of the outdoors into smaller sections that are easier to manage.
ADD FORMAL & INFORMAL STRUCTURE
Once the walls are up, our attention turns to the larger elements that will add structure to our now-established room. Think of these as you would large pieces of furniture in a room. They will ground the space and define its purpose. First, add your more formal structures: gravel walkways, raised beds, stone walls, low boxwood hedging, fountains — anything that will be planned and set into place only once.
We want our outdoor spaces to showcase a collaboration between humans and nature, where each contributor has its place to shine. Once we’ve set the structure, it’s time for the wildness of the gardens to shine. Place plants in weathered pots and scatter them throughout the space. Rely on flowers and foliage with a loose and informal feel. As you pick and choose, always come back to how you wish to use this space.
If you have young children who want to grow up immersed in the magic of nature, align your picks with those of pollinators so you can watch butterflies and bees dance on their blooms.
PATINA PLANTS
The world of plants can be overwhelming. There are so many different varieties, running the full spectrum of colors and forms, that selecting just a few can feel like a monumental task.
When we design our gardens, we narrow down this selection, opting to choose two or three subtle shades of pink, purple, green, and white to stand out against abundant green, as we find this is the best way to encourage the serenity we seek.
In order to create a visually interesting space, we must look beyond just palette and create dimension with selections of varying heights. Jasmine and roses reach toward the towering canopy of a sycamore tree from a base of miniature boxwood hedges.
Adding in these differing measurements, with their varying texture, draws us in, or rather out into the garden.
FURNISHING OUTDOOR SPACES
As is true with indoor rooms, when designing outside, we must always keep in mind the use of the space and how we would like to interact with it. Is this a place you wish to share with guests, or a personal oasis to escape to? Do you want to live in it or look at it? Choices such as these will inform how you choose to furnish this area.
No matter what pieces you select, ensure that they are crafted from materials that can withstand the elements. We opt for wicker, teak, iron, metal, and stone, which all patina beautifully outside. With these materials serving as a backdrop, add pillows and linens crafted from outdoor fabrics to add comfort and elevate the space.
Outside, I like to complement nature’s decor of flowers with unexpected human touches, such as vintage birdcages overflowing with pots or paintings hung under the cover of a porch. These untraditional elements further the connection between the indoors and the outdoors.
As we move into spring, and we are called to spend more of our days under the ever-growing light of the sun, I hope this inspired you to create a space that immerses you in the beauty that nature has to offer.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them in the comments! If you wish to see more of our Patina Principles, you can find them in our first book, Patina Style, and see them in action in our most recent work in Patina Homes & Gardens.
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Brooke
Thank you for sharing your design talents and beautiful photos ❤️ My question: I have many flower beds and gardens across our 3+ acres heritage property, but I spend most of my time trying to keep up with removing weeds and not enough time just enjoying being in my garden. I’ve been trying the ‘naturalizing’ approach and do not want to use herbicides…how do you keep ahead of yours? any tips you can share? Thank you!
Brooke, you have the inspiration of Monet in your Patina Designs. Beautiful, captivating and awe inspiring. Thank you :)
Thanks for sharing the peace and beauty of your new surroundings...They just keep getting more filled in and beautiful every year... I really want to come see the meadow!!!
I so love your work - especially the outdoor spaces which feel totally tranquil and magical. I've used pea gravel in the past but man, it is tough to keep weed-free! We tried using small white rocks here in MA and I think it might even have been worse. Its pea gravel for me, but only in my dreams, alas! Just beautiful spaces. Thanks.
What type of gravel do you use on your paths and under tables? I always worry about it getting stuck on the bottom of shoes and then tracked in and scratching floors!