A Space For All Seasons

This Seattle courtyard is the perfect example of how to create a multifunctional patio-no matter the size of your outdoor space.

- DEANNA KIZIS

IF you ask landscape designer Scot Eckley to point to his best work, the small garden courtyard with outdoor living space that he created for one Seattle couple is it.

"This is a little garden where every decision counts," says Eckley, noting he's so proud of it he brings new employees to check it out. "It's a garden where we have multifunctional spaces, and no detail wasn't considered. It's just really thoughtful and cohesive."

The clients, Yann and Angie Christensen, a software architect and a crime-victim advocate, respectively, wanted Eckley to make the most of their small entry space of 507 square feet. On their list: screen the front patio off from the busy street, create a new entryway for the house itself, add an outdoor living room with a fire pit, and include a "spa deck" for Yann where he could bring his laptop and work during the day.

As a result, this garden is like a Bento box in which each piece fits together just so. Meanwhile, Eckley's attention to the smallest details from the garden views while seated at the fire pit to screening the front door without enclosing it can be seen throughout.

One thing this garden is not, however, is "pretty" in a conventional way. Contrasting tones are used in both the hardscape and the plantings, and brutalist materials like concrete and steel give the space an edge (albeit one softened with textural plants like Mahonia 'Soft Caress' and Fatsia japonica).