How to build a circular patio
There's something inherently comforting about a circle. Put yourself in the center of a circular patio, for instance, and its gentle curves seem to embrace you. A circle is the ideal form for a satellite deck or patio where you can relax over morning coffee, dine at dusk, or linger next to a firepit at night. Circular patios can easily fit into gardens of any style, and they can be constructed of various materials. (For do-it-yourselfers, a circle is also the easiest shape to draw accurately. Follow our step-by-step instructions to build an elegant slate patio.)
More ideas • Instant patio • Cozy, curvy patio • Build your dream backyard • 3 elements of a great path • Dinner in the garden • Landscaping with gravel 1. DESERT TERRACEA circular patio of tinted concrete aggregate is edged with rose flagstone. The naturalistic spa backing, tough plantings, and the paving's rosy tones visually connect the patio to the surrounding desert.
Info: Mary Rose Duffield, Duffield Ratliff Landscape Design, Tucson, AZ (520/577-1241); Rosalee Gage, formerly of Santa Rita Landscaping, Tucson, AZ (520/623-0421)
Suspended over a koi pond, a circular redwood deck in Gardnerville, NV, is both a viewing platform and shade structure for fish. The nine piers of steel-reinforced concrete that support it were poured in place as an integral part of the pond bottom, as were the steps that appear to float across the water's surface. Both the steps and piers were finished below the waterline with rough-textured black plaster.
Info: James Rowley, Naturally Beautiful Gardens, Minden, NV (775/267-5234)
3. COBBLES AND ROCKRectangular chunks of tumbled Connecticut bluestone, set on a bed of decomposed granite and sand, form a 12-foot-diameter dining patio in a wooded Berkeley backyard.
Info: Vanessa Kuemmerle, Vee Horticulture, Berkeley, CA (510/653-7667); BlueJay Feldman, Blue Ridge Landscape Co., Orinda, CA (925/258-9233)
4. RECYCLED MATERIALSLarge and small aluminum letters, set between irregular chunks of black slate, gives this 8-foot-wide patio in Alameda, California, contemporary flavor.
Info: Shirley Alexandra Watts, Alameda, CA (510/521-5223)
5. SQUARES AND ROUNDSColored stones, surrounded by pavers of stained concrete, create the illusion of a stream bubbling through the center of this 12-foot patio in Berkeley.
Info: Keeyla Meadows, Keeyla Meadows Gardens & Art, Albany, CA (510/559-1026)
