This young family loves having friends over and, after coming from Austin TX via Miami, knew they had to make the most of the Minneapolis summer months with time spent outside. Doug and Wendy hoped to build a patio and a grilling area that host quality and sophistication within a conservative budget. We're really proud that the vernacular we've developed over the years resounds with those objectives.

For this project, we designed a simple patio of two-foot by two-foot concrete squares, each outlined by crushed trap rock, for a classically modern platform to build upon. By adding custom permanent benches, we were able to give the space an individual, designed touch while staying true to the couple's budget goals. We installed a larger trap rock to furnish an opposing texture to the gravel in the patio, and created a bed around an existing ornamental tree that, when lit at night, becomes one of the site's major focal points.