No. 45 Backyards · Mediterranean
Built-In Stucco Bench Beside Fire Pit
In this small backyard, a Mediterranean Spanish Revival home with white stucco walls, terracotta roof tiles, and rounded arches features a stone patio with a round fire pit and built-in bench.
Design notes
Mediterranean design is about shade and thick walls. Look for stucco in warm neutrals, terracotta or travertine underfoot, arches and loggias that throw deep shadow, and gravel courtyards rather than lawn. Water is small and central — a fountain, a rill, a tiled spa — and planting is drought-tolerant: olives, cypress, lavender, rosemary and bougainvillea. Wrought iron, blue-and-white tile and a long table under vines finish the picture.
What to look for
- How the space is zoned — dining, lounging, lawn, planting
- Sightlines from the back door to the furthest feature
- Layers of privacy: canopy, screening, structure





