No. 57 Backyards · Mediterranean
Sunlit Pool Beside Covered Fireplace Pavilion
Terracotta tile paving and stone steps lead past a rectangular pool toward a white stucco Spanish Revival home featuring ground-floor arches and a covered timber pavilion that provides shade beside an outdoor fireplace.
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






