Colonial Courtyard Patio with Tiered Fountain
Beside a brick house with black shutters, this colonial courtyard features a small patio with a metal bistro set, tiered stone fountain, clipped boxwood hedges, and a herringbone brick pathway.
Design notes
Colonial design is symmetry and restraint. Look for a central axis from the back door, matched beds and hedges either side, bluestone or brick terraces with tight joints, and white or black picket and post-and-rail fences. Planting is disciplined — boxwood, hydrangea, holly, dogwood and shade trees — and furniture is classic: teak benches, Windsor chairs, a market umbrella. Georgian brick, clapboard and shingle houses all suit it.
What to look for
- The paving material and how its joints are handled
- Whether the furniture footprint fits with room to move
- Shade at 4 pm, not just at noon







