No. 7 Patios · Desert & Southwest
Concrete Slab Patio with Corten Fire Pit
Under bright daytime sunlight, large concrete slabs with turf joints frame a low round steel fire pit and two armchairs beside desert planting and a horizontal cedar fence along a modern house.
Design notes
Desert and Southwest design is shade, earth and sky. Look for stucco or adobe in earthy tones, flat roofs with deep overhangs, decomposed granite and gravel instead of lawn, and planting of agave, yucca, saguaro, ocotillo, palo verde and desert wildflowers. Corten steel, concrete and rammed earth handle the sun; ramadas, shade sails and pergolas make midday usable; and lighting stays low so the stars can compete.
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




