Venice Backyard Patio

ATLA reader Justine of Venice sent us a six pack of photos of her lovely backyard garden for ATLA's Outdoor Home Month, which she converted from a drab driveway into a lush and stylish backyard getaway, complete with elevated deck built by her handy and helpful father. Looks like a an ideal private hideaway for stylish cocktail and al fresco dinner parties, doesn't it? More photos and details about Justine's backyard under the cut.

Venice Backyard Patio and Deck

Venice Garden

"For the garden itself, I did a bunch of research (luckily I live in an area with great garden tours each year, and home to many landscape designers including Jay Griffith) and hired a landscape designer to help me achieve my goal. I wanted to divide the back yard into rooms. I have an arbor that covers a built in bench and a large table that my father built. For the table, I bought a mosaic coffee table top off eBay and then my Dad surrounded that with slate. The chairs are IKEA. We created a pattern in the concrete by adding aggregate to vertical bands. I have a gas fire pit that is great on cool nights - the chairs are vintage from Craigslist that I had restring."

Venice Backyard Fence

Venice Arbor

"Continuing back, there is a grass area for my dog that accents the existing tree. The lamps hanging in the tree were collected from flea markets over the years. There are two raised planters, and the one in the back by the fish pond extends into a bench. The pond has goldfish in it - good tip: goldfish can be bought on the cheap and in a large garden pond will grow to at least 8 inches long, much cheaper than koi! The butterfly chairs are also vintage - bought in Palm Springs. The covers are from Circa50.com."

Venice Garden