Urban Rustic Front Entrance & Backyard Retreat
This Urban Rustic landscape project transformed an outdated front entrance into a seamless backyard retreat that perfectly complements the home’s architecture. As leading landscape designers and contractors in Ontario, we combined interlocking stone pavers, custom timber accents, and a low-maintenance plant palette to craft an inviting outdoor living environment.
Architectural Elements and Materials
The front entrance walkway features Belgard interlocking pavers laid in an offset pattern, creating visual continuity from the street to the home’s façade. Custom precast concrete retaining walls manage elevation changes, while heavy-timber planter walls double as seating ledges.
A cedar pergola frames the backyard patio, offering both structure and shade. Integrated LED uplighting along the timber beams highlights the modern-rustic aesthetic and extends usability into the evening hours.
Outdoor Living & Fire Features
In the backyard, a custom gas fire pit is surrounded by stone seating walls, perfect for family gatherings on cool evenings. The linear seating doubles as planters for ornamental grasses and perennials, adding year-round texture and color.
Native plantings—including ferns, drought-tolerant shrubs, and ornamental grasses—guide visitors through the space and reduce long-term maintenance. Each species was chosen to reinforce the Urban Rustic design while thriving in Ontario’s climate.
Project Challenges & Solutions
Balancing budget with high-end design was our biggest challenge. We addressed this by phasing the installation—completing hardscapes first and layering in plantings later—so the client could enjoy functional outdoor spaces immediately and expand planting over time.
By repurposing on-site timber and existing boulders, we reduced material costs and minimized waste while preserving the property’s natural character. This sustainable approach delivered a cohesive, high-impact design within budget.
The main intent of this project was to create a new front entrance and a backyard retreat. They wanted the landscape to flow with the existing architecture and stone work of their house. In the front they wanted the space to feel open and welcoming as you approach from the driveway. The covered front porch is a dominating architectural feature and they needed a large entrance to balance with the house. The interlock stone walkway runs from the main entrance through the driveway to direct the flow of traffic as you enter the property. The colour selection of pavers was important as they wanted all the tones to tie together and blend with the house. In the backyard the main goal was to achieve an aesthetically pleasing and functional space to accommodate the multiple level of entrance points on the house and the existing sloped backyard. A large deck was built to house the bbq and lead you from the kitchen out into the backyard. The deck also doubled as a large covered storage area with a custom-built barn door. From the deck you find your self at a raised patio that is being retained by custom timber and interlock feature walls/ planters. Gardens were used to soften the edges of the patios. Nightly entertainment was a huge focus for them as they wanted to extend the use of their spacing into the evenings, so an ample amount of lighting was installed to achieve this.Not satisfied stuck indoors, the Russel residence wanted to capitalize on the beauty of their home and property to create an enticing and entertaining space for friends and family. Beginning at the front entrance and seamlessly flowing to the rear yard, design style and materials were utilized chosen to create a dynamic sense of transition. Beginning at the front yard, there was a strong desire to create welcoming approach from the driveway. The existing covered porch was a dominating architectural feature and required a sufficiently large entrance to balance the house with the surrounding space. The blending of interlock stone from the driveway to the front steps creates a sense of continuity while the offset orientation intuits a sense of flow directing foot traffic towards the front door. Careful selection of paver color and texture was made to ensure the landscape materials palette complimented that of the house.The use of backyard space transitions towards entertaining and primary design elements focused on creating an aesthetically pleasing space sensitive to functional integration with the house. A large deck built off the kitchen door to incorporates the BBQ and bistro set, while the under-deck area doubles as a storage shed complete with custom-built barn door. Descending from the deck, a raised patio landing features a large dining area set under a soft-lit open-air pergola for nightly entertaining. The use of interlocking pavers and custom timber create feature walls and planters, inside of which garden beds and vegetation help soften edges and settle the constructed elements into the surrounding landscape.
