Upper Arlington Courtyard & Gardens

Designed for homeowners who enjoy entertaining, this Upper Arlington landscape was organized as a series of outdoor rooms, each offering a different setting and experience.

A large main terrace serves as the heart of the landscape, providing generous space for larger gatherings. Courtyard walls help define the terrace and give the space a sense of enclosure, creating the feeling of an outdoor room rather than simply a patio behind the house.

From the main terrace, the landscape transitions to a smaller, more intimate lower terrace—a quieter destination for conversation and smaller gatherings. A covered dining terrace provides a protected setting for outdoor meals, while the adjacent outdoor kitchen allows cooking and entertaining to become a natural part of the experience.

Rather than concentrating every function into one large space, the design gives each area its own purpose while maintaining strong connections between them. Guests can move naturally from dining to gathering, cooking, or relaxing without ever leaving the larger composition.

The result is a landscape designed around the way people actually entertain—a collection of connected outdoor rooms that can feel equally comfortable for a quiet evening at home or a house full of guests.