A Stucco Patio Is The Perfect Style For Those That Love Cottage And Mediterranean Aesthetics

Our backyard and patio areas give us access to the outdoors, and it's right at our fingertips. Design them right, and they become a serene retreat where we can soak up the sun, kick back with a book, or listen to wild bird song. While traditional landscaping and patio layouts have their place, they don't always embody that connection to the natural world many of us crave. However, with just a few intentional design elements, you can embrace the organic right in your backyard. Aesthetics like Mediterranean and cottagecore inherently honor nature; it's seamlessly woven into color palettes and material choices. Stucco patios are one such example.

Stucco is a plaster-like coating made from a combination of cement, sand, and lime. It's used both indoors and outdoors as a textured finish. Stucco comes in a range of muted earth tones and a diverse array of textures. The material has a unique, stone-like appearance that looks just as good on the exterior wall of a cottage as it does on a Mediterranean-style home. Of course, you can also apply stucco to a variety of surfaces in your backyard. As you start seeing more of this trendy natural material in homes and outside them, you'll want to incorporate it everywhere, including your nature-centric patio — think rustic outdoor fireplaces, grill stations, planter boxes, or dividing walls.

The sky is the limit when it comes to using stucco to elevate your patio space. Look to interior design publications and social media for inspiration. One example is the Architectural Digest-featured patio by Rebekah Zaveloff, Co-Founder and Creative Director at Imparfait Design Studio. The stunning outdoor kitchen features a stucco wall and fireplace. Stucco also looks fabulous when applied to a built-in bench, a stylish fire pit, or a wall with an arched gate leading to a carefully curated Mediterranean garden beyond.

If you're up to the task, DIY stucco can add texture to your home's outdoor spaces. You'll need to choose a sturdy base object first — ideally an existing structure like a wall. If you're hoping to add a new feature to your patio, build it first. Once you've decided what you want to apply stucco to, you can get started on the first layer of a three-coat system. You apply the initial scratch coat, followed by the brown coat and, lastly, the top coat. It's quite the process; if you don't feel comfortable DIYing it, reach out to a professional to help bring your vision to life.

To truly capture the wilderness vibes of the Mediterranean or cottage aesthetic, pair your stucco feature with complementary decorative accents. Painted brick and natural stone work well with this finish, as does décor made from organic materials, like rattan patio furniture, hanging baskets filled with draping plants, or brass-finished fixtures. While this material is considered relatively low-maintenance, upkeep of your stucco exterior is vital if you want it to stay looking good. Regularly scrub the surface and repair cracks immediately.