Have a Seat (Wall): A Look at Built-in Patio Seating

Sometimes the best seat of all is the one made by Mother Nature herself. Or perhaps by the hands of those landscape & hardscape professionals who work ever-so-carefully to gently mold earth, stone, wood, and steel into the beauty that becomes the outdoor living spaces we flock to when the weather warms up. 

Very often, the most popular and most-used area of backyard outdoor spaces is the gathering area where we sit and talk with friends and family for hours, enjoying the beautiful summer weather. 

Patio seat walls won’t replace modular outdoor furniture

Seating everyone comes with a few challenges: namely, the hassle of moving furniture around. We move furniture to bring people closer; to make room for a walkway in a small space; to accommodate different sized groups; or to make room for an impromptu outdoor dance party.

Along with moving furniture around, there’s the issue of clutter, especially in a small space. The more comfortable the seating, the larger it often is. That’s not to say that movable furniture isn’t an option.

Everything from the handcrafted made-to-order beauties from the likes of Munder Skiles Garden Furniture, to the more commercially available offerings of Brown Jordan and Outer are sure to wow and impress. Show-stopping modular outdoor furniture options like those from Outer make for more flexible rearranging on the fly. And while there will always be a need for some of these essential furnishings, the rapidly growing trend of built-in outdoor seating has made its way to the outdoor living hot list.

Why are seat walls hitting the outdoor living hot lists?

Seat walls, natural boulder placements, bolt-on options, and inset seat benches are all viable and stylish ways to introduce permanent seating into the modern outdoor living space. And while the concept of built-in seating is certainly not a new one — features like seat walls have been popular for many years now — the popularity and demand has increased as of late.

So what is causing the patio seat wall to find its way into the designs of so many landscape designs in the U.S.?  

Space-saving goodness

For one, patio seat walls and built-in benches can be a great solution for adding additional seating to areas that are limited on space. These seating choices can mean the difference of being able to fit a large lifestyle feature such as an outdoor kitchen or a fire pit in a small outdoor living space, or having to contend with tiny features when larger ones would better suit your needs. Locating built-in seating along the perimeter makes even the most petite patios feel more spacious.

Maintenance-free patio seating

Built-in seating also aligns well with the continued growing demand for design solutions with limited or no maintenance. Outdoor living spaces have to be ready for winter weather in many areas of the country. Snow, ice, and temperatures that dive down into the single digits will affect outdoor living furniture, much of which will need to be covered or moved indoors to protect them from the ravages of winter. Built-in seating made from concrete, stone, and Brazilian hardwoods like Ipe do away with the annual “patio furniture migration.”  

Location, height, and hardscape materials: Things to consider when designing your patio seat wall

In many situations, a retaining wall that is necessary for structural support of a hillside can be modified slightly to provide a large amount of extra seating: either by adding a generous capstone on top of a seat-height wall, or masonry or wood seating that is built directly into the face of the wall. And for those that like to entertain but have a small space to do it in, those extra seats mean more happy guests and more time outdoors. 

LOCATION:

When you’re thinking about the perfect location for a patio seat wall, consider practical needs like how many people are likely to need a place to sit (outside of your regular patio furniture capacity). Then, think about how to orient seating around a view or around sitting where cold winds don’t ruin the experience. 

HEIGHT:

The height of your masonry features can have a great impact on the feeling of the space. For instance, a seat wall next to a fire feature can protect everyone from biting winds and make the space feel much cozier if it has a high back. A lower seat wall around a garden can make the space feel more open and spacious.

MATERIALS:

Be sure to choose your materials carefully. You want your vertical features to harmonize with the horizontal features. Whichever material you are considering, be sure to see samples in both wet and dry conditions, and in various lighting conditions. You’d be surprised at how dramatically rain can deepen certain colors. Sometimes, a stone that works with a design when it’s dry, can look completely wrong for the space when it’s wet. 

Unilock Estate Wall: Photo Courtesy of Unilock

We can recommend one incredible product from a leader in the paver industry. The Estate Wall retaining wall and base unit from Unilock is an elegant, yet simple way to dramatically improve your seating area. These gorgeous precast wall units come in four colors, ensuring that there are options for every design scheme: Granite, Sierra, Sandstone, and River. Using this Unilock product in other areas of your landscape will also create design continuity that is anchored by masonry. Your entire outdoor living space will feel far more complete.

For a modern touch in your seating space, we recommend the outstanding Raffinato Smooth from Techo-Bloc. This gorgeous Italian-inspired precast design is smooth to the touch and sleek in its appearance. It’s perfect for any open modern space, especially as part of a spacious patio or gathering area. You can, of course, utilize this incredible stone block all over the vertical masonry in your landscape for a unified look.

Warm-up your outdoor living spaces with function and style

Perhaps the best part of these built-in seating options is that there’s no need to sacrifice style. You can still have a couple of key furniture pieces such as modular sectionals and chaise lounges by the pool, but you’ll never have to scrounge around for folding chairs or clutter the space when you’re hosting a party. 

For added style, be sure to finish off your seat walls and boulder chairs with colorful outdoor pillows—there’s nothing quite like fabric to add visual warmth and comfort to hard, cold masonry surfaces. With a little cushioning, a masonry surface can be a surprisingly comfortable spot where you can curl up with a book and enjoy a connection to nature. 

As a bonus, you can incorporate built-in landscape lighting fixtures into any masonry seating arrangement. Wood benches can house storage under the seats where you can keep a few cozy blankets, pillows, candles, and outdoor décor. 

Originally Published on August 26, 2016. Updated on June 24, 2022.