How a Designer's Touch Turned a Sad Backyard Into a Sexy Outdoor Paradise

Designer Dabito is the creative force behind Old Brand New, a multi-faceted design studio specializing in everything from interior design and art direction to branding and photography. Three years ago, the New Orleans designer decided to go back to his Los Angeles roots. He and his partner found a lovely LA home to call their own. But before they could truly settle in, something had to be done about the outdoor space.

“Our backyard was a mess,” says Dabito. “It had overgrown trees and weeds and there was an old rundown shed. All that brown mulch made it so drab, too.” The space wasn’t devoid of life, however even the plants had problems of their own. “There was this one large mimosa tree that produced tons of toxic seed pod droppings. It made a mess everywhere,” the designer recalls.

On the design side of the equation the work was much easier. As Dabito recalls it, the lounge area was the simplest part of the redesign. “The patio was probably the easiest,” he says, “because all we had to do was give it a fresh coat of white paint!” He clearly went a little farther than that, however, filling the space with sleek, modern furniture, colorful patterns and the perfect dose of California cool.

The road to perfection for this backyard was long and gradual. “We started with our covered patio when we first moved in because that was the easiest. Then we removed the shed. A year later we decided to add a better fence and redo the retaining wall which meant we had to remove all of the trees in our current succulent garden. After that was done, we decided to tidy up the yard and add pretty greenery in the back.”