Adding Boxwoods On Corner Of Our Patio?

In the latest Garden Design email that went out last week, I saw a photo of a patio that was beautiful.  But, also gave me a little bit of wondering as to what we can do with our current patio.  Oh, you're not getting the Garden Design email?  Head here and subscribe.  It is free and - for me - is the email newsletter that I read and click on everytime it arrives.  No skimming for me.

In the newsletter, she linked to this story about outdoor living space and included this photo of someone's dreamy patio that faces what look the marshland that borders the Cloister at Sea Island. 

Here's that photo with a couple of MY red circles calling attention to something:

Not my photo.  Original source can be found here.

In those two red rings, I've highlighted some patio-border shrubbery.  What I think are probably boxwoods or yews or something similar.  The oval on the right snows a patio corner installation that I want to focus on here.  Now...that looks like something of a 'plunge pool' there on the patio, so the (let's just call them) boxwoods serve as a little bit of a privacy hedge adjacent to the pool.  And...guess what?  We don't have a plunge pool. 

But, they also provide some structure that corner of the patio.  They provide a signal as to where one can/should walk on/off the patio. 

Right now, our patio is just a slab of pavers that is flat on all sides and has no barriers on the three outside-facing-sides.  (The fourth side faces the house.)

Here's one of the outside corners of our patio below.  Pay no attention to the grass that is creeping/encroaching on the patio...I haven't done a full clean-up yet. 

 
Imagine that corner with three or five small boxwoods.  One on the corner, two more flanked on either side.  Making a little bed there to provide some structure.  I am, however tired of boxwoods.  I planted Yews in the backyard instead of boxwoods already.  Wonder what other options/alternatives there might be to replace boxwoods?

Would it get trampled?  Maybe.  I can see one downside - in that the current patio has our table centered on it, so when you move *around* the patio, this is a natural spot to step off/into the grass on as you navigate from house to yard.  So, the kids naturally kind of go on this spot.  Would the shrubs change their behavior?  Or would they just get killed.

Perhaps there's a better/different spot/corner to use?

There I go again...with garden/yard/plant wanderlust.  Shame on me. This will have to wait for another year.  I can't help myself, I suppose.  But...I knew it was coming.  Stick to the plan, Jake.  Stick to the plan.