Showing posts with label outdoor living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label outdoor living. Show all posts

5/01/2013

Architectural Admiration

Today I want to share a few shots of a fantastic home designed by architect Heather A. Wilson. It was a new build and it has a great flow, a killer outdoor setup, and lots of special elements that make it a notable home. Among my favorite spaces are the outdoor bathroom and the wine room (which isn't of the cheesy builder sort that are in so many McMansions these days). The style is clean and spartan and a tad industrial, however, it still seems cozy and very livable. Have a look at Ms. Wilson's handiwork...

I love the boarded walls and the expanse of windows and doors...
Photo via Heather A. Wilson, Architect


The kitchen cabinetry is quite modern...
Photo via Heather A. Wilson, Architect

Pitched ceilings in the breakfast area are boarded as well...
Photo via Heather A. Wilson, Architect

Here is the fabuloso wine room I referred to earlier...
Photo via Heather A. Wilson, Architect
And onto the lovely back patio + pool. The deck material looks like Limestone and I am pretty obsessed with it.

Photo via Heather A. Wilson, Architect

Here's a shot of what the outdoor bathroom looks like from the exterior...
Photo via Heather A. Wilson, Architect

I'm so jealous of this!!
Photo via Heather A. Wilson, Architect

Photo via Heather A. Wilson, Architect

This covered outdoor living area is connected to a kitchen, which you can see on Heather's site. For now, let's talk about how cool that porch bed/swing is...
Photo via Heather A. Wilson, Architect
And finally, here is a shot of the front exterior...
Photo via Heather A. Wilson, Architect

Pretty great house, huh? The layout seems to be very smart and the finishes are wonderfully straightforward and perfect for the style of house. You need to click over to see the rest of the photos on Heather's site. You'll get a better sense of the flow and layout.

9/12/2012

Pool and Patio Update

As far as our house goes, this has been an eventful year. It was about twelve months ago that my husband and I found out that the pool was cracked beyond repair. We ended up tearing out the old pool and putting in a new one. Pool construction wrapped up in March and then we started on the bathroom remodel after that...and throughout it all, our backyard has been a total mess. Little by little, my husband and I have been trying to put the pieces back together so that we can once again enjoy our outdoor space.

We are finally close to the finish line and I can now give you a glimpse of some of the changes that have been made. For starters, here are a couple of shots of the new pool and patio...




To give you some perspective of the drastic change, here's a pic of the old pool with its tired aggregate deck and odd shape...

And one of the demo process to show the carnage that occurred last fall/winter...

And back to the present! The new pool has Lueders limestone coping, a concrete pool deck with a light acid wash, onyx quartz plaster, and the waterline tile is Noble Cobblestones 1" in the Ocean color.

When designing the new pool, I kept the shape a simple rectangle and only added a hot tub and one "water feature." The feature is a gas firepit that doubles as a waterfall. I'm excited that the weather is getting cooler so that we can sit by the fire out here...

And here's the inset hot tub...which is WAY bigger and better than our old one...

And along with the new pool, we have some snazzy new outdoor furniture, thanks to my uber generous parents. They gave my hubs and I this as a joint birthday gift and we couldn't be more appreciative. It seriously completes the look! Ignore the umbrella though - I haven't gotten that element taken care of yet :)


I chose to have a custom iron set made by a local shop. It was in the same price range as Brown-Jordan or Restoration Hardware, but the lead time was better and I could get the exact design that I wanted. I ordered a huge daybed, a sofa, chaise lounges, dining chairs, and a table base. The table base was part of the set I designed and then I just had a piece of Carrara cut for the top (and like I said before, the old umbrella needs to be replaced so disregard the ugly pole).

Since the table frame is hard to see in the photos, here is one of the drawings I gave to the fabricator...



I had the cushions made locally by Chair Care Patio (LOVE them) using Sunbrella fabrics. For the color scheme, I picked a minty aqua with ivory contrast cording. And to spice things up, I plan to use the below Trina Turk outdoor fabric for some pillows and maybe some placemats. I adore the print and the punch color is fab with the mint/aqua. I'll keep you posted on those finishing touches!


The pool and the furniture are definitely the highlights of our new and improved outdoor space, but the landscaping plays a big part in the new look too, so I'll chat more about that tomorrow. And yes, I'll be back to daily blogging now that my summer hiatus is officially over. I have lots to talk about after being quiet for all of these months so stay tuned!
 Jazzy says hi :)