outdoor spaces
A pool pavilion designed by architect Kevin ten Brinke is the focal point of this new backyard entertaining area in Weston, Massachusetts. Interior designer Rachel Reider furnished the space with a sofa and coffee table from Sutherland, pillows upholstered in a Perennials fabric, and a rug from Landry & Arcari Rugs and Carpeting.
The pool and spa area features a mix of granite, bluestone, and ipe decking. In addition to chaise longues sitting in the pool itself, RH chaise longues line the far end of the pool terrace; the umbrellas are from Tuuci. BELOW: The pavilion can even be enjoyed in cooler weather, thanks to the granite fireplace and the infrared heating that’s embedded in the ceiling beams.
Delightful views from the back terrace include a square sculpture garden that was cleverly installed just off the Shingle-style house designed by Shope Reno Wharton. Planted with purple hardy geraniums and Japanese Stewartia trees that bloom all summer long, it features a playful royal-blue-glazed ceramic apple sculpture by Lisa Pappon.
The in-demand vegetable garden yields a bounty of produce for the family, from spring lettuces to autumn squashes.
Architect Zac Culbreth says the work of Japanese architect Kengo Kuma inspired his design of the pergola. The design team called it “cedarhenge” because of the weighty twelve-inch-square cedar posts that hold up the lattice roof. A shallow swim-in area helps create the sense that the pergola is floating on the water.
The swimming pool feels like a paradise, surrounded as it is by a riot of colorful and often fragrant perennials that drape, climb, and flow among the split-rail fencing and stone walls that border the area. Mature trees brought to the once-bare property offer shade, while at the pool’s far end, native grasses wave in the breeze and offer textural interest in every season.
Architect Brad Walker’s contemporary addition ushers the classic midcentury ranch house into the twenty-first century. The landscape plan by Matthew Cunningham and Jen Stephens creates a similar bridge between eras by combining clean, linear stone elements with lushly textured masses of native shrubs, groundcovers, and perennials
Since this newly built 5,000-square-foot shingled home sits on the foundation of the previous house, Haynes inherited the existing half-step strategy. “The goal was to reference the traditional Vermont vernacular while integrating more contemporary details, such as steel windows,” notes the architect.
The home boasts two grilling areas, one on the patio and a second at the pool house, where a New England Fieldstone fireplace provides warmth after the sun sets.
In the living room, a daybed beckons would-be nappers to take in ocean air thanks to gigantic barn doors that required extra structural supports. “There are portals to the outdoors everywhere, making it easy to commune with nature,” designer Courtney Taylor says. The house and patio overlook the red-roofed, 1930s-era Coast Guard Station.
The structures and plantings in this Westport landscape mimic the flow of the tidal creek it borders while protecting the lawn from erosion and the creek from runoff. The design, by Sandy Hook landscape architect Tara Vincenta, won a 2020 honor award from the Connecticut Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Working with existing changes in grade, the pool sits higher than the landscape beyond, providing an elevated view of the harbor; local granite coping and ipe decking create the pool’s quiet palette, which is offset by the property’s most colorful gardens, filled with catmint, ferns, viburnum, and lowbush blueberry.
This picnic table, which is set upon the foundation of an old outbuilding at the edge of the owner’s apple orchard, seats eight comfortably and offers drop-dead views of the Taconic Mountains. It is decorated with fresh-cut dahlias from the home’s vibrant gardens. The ANICHINI cashmere blanket on the bench keeps picnickers warm during cool evenings.
A raised terrace and infinity pool extend into the backyard, which abuts a saltwater pond with views of the bay beyond. Connecting landscaping and hardscaping with the architecture was an important element of the design for Polhemus Savery DaSilva, the firm responsible for the architecture, landscape architecture, and construction of the house.
The generous deck wraps around the living room, increasing the home’s livable space. Interior designer Audrey Sterk elevates the outdoor area’s allure—as she has the whole house—with comfortable pieces that correlate with easy living and relaxation. The adjacent guest house/studio mimics the home’s design and provides bonus overnight accommodations.
You must be logged in to post a comment.