A reflecting pond, home to Koi, acts as both entry foyer to the garden and a link between the house and garage.
Photo courtesy of Wesley Stout Associates

By Mark Haverstock

An outdoor room is not just a garden or a yard. It's like taking your living room or dining room outside — with a little added weatherproofing. Given the skyrocketing prices of land and the shrinking of lot sizes, backyards and gardens are now becoming premium living spaces.

Practical considerations are also driving the outdoor room trend. Fifty percent of Americans are spending more time at home than they were five years ago, according to a national consumer survey conducted by the Propane Education and Research Council (PERC). With increasing energy prices and greater attention toward conservation, outdoor spaces become more attractive. Rooms beyond a home's exterior walls don't need to be heated or cooled, except perhaps when they're being used. They also don't require expensive and time-consuming renovations.

According to John Shippy, principal of Geoscape in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., construction of these outdoor structures is at an all-time high in southern California. "All the new architecture that's being designed as far as custom homes and private residences — they're turning the inside out toward the landscape," he says. "There are interior courtyards, pavilions and casitas. We're building twice the number of structures we built just a few years ago."

Antique blend stone creates a functional outdoor living space.
Photo courtesy of Erin Bogan, McHale Landscape Design

Arlington, Va., Residence
When it comes to outdoor living spaces, McHale Landscape Design of Upper Marlboro, Md., does everything from design through building and after care. "Our firm has in-house masonry crews, construction crews, landscape crews, horticulturists and maintenance account managers that take care of maintaining our clients' properties," says Daniel Robey, registered landscape architect. "We make it easy for the client — a single source so they don't have to act as a general contractor."

One stellar example of McHale's work is an outdoor space added to a residence in Arlington, Va. The location features a spectacular view of the Potomac River and portions of Washington, D.C., including the Gothic-style National Cathedral. The majority of the stone used for the project is antique blend from western Maryland. "It's a different look when compared to the Pennsylvania fieldstone that is commonly used for veneer," Robey says. "This variety was chosen because it better matched the home's architecture and the trim." Carnation Rose flagstone, imported from India, was also incorporated into the project. "The two stones work nicely together again," he explains, "to complement the color scheme on the house."

This Arlington, Va., residence welcomes guests from the outside in.
Photo courtesy of Erin Bogan, McHale Landscape Design

Making a Plan More and more people think about taking their lifestyle outside, especially when spring comes. If you're thinking about how to create the right environment to transfer your life outdoors, consider this advice from Geoscape's John Shippy. Let your style lead the way in defining an outdoor room. Whether your taste is rustic with an old world charm, classic with sophisticated architectural accents or linear with a modern edge, odds are that it can be integrated into your outdoor environment. The more accessible your space is, the more you will use it. So put function first. If the area will be a central point in your outdoor lifestyle, consider built-in heating to accommodate weather changes. No other single element sets the mood as well as lighting. Recessed lighting, chandeliers, niche lighting and sconces — all controlled on dimmer switches — create the perfect ambient glow. To complement your outdoor life style, include music. Place the speakers out in the yard, directing the sound toward the house. Not only will this create a fuller sound, but it will also help keep peace with your neighbors. Install your television with easy visibility and minimal sun exposure to eliminate glare. Consider installing cabinetry to protect equipment.

Framed by a pergola, this outdoor space contains three areas that interact well together. A 10 x 12 foot space adjoins the outdoor fireplace, which includes a kitchen area with grill, soapstone sink and counter. The 12 x 14 foot dining area is a few steps away from the fireplace, and a 10-foot wide passage sits behind the seating area. Just outside lies a 10-foot high waterfall, cascading into a freeform gunite swim spa.

The design for this project reflects knowledge of the property, the family and their needs. "It's all in how it interacts with them and their environment," Robey says. "If the husband is at the grill, he can watch his kids swimming. If the whole family is sitting at the dining table, they can see the waterfall as it flows into the swim spa." The fireplace and the water feature lend some screening and noise buffering too — they're right above George Washington Parkway, which goes along the Potomac River. Behind the water feature, landscape crews used several truckloads of Pennsylvania fieldstone boulders to level out the slope and block some undesired views.

"I love incorporating stone into projects because you have so much flexibility with it — both in the colors and textures," Robey continues. "If the house has a more formal feel, we can use a variety of stone and cut it on all four sides and make it more of an ashlar pattern. If the project has more of a rural feel or is sited on a wooded lot, we can use fieldstone to make a more natural and irregular pattern. Besides longevity, stone is very low maintenance and it links so well with the transition from the interior to the exterior environment."

This Arlington, Va., residence welcomes guests from the outside in.
Photo courtesy of Erin Bogan, McHale Landscape Design

Connecticut Country House
This American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Design Award winner located in Westport, Conn., involved a complete house renovation, both inside and out. It started as a 1930s colonial style home, complete with Florida room. The client specified that the makeover follow a Shaker modern theme. "Plans for a house often take shape before the landscape is considered, but in this particular project, the inside and outside were thought about as one whole," says lead designer and project manager Bruce G. Eckerson of Wesley Stout Associates in New Canaan, Conn. Like a fine piece of Shaker furniture, the outdoor spaces are joined in a simple way that reveals a unified vision.

The topography of the site went from low to high, front to back, respectively. Rooms were carved from the hillside behind the house, with stone retaining walls placed strategically in the modified outdoor space. "The dining court relates to a lot of the public rooms of the house, the family room, the kitchen, living room — all of those open out onto that space," Eckerson explains. "We were able to take advantage of the grade change to create space that extended the house into the landscape."

Cantilevered stairs of Green County Granite at the corner of the court ascend to the swimming pool set at the highest level of the garden — a simple rectangle framed by apple trees on one side and stainless steel railing on the right. An outdoor shower anchored to a piece of reclaimed granite curbstone and a topiary garden are located to the left of this terrace.

Inspired by outdoor cafés in Europe, the dining court is the central space in the composition of most outdoor rooms.
Photo courtesy of Wesley Stout Associates

Adjacent to the pool is the play lawn and outdoor living room. This outdoor living room is directly accessible to the master bedroom suite and exercise room. A large outdoor fireplace with a surround of reclaimed granite curbing anchors this exterior space and provides a focal point for gatherings on cool evenings. On warm days, furniture in this area can be reoriented toward the pool to enjoy the sun.

Natural stone was used to create space and to transition from one space to another, as backdrop, as floor or as design element. "For the most part, anything vertical was made out of old reclaimed stone, typical of old farmhouses in the region," Eckerson says. "We contrasted it with newly quarried granite to give somewhat of a dichotomy between new and old, traditional and modern. The inside of the house was done in a very modern fashion — a traditional skin covering, a very contemporary interior."

In this project, the outdoor living room is an intimate family space directly accessible from the master bedroom and exercise studio. The fireplace surround is made of reclaimed granite curbing.
Photo courtesy of Wesley Stout Associates

Lunada Bay Residence
The Lunada Bay residence in Palos Verdes Peninsula, Calif., is another ASLA award winner. In this project, water is the thread that connects all the elements of this outdoor living space: a shallow pond reflects the sky, water spills over stone walls, a channel cut into the courtyard directs visitors to the front door, water flows over a granite trough and disappears — all leading to a grand view of the bay. "When we're designing the project, we're trying to create spaces that are unique and capture the essence of the place, whether it's on the edge of the ocean, in an oak forest or in a dense neighborhood," says Pamela Palmer, principal-in-charge and lead designer for Artecho in Venice, Calif. "We try to make the most of the space capturing distant views of ocean and sky."

The first thing Palmer keeps in mind is the orientation of the areas — that they're appropriate for the time of day and year. "We try to create places on any property that will have spaces that you can use any time. We're in southern California, so we are lucky in that respect," she says. "We do a lot of work on the coast and you have to provide some protection from the breezes. What we try to do is to create outdoor spaces that are visually dramatic, inviting, as well as comfortable."

Cast glass pavers lead up the entry steps to the Lunada Bay residence reflection pool.
Photo courtesy of Jack Coyier

The four outdoor living areas include a courtyard with fireplace, an ocean terrace, dining space and kitchen. Stone materials are integrated into all, beginning with the entry courtyard paved with Nova Gold limestone. Kentia palms are planted in 8 x 8 foot planters carved into the bedrock. The large fireplace at the end of the courtyard utilizes some of the Palos Verdes stone excavated from this site, as well as Nova Blue limestone for the hearth and trim. Palos Verdes stone is also used as stepping stones throughout the property, as facing on some walls and in the side garden.

The kitchen has a built-in barbecue alongside a sink and countertop of Nova Blue limestone. Adjacent to the kitchen is a dining area that includes a carved granite fountain. At the back of the house is an ocean terrace paved in Nova Gold limestone, positioned on a bluff above the bay. The terrace includes a spa and a recessed fire pit surrounded by Nova Blue limestone.

On this ocean terrace, the east-west light line connects a raised spa to a sunken seating area with a fire table. On a moonlit night, the light line mimics the surf.
Photo courtesy of Jack Coyier

The fire pit was a product of adapting the client's wishes to the existing environment. "What we ended up doing is a sunken linear fire pit," says Palmer. "It was sunken below grade so it didn't take up a lot of space and it had a linear fire instead of the round pit and seating area originally proposed by the client. But it worked perfectly; because it was sunken it had protection from the wind and you could see the view as well. They get what they wanted — but they initially didn't know they wanted what they got."

Outdoor Living Trends Outdoor living areas are here to stay, but designers tend to have their own take on future trends. "The most positive trends are those that tend to be environmentally friendly — have the project fit in," says Pamela Palmer with Artecho in Venice, Calif. "We're always trying to be site-specific with our projects. One example is planting appropriately to a site, using plants indigenous to the area as well as drought tolerant plants." For Bruce G. Eckerson, lead designer and project manager of Wesley Stout Associates in New Canaan, Conn., the outdoor kitchen is and will continue to be king. "The wife may have design control of the interior, but the husband often stakes his claim outside," he says. "The barbecue is typically the man's domain; he gets to have his dream barbecue outside, and it's a place for him and his friends to hang out. It's an element that's often close to the kitchen so it's easy to access in the colder months." Geoscape's John Shippy in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., sees the line between inside and outside continuing to blur. "We're blowing out whole wall sections — 15 to 20 feet — and building massive bifold and pocket doors to fully connect to the outside," he says. "You can have a great room, and we'll take the whole back side of it and remove the whole wall. That will then connect onto the patio space. Whether it's the fireplace or the pool, it looks like its coming right up into the living area." You can take it with you. "Everything that people have inside they will want to have outside," says Daniel Robey of Maryland's McHale Landscape Design, "including examples such as gourmet cooking appliances, weatherproof TVs, outdoor furnishings or weather rated lamps. Our goal is to create a seamless transition from the interior to the exterior with all the nice finishes they have on the inside extending to the outside."

Shadows of Kentia palms are projected onto the pavement of the courtyard in this outdoor living space. A north-south channel of water guides visitors to the front door and from the house back to the outdoor fireplace.
Photo courtesy of Pamela Palmer, Artecho

Medina Residence
John Shippy, principal of Geoscape, loves the versatility and permanence of stone. "Most stone is far more resilient to the sun and other conditions outdoors as compared to man-made products," he says. "They stand the test of time; they have a timeless beauty that's only hindered by a designer's limited imagination and the installer's ability to capture its true potential. You could take a stone that's totally overused, to a point where you think it is dated, but a talented designer can put a new spin on it and make that stone beautiful again."

The outdoor living area Shippy designed for this project is a pavilion off the family room and dining room. The house is a rustic Italian design. "If you look to the left, it is open to the pool and the bar area," he explains. "The water you see to the left of the fireplace is a spa independent of the pool."

A tranquil pool incorporates Amberwood veneer and sits adjacent to the outdoor fireplace.
Photo courtesy of Geoscape and White Space

Much of the stone used in this project is Amberwood, a variety of stone from Oklahoma. The fireplace — surrounded by four olive trees — is full of the ledgerstone and plaster. The floor is a mix of materials. On the upper level, it's Amberwood. As it steps down, the floor is walnut travertine with a chamfered edge.

A full entertainment bar, 16 x 18 feet, features ledger, rectangles and squares of Amberwood, which were tumbled to give a more rustic appearance. To the right is a pool that offers the feeling of being indoors while open to the outdoor environment. Behind the pool sits a restroom with built-in lockers and shower.

A fireplace featuring Amberwood stone adds warmth to this outdoor living area.
Photo courtesy of Geoscape and White Space

Shippy says a project always starts with the client and family. He first establishes the basics: lifestyle? tastes? ages? Next he goes into the details: are there any special pieces they want to incorporate into the design, such as family heirlooms? "Then I go into how the elements affect the area. The sunlight, the wind, how does it throw shadows, how is it lit up at night — now we're getting into the artistic elements," he explains. "When I think of the artistic part, I think beyond the function and space plan. What's the emotional connection? The truth is there are so many ways to make an outdoor living space beautiful."

Mark Haverstock is a freelance writer in Boardman, Ohio. He has published more than 500 magazine articles on a variety of topics.

A 280-square-foot outdoor entertainment bar opens to the pool.
Photo courtesy of Geoscape and White Space

Resources
Arlington, Va., Residence Design and General Contractor:
McHale Landscape Design
Upper Marlboro, Md.
www.mchalelandscape.com

Connecticut Country House Lead Designer and Project Manager:
Bruce G. Eckerson, ASLA
Principal:
Wesley Stout, ASLA
Wesley Stout Associates
New Canaan, Conn.
www.wesleystout.com
Stone Supplier:
O & G Industries, Bridgeport, Conn.; Getty Granite, Salem, Conn.
General Contractor:
Schmeideck Construction, Weston, Conn.

Lunada Bay, Calif., Residence Principal-in-Charge/Lead Designer:
Pamela Palmer, ASLA
Artecho
Venice, Calif.
www.artecho.com
General Contractor:
Tim Zigrang, Zigrang Construction
Stone Contractors:
Ruggeri Marble and Granite, Stewart's Masonry
Stone Suppliers:
Praxis International, Thompson Stoneyard

Medina Residence Principal:
John Shippy
Geoscape
Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.
www.geoscape.biz
Stone Supplier:
Sepulveda Building Materials
Stone Contractor:
Rich Young

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