Luxe outdoor living spaces create opportunities for gracious year-round entertaining.
Living rooms are on the move. Backyards once reserved for occasional strolls along flower-lined paths or summertime cocktail parties—or, for the lucky few, a dip in the pool—are increasingly becoming the year-round go-to space for relaxation and entertaining.
Simple grills are being replaced with fully-equipped outdoor kitchens. Pools once relegated to rectangular or kidney-shaped configurations with ladders and maybe a diving board into the deep end are now equipped with shallow-end lounges and tables, swim-up bars and benches.
And fire pits and fireplaces surrounded by big comfortable chairs and sofas to accommodate late fall and wintertime gatherings are a must in the new outdoor living paradigm.
When George and Joy Lyon moved to a spot on the Lynnhaven River in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Virginia Beach, they decided to take full advantage of their waterfront spot. With two very active teenage daughters, they wanted to create a setting that would allow them to entertain and enjoy living outdoors.
Doug Aurand, president of Siska Aurand Landscape Architects, Inc. in Norfolk guided the Lyons through the process of creating an outdoor oasis and family gathering spot. A pool was at the top of the Lyons’ wish list. Aurand designed a heated pool with a sun shelf feature—a 100-square-foot section with a 10-inch water depth equipped with an umbrella anchor and space for in-water lounge chairs. “We have three dogs who love to swim and it’s great for them, too,” says Joy. The couple chose a granite stone façade for the pool’s retaining walls and Jerusalem limestone for the patio and deck finishes. A fire pit built into the pool deck fits seamlessly into the hardscape and even serves as a backsplash for a small water fountain feature. With ample seating and pool deck furnishings, the family entertains year-round. “We really use it all the time,” George says.
That’s the key, say designers. “People want to extend their home’s interior to the exterior year-round to make the most of outdoor spaces,” says Farrar Pace, president of JoPa Company in Richmond.
Furniture and appliances like stoves and refrigerators now play starring roles in backyard designs. Fireplaces and outdoor kitchens with high end stone façades of limestone, travertine and bluestone are increasingly popping up on terraces next to pools creatively designed to allow for more than just swimming. “We have some clients looking for a resort in their backyard,” says Pace, whose family has been building pools and creating outdoor living areas since 1958. Cocktail pools—smaller pools with even depth—perform dual duty as garden features and recreational opportunities and are often paired with bench seating with entertaining in mind.
Pace, whose company has gradually expanded its offerings to include everything from construction of outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, fire pits and pools to selling outdoor furniture, says that outdoor living has definitely taken on a greater scope: “People want to spend more time outside entertaining and relaxing, and there are more and more ways to do that.” SiskaAurand.com, JoPa.com
