Salt + Dirt | Outside Design

Home Improvement Professionals , Design-Build Firms , Accessory Dwelling Units , Home Remodeling , Home Additions , Universal Design , Basement Remodeling
6 Reviews
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Salt + Dirt | Outside Design
6 Reviews

A Sunken Lounge

Surrounded on all sides by multistory town homes, the Clients never used their back yard. Ever.
A redesign created privacy and multiple use opportunities for both partners to unwind and connect.
We designed: a new expanded dining patio with a custom pergola to give dappled shade; a nearby water feature burbling sweetly; a sunken lounge surrounded by gardens and trees for privacy; a sweet vine-covered arbor with a swinging bench for morning coffee and afternoon reading. The birds will have...
Fish Bowl
Before
Project start; with no elements to it, the fences loom in closely and the space has little appeal. It was a glorified litter box for the felines of the family.
A Sunken Lounge
After: Often clients have a hard time making the leap from 2D drawings to 3D possibilities. Tommy and MaryAnn did not. This small space has storage, a BBQ area, a bench swing for morning coffee & contemplation, a sunken patio for hanging out and an upper patio for seated dining. Simple gardens...
A Sunken Lounge
The Clients did the install them selves. It was a complex project & hats off to them for the commitment!
Fish Bowl
The art is in connection- what compels us from one space to another?
Fish Bowl
Dark gray stain cools and soothes the space, making plants and details pop. The fence becomes more of a backdrop that recedes, not so much a utilitarian wooden "thing" separating backyards. The Clients then took that element of gray and carried it into furnishings to unify the space.
Fish Bowl
In sinking the patio, we create several distinct user spaces, whereas before there was only one: used solely by the cats as a litter box. Having no interest in a lawn, the Clients made a bold commitment to hardscaping.
Fish Bowl
Dueling patios!
Fish Bowl
Taken at seated eye level, this is a wonderful photo demonstrating the privacy that sinking the patio has created. When seated, one gazes upon sky, versus views of the neighbor's bedroom windows.
Fish Bowl
Having no children (aside from their cats) the Clients have a true friendship within their marriage. One of the driving factors in the design was "intimate" spaces. While the backyard is twice the size of the patio, we opted for a smaller, more personal space- akin to a swanky, sunken lounge,...
Fish Bowl
The client includes a large parasol for evening privacy. They can get away with anything under there- Despite having town homes looking down from all three sides!
Fish Bowl
Believe it or not, aside from sinking the patio, this cherubic Buddha was the guiding focal point to the back yard. A flight attendant traveling the world, the Client eventually discovered a slightly more elegant Buddha to place in this premier space!
Fish Bowl
This is a custom fabricated pergola of rhythmic fiber-coated steel. The desire is for dappled shade only; deep shade tends to be chilly in the Rocky Mountains. The very simple structure let's the landscaping and smaller details shine.
A Sunken Lounge
The swinging bench becomes irresistible as clematis and roses smother it in the summer. Tucking a bench swing into a corner expands the possibilities in a postage stamp landscape.
A Sunken Lounge
The secret to small spaces- use larger plants, believe it or not, and divide, divide, divide! Breaking a single small space into many actually expands the energy and potential. Coffee under the clematis-covered swing, dinner on the patio, late night chilling down below around the fire table.
A Sunken Lounge
Tommy Sands
A Sunken Lounge
Tommy Sands
A Sunken Lounge
Once over the initial hurdles of design and install, these clients grew into full-on, soulful gardeners, making the space their own and enjoying it fully. It's been incredible to see them run with it.
A Sunken Lounge
Tommy Sands
A Sunken Lounge
Tommy Sands
A Sunken Lounge
Tommy Sands
A Sunken Lounge