Deck of the Week: Pergola-Covered With a Pass-Through Window
An interior designer and an architect create an outdoor living room with strong connections to the house and yard
This Abington, Massachusetts, couple has been working with interior designer Tracy Parkinson on a room-by-room basis for years. When it came time to fully renovate the kitchen and add a new deck, architect Caitlin Struble joined the design team. “The clients’ early complaints about their home were that the deck was too hot to enjoy in the summer, the kitchen was dark, and there were only a few spaces where they could see their beautifully landscaped pool from inside the house. So we went right to work to fix all those issues,” Struble says.
New doors and windows fill the kitchen with light. And they offer easy access to a beautiful new deck: Sliding doors lead outside, and a pass-through window makes it easy to serve a bar on the other side. The deck is partially shaded by a pergola and appointed with comfortable pieces that have a range of interesting textures. The homeowners love to spend time in their new outdoor living room.
New doors and windows fill the kitchen with light. And they offer easy access to a beautiful new deck: Sliding doors lead outside, and a pass-through window makes it easy to serve a bar on the other side. The deck is partially shaded by a pergola and appointed with comfortable pieces that have a range of interesting textures. The homeowners love to spend time in their new outdoor living room.
Having worked with the homeowners for years, Parkinson had created a cohesive style they loved throughout the home. “My clients will be the first to admit they didn’t really have a defined style. They liked neutrals, so I pushed them into some color by using shades of blue,” she says. “When working with neutrals as a base, I play up texture to make it interesting.”
On the deck, a mix of woven textures such as wicker, cane, rattan and rope create a subtly coastal material palette. Dashes of blue tie the deck design to the rest of the home. “They are very neat people, and their home always has a very calm, Zen-like feeling,” Parkinson says.
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On the deck, a mix of woven textures such as wicker, cane, rattan and rope create a subtly coastal material palette. Dashes of blue tie the deck design to the rest of the home. “They are very neat people, and their home always has a very calm, Zen-like feeling,” Parkinson says.
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Parkinson used durable outdoor-rated furniture, fabrics and lighting. The patterned rug looks like an indoor rug but is made of polypropylene. The wicker light fixture’s large size suits the scale of the deck and pergola. Along with the circular resin table and the swing chair, the light fixture softens the space with some curves.
“The cable railing system provides the same protection with less bulk than a traditional handrail system. It was an easy solution to allow for the best sightlines to the pool from the deck and all of the interior spaces,” Struble says. “Your eye sees right through the cables to the spaces beyond.”
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“The cable railing system provides the same protection with less bulk than a traditional handrail system. It was an easy solution to allow for the best sightlines to the pool from the deck and all of the interior spaces,” Struble says. “Your eye sees right through the cables to the spaces beyond.”
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Easy transitions between the deck and kitchen were a big part of the kitchen renovation. “We wanted there to be strong indoor-outdoor connections,” Parkinson says. The pass-through window is on the right in this photo, and the sliding doors that open to the deck are on the left.
Before, a swinging door connected the kitchen to a corner of the old deck, taking up valuable hangout space. Struble changed the circulation by adding the three-bay sliding doors off to the side of the main deck. “That change helped to maximize seating space and furniture options. It also allowed for easier access to the stair down to the pool and grilling area,” she says. “The sliders added lots of natural light into the new breakfast nook, kitchen and dining room beyond, and helped to blur the transition between inside and out.”
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Before, a swinging door connected the kitchen to a corner of the old deck, taking up valuable hangout space. Struble changed the circulation by adding the three-bay sliding doors off to the side of the main deck. “That change helped to maximize seating space and furniture options. It also allowed for easier access to the stair down to the pool and grilling area,” she says. “The sliders added lots of natural light into the new breakfast nook, kitchen and dining room beyond, and helped to blur the transition between inside and out.”
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In addition to the new doors in the kitchen, Struble specified a new bank of four windows. “The kitchen now has abundant natural light,” she says.
The pass-through window makes it a breeze for someone in the kitchen to interact with people out on the deck. “The two center windows slide open very easily. You can open them with one finger,” Parkinson says. You “can serve drinks and food through them, and whoever is working in the kitchen doesn’t have to feel left out of the conversation.”
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The pass-through window makes it a breeze for someone in the kitchen to interact with people out on the deck. “The two center windows slide open very easily. You can open them with one finger,” Parkinson says. You “can serve drinks and food through them, and whoever is working in the kitchen doesn’t have to feel left out of the conversation.”
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The bar along the pass-through window is black granite that hides dirt. Parkinson continued the woven theme with French cafe bar stools and a trio of woven sconces above the windows. “The light fixtures brought some texture in over here,” she says.
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Browse outdoor bar stools in the Houzz Shop
Photo stylist Tracy Foley filled the planters with flowers and foliage for the photo shoot; more permanent plants are planned. One of the homeowners’ daughters had been planning a coastal wedding this summer, but it had to be canceled for safety reasons. The new plan is to have a more intimate celebration at home in the fall, and the plants in the planters will be part of the decor.
“My clients said they would not have considered having the wedding here before we did this project. Now they are very excited to have this great space for the event,” Parkinson says. “They have also been really happy to have it during quarantine.”
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“My clients said they would not have considered having the wedding here before we did this project. Now they are very excited to have this great space for the event,” Parkinson says. “They have also been really happy to have it during quarantine.”
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Deck at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple with a teenage son at home and three adult daughters
Location: Abington, Massachusetts
Size: 275 square feet (26 square meters)
Designers: Tracy Parkinson of Nest + Co. (interior designer) and Caitlin Struble of Winslow Design (architect)
Renovating the kitchen and designing the new deck were a collaborative effort, and the projects were completed in tandem. The old deck was small and unattractive, and there was an awkward transition from the kitchen. Struble designed the new 275-square-foot deck, the pass-through window at the bar, the pergola, the stairs and the railings. Parkinson chose the furniture, lighting and accessories and arranged it all. She also has plans to add permanent plantings in the planters.
The architecture of the home is Neocolonial, and Struble enhanced it with the pergola’s classic design. She used low-maintenance PVC for the pergola. “It adds just the right amount of shade and texture to the outdoor space and the kitchen windows during the hot summer months, when the sun is high overhead,” she says. The new windows and doors fit in with the rest of the architecture. And the skirting and railings contribute to a relaxed, subtly coastal vibe.
The skirting beneath the deck is also PVC. “The vertical skirting below the deck hides all structure underneath the deck and keeps critters out, but also forces your eye to look up to the outdoor living room above,” Struble says. “The deck and stair tread material is ipe, a beautiful Brazilian hardwood. It’s extremely durable and comfortable to walk on.”
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