Red Hook Contemporary Deck, New York

AFTER: An existing Cor-Ten fence and oiled ipe deck were reused in the new garden design, reducing cost and allowing more money to go toward a new outdoor kitchen and plants. Terzi and Lewis, of New Eco Landscapes, created two distinct garden areas. “He wanted a large outdoor kitchen,” says Lewis, and “she wanted a comfy lounge area.” The contrast is striking but balanced — the geometric and orderly deck and outdoor kitchen area complement the looser, more organic patio. Potted herbs carry the greenery of the patio onto the deck, and the irregular flagstone pulls the grays of the outdoor kitchen and dining area down into the landscape. String lights are fun and inexpensive outdoor lighting.After the storm the client moved a huge air conditioning unit to the deck. “We had to work around it,” says Lewis. He ultimately mirrored the look of the outdoor kitchen cabinets with a simple slat box and a planter.

AFTER: In addition to designing a new outdoor kitchen and deck, landscape designers Sean Lewis and Jesse Terzi planted a hardy landscape filled with East Coast natives. For their plant selection they drove through areas of New York that had been hardest hit to see which plants had best weathered the storm, making sure to incorporate these into their planting scheme. “If and when another hurricane hits New York, we want this garden to be able to ride it out,” says Lewis.See more of this garden: A Front Yard Regrows in Brooklyn

Grill near table. We could move our grill out to the back corner near the redwood table (first patch).