The Philbin Group
Photo of a traditional landscaping in Seattle.

Gathering space/council ring Regional inspiration – 7 large natural stones (each weighs an average of 1800 pounds) are sited around a natural stone firepit. Room is left between each natural stone seat for additional seating etc. Each seating stone will comfortably seat two people so this space can handle smaller groups up to much larger sized. The seating stones were locally quarried in Waupon, WI. Hardy, native vegetation means less maintenance – Native swamp white oak and hackberry trees help provide the vertical walls that help make this council ring a true outdoor space. Walls, overhead canopy and views out make this a cozy and comfortable space. It all starts with a plan – The most important component of this outdoor seating space is to get the scale right – if the space is too big it won’t feel intimate enough and if it’s too small it will feel crammed and to tight (and maybe a little hot). Lastly, in order to render the firepit immediately useful, we opted to use turf sod around the firepit area and seed/straw for the lawn areas beyond the council ring. This was mainly done to reduce the likelihood of straw catching fire when using the firepit. In a few short months the lawn seed will germinate and fill in (and the straw will biodegrade and be gone). Formecology, LLC

Contemporary, scandinavian-inspired kitchen. Photo Credit: Design Storey Architects
Danish kitchen photo in Other