A two-level pergola, circular firepit area and outdoor kitchen with a charcoal-gas combo grill star in this Houston patio addition designed for entertaining large crowds in style. "The client was an attorney with a passion for cooking and entertaining," says the project's principal designer, Lisha Maxey of LGH Designs. "Her main objective with this space was to create a large area for 10 to 20 guests, including seating and the prep and cooking of meals." Located in the backyard of the client's home in Spring, TX, this beautiful outdoor living and entertaining space includes a 28-by-12-foot patio with Fantastico silver travertine tile flooring, arranged in a Versailles pattern. The walkway is Oklahoma wister flagstone. Providing filtered shade for the patio is a two-level pergola of treated pine stained honey gold. The larger, higher tier is about 18 by 10 feet; the smaller, lower tier is about 10 feet square. "We covered the entire pergola with Lexan - a high-quality, clear acrylic sheet that provides protection from the sun, heat and rain," says Outdoor Homescapes of Houston owner Wayne Franks. Beneath the lower tier of the pergola sits an L-shaped, 12-by-9-foot outdoor kitchen island faced with Carmel Country ledgestone. The island houses a Fire Magic® combination charcoal-gas grill and lowered power burner, a Pacific Living countertop pizza oven and a stainless steel RCS trash drawer and sink. The countertops and raised bar are Fantastico silver travertine (18-square-inch tiles) and the backsplash is real quartz. "The most unique design item of this kitchen area is the hexagon/circular table we added to the end of the long bar," says Lisha. This enabled the client to add seating for her dining guests." Under the higher, larger tier of the pergola is a seating area, made up of a coffee table and espresso-colored rattan sofa and club chairs with spring-green-and-white cushions. "Lighting also plays an important role in this space, since the client often entertains in the evening," says Wayne. Enter the chandelier over the patio seating arrangement and - over the outdoor kitchen - pendant lamps and an industrial-modern ceiling fan with a light fixture in the center. "It's important to layer your lighting for ambiance, security and safety - from an all-over ambient light that fills the space to under-the-counter task lighting for food prep and cooking to path and retaining wall lighting." Off the patio is a transition area of crushed granite and floating flagstone pavers, leading to a circular firepit area of stamped concrete. At the center of this circle is the standalone firepit, framed at the back by a curved stone bench. The walls of the bench and column bases for the pergola, by the way, are the same ledgestone as the kitchen island. The top slab on the bench is a hearth piece of manmade stone. "I think the finish materials blend with the home really well," says Wayne. "We met her objectives of being able to entertain with 10 to 12 to 20 people at one time and being able to cook with charcoal and gas separately in one unit. And of course, the project was on time, on budget." "It is truly a paradise," says the client in her Houzz review of the project. "They listened to my vision and incorporated their expertise to create an outdoor living space just perfect for me and my family!"

The property is one of the original farm houses located on the main street of a small town. It has been in the family for many years and our client just inherited the property. They were trying to have balance of preserving the old while realizing modern day living has its benefits too. The house had a large addition added using mostly old style materials, but designed with function and modern day luxuries. Our goal was to carry that theme to the outside. Our first problem we had to address was how to transition between the first floor elevation changes. The lower room was the husband’s office. He stated in the future he may have clients over and it would be nice to have an area to sit outside. The wife’s main concern was to renew the four corner garden. She also felt it was very important to be able to see it from the kitchen area. Finally there was an old wishing well stuck right outside the kitchen. They both felt it would be neat to be able to incorporate this in some how. They wanted a patio area with a built in grill to accommodate there family and friends. They also wanted to keep a large play area for the kids. We were able to pull this off successfully. We addressed the first issue by having a small lower level flagstone area. This area is large enough for 1 to 2 people to sit comfortably. It also provides a transition from his office to the larger patio area. We installed a simple small gravel sitting area opposite of the main patio. This provides our client a secluded place to relax or do business. Mrs.... told me she is amazed how much her and her husband enjoys this area. It is so peaceful looking at the small creek over a glass of wine. We built a natural limestone retaining wall to create the patio terrace. The stone was chosen to extend the houses architectural elements into the landscape. Irregular broken flagstone was used to give it a more casual feel. We installed three Serviceberries into the patio terrace to replace some trees that were taken down during the remodeling. She was very concern that they would block the view of the four corner garden. We new they were crucial to nestle in the terrace, so we placed them for a couple days for her to decide. Fortunately she agreed they not only kept the view open, but helped frame the garden. The four corner garden was designed to be viewed from afar and experienced up close. We wanted the space to have some formal structure while keeping with the casual farm house feel. Another natural limestone retaining wall was created. This leveled the garden terrace and helped associate it with the rest of the property. The four corner garden is nestled into the existing woods edge. This provides three distinct experiences to entering the garden; a more formal from the driveway, an open feel from the lower lawn, and a more natural / casual experience from the wooded area. The Plymouth brown gravel was used for the center of the garden. This helped highlight the stone post that was found during construction. The gravel also brings the sense of sound into the garden space. Lamb’s ear was chosen as a fun way to get kids interest in horticulture. The balance of using the new to create the old feel is what makes this project a success. The property has already hosted a local historical society event and won an award for its preservation efforts. When Mrs.... can’t find her husband, she knows he is either reading the newspaper by the grill or resting in the hammock along the wood’s path.

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The property is one of the original farm houses located on the main street of a small town. It has been in the family for many years and our client just inherited the property. They were trying to have balance of preserving the old while realizing modern day living has its benefits too. The house had a large addition added using mostly old style materials, but designed with function and modern day luxuries. Our goal was to carry that theme to the outside. Our first problem we had to address was how to transition between the first floor elevation changes. The lower room was the husband’s office. He stated in the future he may have clients over and it would be nice to have an area to sit outside. The wife’s main concern was to renew the four corner garden. She also felt it was very important to be able to see it from the kitchen area. Finally there was an old wishing well stuck right outside the kitchen. They both felt it would be neat to be able to incorporate this in some how. They wanted a patio area with a built in grill to accommodate there family and friends. They also wanted to keep a large play area for the kids. We were able to pull this off successfully. We addressed the first issue by having a small lower level flagstone area. This area is large enough for 1 to 2 people to sit comfortably. It also provides a transition from his office to the larger patio area. We installed a simple small gravel sitting area opposite of the main patio. This provides our client a secluded place to relax or do business. Mrs.... told me she is amazed how much her and her husband enjoys this area. It is so peaceful looking at the small creek over a glass of wine. We built a natural limestone retaining wall to create the patio terrace. The stone was chosen to extend the houses architectural elements into the landscape. Irregular broken flagstone was used to give it a more casual feel. We installed three Serviceberries into the patio terrace to replace some trees that were taken down during the remodeling. She was very concern that they would block the view of the four corner garden. We new they were crucial to nestle in the terrace, so we placed them for a couple days for her to decide. Fortunately she agreed they not only kept the view open, but helped frame the garden. The four corner garden was designed to be viewed from afar and experienced up close. We wanted the space to have some formal structure while keeping with the casual farm house feel. Another natural limestone retaining wall was created. This leveled the garden terrace and helped associate it with the rest of the property. The four corner garden is nestled into the existing woods edge. This provides three distinct experiences to entering the garden; a more formal from the driveway, an open feel from the lower lawn, and a more natural / casual experience from the wooded area. The Plymouth brown gravel was used for the center of the garden. This helped highlight the stone post that was found during construction. The gravel also brings the sense of sound into the garden space. Lamb’s ear was chosen as a fun way to get kids interest in horticulture. The balance of using the new to create the old feel is what makes this project a success. The property has already hosted a local historical society event and won an award for its preservation efforts. When Mrs.... can’t find her husband, she knows he is either reading the newspaper by the grill or resting in the hammock along the wood’s path.

TEAM: Architect: LDa Architecture & Interiors Builder (Kitchen/ Mudroom Addition): Shanks Engineering & Construction Builder (Master Suite Addition): Hampden Design Photographer: Greg Premru

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