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Designscapes, Inc.
Award-Winning
Landscape Design in Michigan
BACKYARD ENTERTAINMENT PATIO –
Saginaw Township, MI
GRAND AWARD -- SPECIAL PROJECTS
CATEGORY
2010 INDUSTRY AWARDS PROGRAM - Michigan Nursery & Landscape Assoc.
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This backyard renovation project met all the
owner’s design criteria. It incorporates light and sound, fire and
water, a food prep / grill area, a dining patio, spaces for talking
and room for dancing, cooling breezes, and warmth from above. This
patio has worked well for gatherings of over 100 people.
This project utilized our design and project management services
over a period of four years and three phases of work. Our firm
coordinated installation of the outdoor living spaces and landscape
renovation. The construction was accomplished by eleven different
firms plus their assorted subcontractors. It was our job to ensure
that the work was completed per our designs with top-notch quality
of workmanship.
The proportions of the outdoor spaces relate well to those of the
home, with the architectural style remaining consistent throughout.
Background colors were carefully selected to work well together and
allow for flexibility in flower selection from year to year. |
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L: For the entrance to the
backyard from the driveway, privacy from the street is created with
offset screen walls that match the siding of the house. We designed
the beds and entry arbor to welcome guests to the backyard.
R: The custom wood arbor has accents of stainless
steel, hammered copper, and granite, which are repeated in other
elements of the back yard. |
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L: The grilling and serving area
was designed to be attractive, functional, and versatile. The “chef”
can easily converse or serve drinks to guests on the lower patio.
Under the bar is fiber optic lighting to set the mood at night.
Arborvitae and ninebark shrubs create privacy along the property
line.
R: The outdoor kitchen is laid out for maximum
efficiency. There is plenty of counter space for food prep &
serving. The refrigerator is easy to access in the center of the
workspace. |
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L: The view of the lower patio's
fireplace is framed by the red-leafed bananas. The patio is
surrounded by plants to give it an intimate, private feel. The
elements of the fireplace were repeated elsewhere in the back yard.
This patio was sited to keep the view of the golf course
unobstructed.
R: The warmth of the fireplace takes the chill off the
evening air. Fiber optic lighting was built into the planters to
enhance the mood at night. |
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L: This “before" picture of the
dining area shows the birch tree which was too messy for dining
underneath, due to its popularity with local birds. Enlarging the
20-year-old patio without making it look added-on was one of our
biggest challenges.
R: We enlarged the patio by using a charcoal-color
paver for the additional square footage needed. These new pavers
were used for inlays and soldier-course borders. The paver pattern
helps to define a separate space below the dining pergola. |
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We took special care to make this dining
pergola as inviting as possible, using LED lighting in the column
capitals, pendant lights, radiant heaters, and speakers. Since the
pergola components are hollow fiberglass, we were able to conceal
all the wiring inside the structure, preserving a clean look for the
pergola.
L: This view shows the different elements of the
entertainment area: fireplace, lower patio, and grill in the
background. The new retaining walls are charcoal color to match the
patio accent pavers.
R: The dining pergola was sized to relate strongly to
the architecture of the home. It allows room for up to 16 dinner
guests, yet it still feels intimate for a party of four. Paint
colors of the columns and rafters match those of the house siding
and trim. |
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