Cozy and cohesive

This outdoor living project, seen here in all of its "Before" glory, is a culmination of ideas from both Maslow and the homeowners and designer. The clients initially wanted a small patio area for outdoor entertaining. A couple weeks later, they decided to incorporate an outdoor kitchen — which meant Maslow was back at his drawing board!

The end result, Maslow says, was just what the clients were looking for. "We took what ultimately was an usuable part of the yard and turned it into one of the most unique and creative outdoor living spaces. We have used a set of steps that lead from the upper patio to a lower stepping stone pathway. The entire yard in now a very user-friendly space, and offers an inviting and cozy feeling."

The first phase of the project was demolition. The Southern Landscaping crew removed all existing landscaping, steps and timber retaining walls. Note the garden cottage behind the blue tarp: It was "alienated" from the rest of the previous landscape, and one of the project's goals was to make it a more accessible feature. After demolition, the stone "ha-ha" wall at the garden cottage began so as to meet that goal.

The outdoor sink setup features sideboards that are able to fold over and cover the sink basin, if there's a need for extra serving space. The sink has hot and cold water service available year-round.

Southern Landscaping custom-built the cedar pergolas and trellis for the client. The custom fire pit features a removable iron griddle, and the outdoor kitchen also features a refrigerator and grilling equipment in addition to the sink. Quick couplers were installed on the stone to allow for propane space heaters. All LP gas lines were installed inside of the masonry work so there would be no visual obstructions when the heaters were not in use.