PORTFOLIO SPOTLIGHT

I’ve just spent the last 20 minutes looking through our portfolio and watching video footage of the spaces we’ve been trusted to create. After a season full of long hours, managing projects and fielding questions I’m a little tired. But as I scan the pretty photos, I remember the energy at the beginnings of these projects. Meeting each client for the first time, listening to their stories and why they asked us for help. It took me back to the day I first saw the site that became ‘Comfort Zone’. 

Before

After

With existing pine and maple trees the property had kind of a summer camp vibe to it and I was intrigued. As the owner led me to the backyard, she explained that they loved the fully fenced space. It felt safe to them and private. Layers of fieldstone walls stepped up a gentle slope. Underfoot irregular flagstone paved out walkways and a patio. I tripped and the client groaned, exclaiming how she hated the uneven stone wanting it gone in the new design. When the conversation turned to a pool her face lit up sharing the dream of her boys playing in the water. She was equally animated describing incorporation of a set of swings which one son was particularly fond of.

I remember leaving the meeting feeling inspired. It was a challenging site with the elevation changes and existing trees to build around. There were piles of unwanted existing materials to be considered.  But solutions were spinning in my head, and I looked forward to starting sketches. 

Working through the design process led us down some fun paths. Once the conceptual plan was completed, we had existing site materials to deal with. How could these be re-purposed? While we considered options, the client learned that the neighborhood HOA needed some stone for a community project. They were happy to donate their patio flagstone for the cause knowing instead of being discarded, it would fill a need. Because the site had some significant elevational changes, the design called for several retaining walls. We designed some of the walls to be gabion walls (wire cages that are filled with stone). This provided a new home for the fieldstone on site as well as a natural habitat for small animals and plants. 

Before

After

Originally, a fiberglass pool was planned, but due to supply and demand issues from the pandemic, we shifted to a vinyl-liner pool. This allowed us to create a customized pool with features specific to the client’s needs. A small sun ledge and therapy bench were incorporated providing the perfect perches for their boys.

In the end, ‘Comfort Zone’ became a favorite project amongst our team. Not because it is a showcase space, but more about how it is a lived in space. A family backyard where friends can gather, kids can play and where some old pieces of the site were honored.  There’s a lot of truth in Thomas Edison’s words, “To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk”.