Patio of the Week: Breezy Lakeside Terrace in Florida
This lush backyard retreat features waterfront views, a shaded dining patio and a protected lounge area
Designed for easy indoor-outdoor flow, this waterfront backyard in Naples, Florida, showcases the best elements of outdoor living. Doors from the home open straight onto a new outdoor entertaining area, which includes a dining table under an elegant wooden pergola, a poolside outdoor lounge and a fire pit area — all of which have peaceful views of palm trees, lush plantings and a serene lake.
Before the redesign, a large ficus tree blocked a good portion of the water view, and the backyard’s areas had no natural flow among them. “One of the benefits of living in southwest Florida is the freedom of being able to move between indoors and outdoors with ease,” Westwood says. “The existing spaces were broken up and segmented. A person literally had to walk through low hedges to get from one place to another.” Removing the ficus and dated screens around the pool brought in more light and opened up floor space so people could move between outdoor rooms.
Sheltered Seating Area
To facilitate easy movement, Westwood positioned the deck and patio areas right off the new sliding glass doors that lead to the living room. A new covered lounge area (seen on the right side of this photo), just steps away from the living room, offers the comforts of a room indoors — cushy furnishings, full shade and a ceiling fan — but with the best views across the pool to the lake.
To facilitate easy movement, Westwood positioned the deck and patio areas right off the new sliding glass doors that lead to the living room. A new covered lounge area (seen on the right side of this photo), just steps away from the living room, offers the comforts of a room indoors — cushy furnishings, full shade and a ceiling fan — but with the best views across the pool to the lake.
Shaded Outdoor Dining Room
The outdoor dining patio, covered by a wood-slat pergola, occupies a prime spot in the backyard and serves as the main outdoor entertaining area.
The pergola, measuring roughly 14 feet tall and wide, casts partial shade over the dining area while still allowing breezes and light to pass through. “The style of the pergola was a contemporary play on the horizontal lathwork of beachy things like lobster traps,” Westwood says. The structure also serves as a mount for overhead lanterns.
Work with a pergola builder in your area
The outdoor dining patio, covered by a wood-slat pergola, occupies a prime spot in the backyard and serves as the main outdoor entertaining area.
The pergola, measuring roughly 14 feet tall and wide, casts partial shade over the dining area while still allowing breezes and light to pass through. “The style of the pergola was a contemporary play on the horizontal lathwork of beachy things like lobster traps,” Westwood says. The structure also serves as a mount for overhead lanterns.
Work with a pergola builder in your area
Lounge Area With Fire Bowl
On the same ceramic patio closer to the lake is another lounge area, this one centered around a sleek smokeless fire bowl. In the daytime it’s a prime spot for sitting and watching waterbirds and even the occasional alligator, Westwood says. In the evening, guests can relax and watch the flames flicker against the backdrop of water.
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On the same ceramic patio closer to the lake is another lounge area, this one centered around a sleek smokeless fire bowl. In the daytime it’s a prime spot for sitting and watching waterbirds and even the occasional alligator, Westwood says. In the evening, guests can relax and watch the flames flicker against the backdrop of water.
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Plantings
The plantings are relatively simple and green, to keep the garden in visual harmony with the waterfront and in line with the community’s planting guidelines.
New ‘Malayan’ coconut palm trees (Cocos nucifera ‘Malayan Dwarf’) rustle overhead, while a dwarf variety of native gamagrass (Tripsacum sp.) planted below them moves with the slightest breeze. For hedges around the dining patio and fire pit lounge, Westwood planted ‘Green Island’ ficus (Ficus microcarpa ‘Green Island‘). The native sea grape trees (Coccoloba uvifera) growing along the fence line behind the dining area will eventually grow partially up and over the pergola, providing more dappled shade.
Learn how to grow plants native to your region
The plantings are relatively simple and green, to keep the garden in visual harmony with the waterfront and in line with the community’s planting guidelines.
New ‘Malayan’ coconut palm trees (Cocos nucifera ‘Malayan Dwarf’) rustle overhead, while a dwarf variety of native gamagrass (Tripsacum sp.) planted below them moves with the slightest breeze. For hedges around the dining patio and fire pit lounge, Westwood planted ‘Green Island’ ficus (Ficus microcarpa ‘Green Island‘). The native sea grape trees (Coccoloba uvifera) growing along the fence line behind the dining area will eventually grow partially up and over the pergola, providing more dappled shade.
Learn how to grow plants native to your region
Westwood says the close collaboration between the homeowner and all professionals involved was key to the success of the final design. “Owner, architect, landscape architect and builder all needed to work as a team to design the new flow” of the home and garden, he says.
General contracting: Easterly Building
Interior design and interior material selection: Koastal Design Group - Kira Krümm & Co.
Interior and exterior decorating and textile selection: Nantucket Looms
Project management: Dave Easterly
More on Houzz
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General contracting: Easterly Building
Interior design and interior material selection: Koastal Design Group - Kira Krümm & Co.
Interior and exterior decorating and textile selection: Nantucket Looms
Project management: Dave Easterly
More on Houzz
Read more stories about patios
Browse patio photos for inspiration
Hire a landscape contractor
Find outdoor products
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A retiree who uses the space as a winter home
Location: Naples, Florida
Size: 1,200-square-foot (111-square-meter) wood deck surrounding the pool, including an area with chaise lounges; plus a 475-square-foot (44-square-meter) ceramic tile patio, including a dining area and a fire pit lounge
Designers: Edward Westwood of GardenBleu Landscape Architecture (landscape architecture) and Jonathan Kukk of Kukk Architecture & Design (architecture)
The home, which is in a planned community, was purchased by a retired professional as a winter retreat; her main home is in New England. She wanted a place with a strong indoor-outdoor connection that would have patio spaces where she could entertain friends and family.
The homeowner hired a team of professionals to work in tandem to design interior and exterior spaces that would flow together beautifully. Landscape architect Edward Westwood oversaw the exterior design with his firm, GardenBleu Landscape Architecture. Throughout the process, Westwood worked alongside Kukk Architecture & Design, which remodeled the home’s interior.
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