Outdoor Rm
The homeowners had intended to cover the ground of the backyard’s upper level with crushed decomposed granite in a sandy beige, but a surplus of crushed gravel changed their mind. “The crushed gravel was supposed to form the bottom layer and then be covered up by crushed granite, but we bought more gravel than we needed,” Sanders-Jacob says. “But since the color of the crushed gravel matched the board-form concrete so well, we decided to use all of it and save some money.”
Dimensions: 10 by 12 feet (3 by 3.7 meters) Materials: Mixed paving materials of stone, glass, tile and brick salvaged from other projects Cost: Very low cost given that materials were salvaged This cozy dining nook next to a home in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood feels intimate and inviting with a bistro table and chairs nestled under the leafy canopy of a redbud tree. “The extension of plants up on the walls and overhead makes the space feel larger,” says architect Gary Beyerl of Burns + Beyerl Architects. The roughly circular patio layout works well around a round bistro table and helps break up the corridor of the side yard. Beyerl constructed the patio using salvaged materials from other projects to create a mosaic-like floor of mixed stone, glass, tile and brick. Low stone walls protect surrounding garden beds from chairs that might be pushed back onto plantings in the narrow space. Tip: You can pick up salvaged materials for paving and other construction materials, often at very reduced rates, from local salvage yards.
1. The bigger the TV, the better. Game day isn’t complete without a nice view of the big screen — because that’s the main event. This outdoor pavilion, designed by Barbi Krass, owner of Colorworks Studio, has lots of areas for people to watch the game. The outdoor space also is equipped with high-tech features such as a projector that shoots onto a 9-foot glass screen, a weatherproof Wi-Fi system and outdoor speakers. The technical features, mixed with the various lounge areas and outdoor heaters, make this space optimal for watching football during the fall or winter.
A pass-through window connects the inside and out, and effective use of the vertical wall space envelops the area in greenery.
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