Backyard Design

When Bob and I moved into our home in 2014, we were downsizing in a big way from the home we had in Jefferson City.  We were comfortable with the idea of having a smaller home but still wanted to entertain our friends and family.  That's when we made the decision to make our backyard space an extension of our inside space.  We contacted Chuck Luebke of Dwell in Design Studios to make the best use of the backyard space we had.

We didn't make it easy for Chuck!  We asked for a space where we could dine al fresco, a lounging area for sitting in the sun, a patio space for conversation and an outdoor kitchen. Plus space for us to garden and enjoy flowers.  Oh, and is it possible to have a fire pit and seating around it plus a hot tub?  Can you include a place for a water feature?  Thanks, Chuck!

Oh, and did I tell you our yard space was 30' by 46'?

As a masterful architect will do, Chuck worked a miracle and made all our outdoor wishes come true.

The front of the house is to the right. We are looking at this map as we are looking into the side yard. The garage is what contains the space from the back.

As people do, we made some changes when it came to the actual design, we were able to get our backyard cobbled instead of flagstone from our builder.  We had all the concrete poured before we moved in.  A landscaping company came in and built the low rise walls and our neighbor Brad Reed of Dragonfly Studios built the fence.

Here we are, four years later. You can see how we have used the design space, pretty much to the degree as Chuck designed it, with the exception of the outdoor kitchen.

What questions do you have about backyard design?  What elements would you like to see in your yard?  I hope you enjoyed our tour and the concepts you saw here today!