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This landscape is a pictorial expression of modern living with a rural nuance. Architectural elements of stone and wood are carried through to the outdoor living spaces with a level of detail and craftsmanship in step with the character and quality of the home.
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Stacked and staggered slabs of Pennsylvania stone serve as gentle stairs where the patio sits higher than the natural grade. The composition of the three flat, weathered stones with the round granite boulder has a sculptural quality as if natural forces fitted them together.
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Clusters of perennials are worked into pockets between the granite boulders and the specimen shrubs. Casual flowers like daisies keep the character of the space feeling light and relaxed. Two sizes of pavers were used for the patio - with joints running parallel to the house to emphasize the length of the space.
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The patio design began with the placement of the great stone fireplace – considering how it would be viewed from inside the house looking outward, as well as how it would affect circulation through the outdoor living spaces.
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Views into the adjacent woodland are integrated into the outdoor living spaces. Plantings around the patio are mainly green in order to blur any obvious demarcation between the built space and the surrounding environment. The pergola’s hefty wooden posts echo the prominent tree trunks in the woodland.
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Much thought and planning went into the design and construction of the wooden pergola and stone masonry piers to include key architectural details such as the curved timber braces and rock-faced bluestone caps. The fabrication accommodated installation of the lighting fixtures and retractable shade cloth.
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The client requested a simple grill and prep center. The same quarry stone that was used on the home’s chimney was also used for the grill enclosure, seat wall, outdoor fireplace, and columns for the pergola.
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The transitional space in between the seat wall and a tall Autumn Blaze Maple in the center of the patio can be used to set up a bar or buffet when the homeowners entertain large groups. For one large party a quartet of musicians assembled there to be centrally positioned, but out of the main circulation path.
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There is a sense of movement and flow created by the stone seat wall as it leads the eye from one end of the patio to the other. Symbolically it represents the element of water which is emphasized by the color of the bluestone coping. At the terminus sits the element of fire. The wind shows itself in the tree canopy.
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Stout columns at both ends of the serpentine seat wall hold decorative urns with seasonal color. Masses of billowing perennials are gently restrained by the stone wall. Plant varieties include the native bee balm, baptisia, coneflower, liatris, black eye susan, as well as ornamental grasses, flowering shrubs and boxwood.
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The wavy path of the natural quarry stone wall adds a surprising element of playfulness. Executing a pleasing organic shape requires the stone mason to think several steps ahead as to the selection and placement of each stone. The small, round light fixtures were chosen to blend in with the stonework.