HOME PORTRAIT
Beyond the Walls
Designing an Outdoor Oasis with Purpose and Flow
By Emily Lowe, Photography by Ahrmed Louis Jean
Home on the Vineyard often extends beyond physical walls to embrace al fresco living; richly enhancing everyday experiences by lounging and dining in open air, enjoying interior comforts with the beauty and freshness of the outdoors. Functional and compelling outdoor spaces aren’t born, they’re created, and to artfully do so, collaboration of the right team is imperative.
There are many layers that make up exterior spaces: from the architecture, the construction of a pool, patio or cabana, to landscaping and furnishings, creating an outdoor oasis requires the unique skills of teams of contractors, builders and designers.
Though it may seem counterintuitive to work backwards when approaching a custom outdoor space, after conversations with some of the premier contractors and builders on the Vineyard, it’s clear that designing a successful exterior starts with surprising details.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or adding on a patio or pool to your existing home, it’s imperative to think through not only what elements to incorporate, but how you want the space to flow.
Collaboration between Stedman Construction, Outlands Design, MCLD Landscaping, Environmental Pools and furnishings by Vineyard Decorators’ led to the creation of the outdoor oasis “Long View.” This sprawling project is tucked into naturally sloped topography as if the bluestone and ipe decking grew right from the ground. A standing testament to working with the surrounding landscape, this exterior program leverages an existing retaining wall on the property to provide natural framing for the lounge, dining and pool areas. Focusing the landscape design on native plants, Matt Cunningham of MCLD’s design provides the clients with low-maintenance year-round foliage.
When first considering the construction of the exterior, Zack Stedman of Stedman Construction knew that the key to maximizing the functional footprint of the client’s home was to assemble the right team. Stedman Construction specializes in homes that are masterfully thoughtful and enduringly functional. The team, led by brothers Zack and Matt, excels through meticulous foresight, proactive problem-solving, and strong relationships with Island subcontractors.
Zack enlisted Tim Stewart of Outlands Design as one of the earliest collaborators. Tim’s significant contributions and insights into the final layout are a product of his philosophy that “all design is iterative.” The homeowners wanted to have space for a growing family, while still maintaining the natural landscape of the property. Both Zack and Tim approach their projects by gaining a deep understanding of what the client wants, creating a home environment that feels both expansive and intimately connected to its surroundings. Collaboration is at the heart of both businesses, and as Tim notes, engaging with contractors early on in the process leads to the best results, each team bringing their own unique perspective and understanding of material, longevity and functionality.
Long View began as most projects taken on by Stedman Construction and Outlands Design, respectively. The first step wasn’t sketching layouts, but asking: “How will these spaces actually be used?” and then creating a sensible layout from that foundation.
Site surveying and client research unearthed answers to questions about where conversations would best flow naturally in a comfortable seating area, and where family and friends would gather for alfresco meals.
Understanding that the pool was a central feature of the outdoor space, the construction of the pool was expertly positioned, balanced into an uneven surface. By depressing the seating area next to the pool, the pool almost acts as a piece of furniture, creating definition between the lounge and dining spaces.
Through the use of advanced schematic design tools and 3-D renderings, Outlands discovered that while the design originally specified a trellis shade structure over the poolside chaise lounges, the structure wouldn’t mitigate morning and afternoon sun.
The large, “cantilever” style umbrella from Vineyard Decorators offered rotating and tilting capabilities, allowing for maximum shade coverage depending on the time of day. Sophia Brush, Chief Operating Officer at Vineyard Decorators, reflecting on her childhood aboard sailboats, shares that TUUCI sets the gold standard for outdoor shade coverings. She shares that the company constructs all of its shade structures out of marine-grade materials, bringing peace of mind to clients in a coastal environment.
Even though they are the final items to be placed, furniture pieces are the elemental bridges between all the meticulous planning and clients using their exterior spaces. Space planning considering end use ensures that the legs of a chaise lounge or dining chair won’t be hanging off the patio edge, or that there is enough space for traffic to flow and maneuver around the pool or dining table.
The wide range of styles offered by Vineyard Decorators made it an easy option to furnish a newly constructed Oak Bluffs home, “Beach Road” built by Peter Rosbeck of Rosbeck Builders. For more than 30 years, Rosbeck Builders has specialized in creating custom and classic homes for their clients on the Vineyard.
Naturally, when the clients talked about including a pool during the planning phase, who better for the job than Peter’s brother, Ted Rosbeck, proprietor of Island Pools. When asked about this project, Ted commented that “the pool location was determined on the very first walkthrough, before pen even touched down on paper.”
With more than 25 years of proven experience, Island Pools has garnered a reputation for superior craft, dependability and engaging design. This project was no different. The pool wasn’t simply placed; it is the centerpiece of this backyard experience. “Design and placement were carefully orchestrated to get full sun all day,” said Ted, “then the rest of the house was crafted and designed around it.” Principal rooms look out onto the vibrant outdoor scene, bathing the interiors in light and visually connecting them to the pool, which enjoys natural light throughout the day. Recognizing the desire for entertaining, distinct zones were created in the final design–dining, deep seating, conversational lounge spaces and poolside relaxation. A separate hot tub was incorporated, with special provisions allowing it to run year-round–a functional upgrade often requested but needing specific planning for a successful execution.
Beach Road illustrates superior flow and spacing, perfectly balancing the natural landscape with the statement-making furniture groupings. While perfectly suited to reside amongst traditional forms that one might expect of Vineyard design, Greenwater Architects infused this project with modern elements for a fresh and contemporary feel. As with other colleagues and trade partners, Greenwater places client collaboration and integrative design high on their priority list.
Vineyard Decorators’ Studio Stacking chaise lounge in a striking Asteroid finish was placed beside the pool to flank the shallow sun shelf and complement the modern lines of the home’s exterior. Its clean lines and dark color provide a beautiful contrast against the stone patio and the home’s cool tones. In the pool Ted added built-in loungers on the sun shelf for supreme indulgence.
A seating area beside the pool is the perfect place for the homeowners and guests to enjoy conversation and relaxation, outfitted with the Cabo teak collection from Vineyard Decorators in house outdoor furniture line, Island Imports.
What began as a single container of teak furniture roughly 20 years ago is now a cornerstone of the Vineyard Decorators business. By supplying factory-direct pieces, Vineyard Decorators provides the highest quality product at the most competitive price. Their container program inventory is in-stock and ready for immediate delivery, meaning customers can furnish their outdoor spaces and leverage the most of the season instead of waiting on shipping, and the even more difficult delivery to the Island.
Though the Island Imports collection includes a range of outdoor materials including all-weather wicker and powder coated aluminum, the keystone of the collection is the teak furniture. Perfectly equipped with the resilience demanded of a coastal environment, teak furniture is the longstanding workhorse of the outdoor furniture industry. Salt air, high winds and seasonal wear only improves the look of solid teak furniture, its high natural oil content protecting it from cracking and other wood-ailments, making it a mainstay of many coastal exteriors. Starting out in a honey brown color, as teak ages, a grey patina emerges, similar to shingles on a house. While the appearance of new teak is warm and vibrant, aged teak blends seamlessly into the natural landscape of the Island.
Outdoor dining is superb with one of the most popular pieces from the Vineyard Decorators collection. Self-storing leaves in the teak extension dining table can easily accommodate additional guests for the homeowners who do a lot of entertaining. Pairing the table with dining chairs to match back to the chaise lounges cohesively ties together the furniture plan, allowing the landscaping and architectural elements to be centerstage.
Mere steps from the pool, a cabana space serves multiple roles: during the day, an airy retreat, providing shade and the fluid comforts of a porch, and can easily be transformed into an outdoor cinema; as evening descends, the drop down screens provide bug protection, and allowing for comfort and practicality. This space is seamlessly connected to the kitchen and dining area via expansive bi-fold doors, which can vanish completely, dissolving the boundary between inside and out and dramatically extending the home’s living footprint.
The successful furnishing of these distinct spaces highlights the importance of the final layer, though its importance is every bit as critical as the design. Vineyard Decorators, featured in both projects, offers extensive options. In addition to offering name brand furniture lines such as TUUCI, Gloster Furniture and Kingsley Bate, Vineyard Decorators manufactures and imports their own line of outdoor furniture. Island Imports, the namesake outdoor furniture collection and parent company of Vineyard Decorators, is built on the belief that comfort and functionality shouldn’t be sacrificed for performance. Their pieces meet at the crossroads of interior design luxury and exterior durability. “Being able to offer Island residents well-made and well-priced furniture is what Island Imports was created for” says Sophia.
A close working relationship between Vineyard Decorators and the talented contractors of the Island benefits clients who are in any phase of design. Contact Vineyard Decorators for more information on any of the collections pictured. All outdoor furniture pieces are available in their showroom and stocked in warehouses on the Vineyard and Cape Cod.
For more information contact:
Vineyard Decorators: vineyarddecorators.com
Rosbeck Builders: rosbeckbuilders.com
Greenwater Architects: greenwaterarch.com
Island Pools: islandpools.com
Stedman Construction: stedmanconstruction.com
Environmental Pools: environmentalpools.com
Outlands Design: outlandsdesign.com
Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design: matthew-cunningham.com