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Before building the outdoor space of their dreams, the Sharbaughs seriously considered purchasing a beach house. Many of their friends and clients owned beachfront condos, but the Sharbaughs knew they didn’t have the time or energy for enough beach trips to warrant a second property tax and utility bill. Yet their desire for a luxury outdoor lifestyle persisted, leading the couple to strongly contemplate buying a camp on the nearby Amite River in Southeast Louisiana. Again, the Sharbaughs weren’t sure they’d spend enough time on the water for such a purchase to be worth it.
The solution to their outdoor living dilemma: creating a getaway resort in their own backyard. With an outdoor kitchen, multiple seating areas, a cozy fireplace, and a pool fit for lounging, the Sharbaughs don’t have to drive 5 hours to the beach for a vacation retreat. The tiered outdoor space also offers plenty of privacy, which the family enjoyed in their previous backyard until a 2-story house cropped up in an adjacent lot. Now the Sharbaughs’ home has all the space and seclusion needed for fundraisers, wine tastings, or impromptu parties with a few friends.
The Backyard Brief:
-
Year Built:
2014 -
Location:
Baton Rouge, Louisiana -
Island Layout:
Linear -
Frame Materials:
Pressure-treated wood -
Countertops:
Granite -
Primary Fuel:
Natural gas -
Placement:
Connected -
Shelter:
Partial -
Water:
Yes
On Another Level
Low-rise staircases separate the space into 3 cascading tiers — the covered outdoor kitchen and seating section, the pool area, and the lush yard sloping downward from the pool’s edge. The homeowners arranged this setup so they can host any kind of event and even accommodate different groups of people attending the same function. Though the space has clearly defined levels, they’re all tied together by white and gray paving stones that flow into the white brick of the connected home.
A Table for Pool…
The homeowners first spotted an outdoor pool table at an upscale Costa Rican hotel, using the experience as inspiration for their own at-home resort. In addition to offering another entertainment option, the table has a dining top that makes this piece of furniture the ultimate space-saver. The frame is made of extruded aluminum and powder-coated for a faux-wood look, while the playing surface is covered with Sunbrella cloth that’s prized for its resistance to moisture and fading.
…And a Table by the Pool
Wait, a pool table and a poolside table? While that might lead to some funny misunderstandings, the dual dining areas present the option to feast in the sunlight or eat under cover on rainy days, not to mention that extra seating is always welcome. The poolside dining table gets more use, though, given that it’s centrally located in the space and provides gorgeous views of the pond and flowery field beyond the backyard. Its gray wicker also unifies the space’s color palette.
Sit Back & Relax
In their previous backyard, the homeowners built an outdoor kitchen and left almost no room for leisure space. This time they made sure to include relaxation room, placing a seating set near the white-brick, wood-burning fireplace that gets a surprising amount of use in humid Louisiana. The fully recessed TV is a sleek addition to this cozy nook, and the wooden mantle ties in with the ceiling fans, pool table finish, and rustic lintel beams that support the covered area of the outdoor space.
Function Meets Style
Sure, vent hoods are needed to clear smoke from cooking areas, but they can also be used to make a stylistic statement. That’s just what the homeowners did with this European-inspired vent hood, which was first plastered with sheetrock mud then painted for an old-world look. The style and materials match the indoor kitchen vent as part of a crucial design theme — the outdoor kitchen and living area mirror their indoor counterparts for a seamless inside-to-outside extension of the home.
