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In a very large estate, it is
necessary to divide the property into zones of activity and
areas of special interest. This is necessary in order to create
a feeling of invitation and intimacy in those areas where people
will be congregating for outdoor events. Too much open space can
make people feel lost outside, and this can create an
unconscious sense of agoraphobia in many. You want the vastness
of the surrounding
Houston landscape to serve as an energetic and emotional
backdrop to something more personal and immediate close at hand.
Developing such zones of comfort and amenity is no simple task
if you are working only with softscape elements like lawns,
gardens, trees, and shrubs. Vegetation can easily magnify the
proportions of any landscape because we instinctively associated
greenery with wide open spaces. To create more structured areas,
architectural structures and
custom hardscapes have to be introduced into the master plan
that will scale down the Houston landscape into deliberately
proportioned spaces that create a sense of amenity for people.
A recent project that we did for the Friedman family bears this
point out. The size of the house and the yard mandated that
outdoor elements be very large as well. We had to design a 2,000
square foot
patio pool deck that could entertain an average of 40-50
people. The challenge was to make the structure unique enough in
certain aspects that it did not feel like a stage.
Three changes in elevation were eventually conceived that would
serve to offer people three areas of assembly. These areas were
the pool patio itself, an upper terrace between the
pool fountain and the spa adjoined to the
outdoor kitchen, and an arbor overlooking the Houston
landscape from a vantage point above.
The pool patio was built of Pennsylvania blue stone and provided
a nice dark surface area that set the gathering area apart from
the surrounding vegetation. Using a dark color like this is one
way to bring a large property down in scale—at least from the
standpoint of perspective. It creates a focal point that draws
the eye away from the vastness of the Houston landscape and
draws it into a new realm of relaxed, refined outdoor enjoyment
centered on custom swimming pool design and special water
effects.
The patio featured custom drains
and special water jets that shot water into the lighted depths
of the pool at night. The stairs that lead up to the terrace are
very broad and wide, and they create a feeling of a very
gradual, gentle ascent to a higher realm where one can take in
more of the Houston landscape from the comfort of a rocking
chair, or the chic luxury of a heated spa sunk into the
terrace.
The upper terrace was also made from Pennsylvania sandstone to
create a sense of aesthetic continuity with the patio below. The
upper terrace is also the first entry point for guests when they
enter open space. It offers them a choice between the spa and
the arbor above. Rocking chairs provide a panoramic view of the
Houston landscape and comfortable seating for those who want to
simply take in the pool and the parterre garden from a grand
perspective. A retaining wall to the back of the terrace
aesthetically frames it and adds emphasis to its border, and it
also serves the practical purpose of holding back the soil and
the grade.
Overlooking both the terrace and the pool was a traditional
style arbor built with columns and a solid roof, built in the
style of a luxurious outdoor living room, and overlooking the
entirety of the pool, the garden, and the Houston landscape
beyond. This particular structure was something of a grand
finale to the project in many respects. It was constructed on an
axis with the pool and functioned as an entry point to the upper
terrace through a series of steps very similar to those built
along either side of the pool waterfall. Each two-inch step
consists of a concrete base hidden in the grass, with veneered
sandstone risers and treads. Each top stone is flat and thermal
finished.
The treads are made very a very rich texture. They are gauged at
18 inches in width to make a generous step that is easy to walk
down and provides uniformity in movement. This reinforces the
feeling of controlled drama that one feels walking out into the
open space of the Friedman yard and helps pause the visitor just
long enough to make choices as to where to go next.
Moving up the steps creates an even greater sense of grand
finale, because the arbor itself is decorated like an outdoor
living room overlooking the Houston landscape, replete with a
chandelier, red drapes, and a full suite of furniture. The back
of the arbor is covered by a group of Japanese yew trees that
form an organic wall that frame the
Houston outdoor living experience with a backdrop of
controlled vitality.
For more the 20 years
Exterior Worlds has specialized in servicing many of Houston's
fine neighborhoods.
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