Designing an outdoor living area, complete with outdoor furniture, is a hard thing to accomplish. Due to the varying conditions that the outdoor furniture needs to withstand, it makes it difficult to find pieces that are both durable and stylish. But, that’s just what Faye Ledwick, a resident of Centerville, did.
Thanks, in part, to Collin Sparks, owner of Jamestown-based Dig-It, she accomplished this goal–and more–when she completed her outdoor living space.
Sparks opted not to tear out all the concrete since it was in pretty good shape and would have made a mess, especially around the pool. Instead, Dig-It used a thin layer of a sand blend under the pavers. “That way, if the concrete moves from a freeze-thaw, the sand will allow the pavers to stay put,” says Sparks.
In keeping with her ultra contemporary style, Faye chose a unique pergola—absent of traditional embellishments—and had it painted black.
The pergola is basically T-shaped as it also covers a walkway that leads directly from the house to the main sitting area, which is accented with cushioned seating and a fireplace.
The seating area sits up on a raised deck comprised of Brazilian hardwood. Sparks says the dense, non-porous wood will maintain its rich, dark color with a once-yearly pressure wash and coat of oil.
Faye also chose a two-tiered fireplace with the same straight, clean lines as the pergola and much of her existing décor. The gray surface has a marble appearance and is situated so family and friends have a view of the plantings just beyond.
Even though it looks like slate-colored marble, Sparks points out that the fireplace is actually decorative concrete, similar to stamped concrete, but a different mix, which is poured into a mold that frames the shape. From there, a variety of colors and textures are achieved.
Faye can also use a remote control to start the fireplace from inside her home, which is something she often does.
The main design leads seamlessly to a lounging area and full outdoor kitchen, which also includes its own counter seating. Faye is a vegetarian so she made sure to have plenty of space to prepare and grill vegetables. Her son-in-law is an amateur chef, so he needed a kitchen to suit his talent.
In order to tie the spaces together, the countertops match the nearby fireplace.
Faye also admits that she doesn’t have a green thumb or experience with plant design, but her friends do, so they surprised her on her birthday last June by completing her landscape by adding colorful flowers and container gardens. “Carol, Carla and Glinda did such a wonderful job and worked so hard to help me achieve my goal,” Faye says.
She also loves that the space is usable for the majority of the year. Last Thanksgiving, she and her guests relaxed on the cushioned outdoor furniture after dinner. Even when it’s cold outside and the snow is coming down, she can turn on the fireplace and enjoy the view. “I absolutely love it.”