Outdoor fire features have been a saving grace during COVID and continue to be. In this season of staying home, fire pits and fireplaces have served as destinations on our own properties and as a breath of fresh air from the confines of home. These soul-warming fireside designs are among our favorites….
Holy Smokes!
Masonry by BrickStone Design + Build; photo by Keitaro Yoshioka
This wood-...
In the hands of premier builders, architectural designers and landscape professionals, rugged design elements take on a heightened sophistication....
Mudroom with a tack-room feel...
Builder: Merz Construction; architecture: Dewing Schmid Kearns Architects + Planners; photo by Peter Vanderwarker.
Part of an addition to a Carlisle farmhouse, this generous mudroom by Merz Construction abuts an...
Meandering pebble drives. Jaw-dropping views. Mossy, stepping-stone paths. Granite hardscapes that take on the tones of the lake. Landscape design/build firm Pellettieri Associates, Inc. brings nature’s splendor to higher ground. President George Pellettieri, who has been in the business for 35 years, offers advice for homeowners in search of the terrain of their dreams.
George’s foremost tip? “...
The porte-cochère, meaning carriage entrance in French, began as an architectural feature on palaces and manors during the reigns of Louis XIV and XV. The roofed structure, which extends from the entrance of a building over an adjacent driveway or courtyard, provided a bit of ceremony as well as functionality. Carriages could enter an interior courtyard to drop off and pick up passengers under a...
In our eyes, a backyard has reached landscape perfection when it is easy to envision friends and families gathering on its special yet familiar terrain to celebrate a happy couple as they utter their “I dos.” To be worthy of “The Big Day,” and certainly one of a family’s most memorable moments, a landscape should be a union of gardens, design and site, and maybe a little poetry and promise. The...
After the weather we've had, we're longing to see lush landscapes with a wild sort of beauty, outdoor spaces bursting with life, blooms and leaves in every shade of green. Following a long winter slumber, these buoyant gardens truly signal spring. While they may seem a bit unruly next to a manicured English garden, these layered, often rustic, landscapes are, in fact, carefully cultivated. There...