Annapolis

Home & Garden

Home Makeover | July 2009

By Kymberly Taylor

Welcome to our monthly column, Room Makeover. Have a tricky decor problem you just can’t solve? No challenge is too great. Submit a high resolution photo of one room only and a brief description of your “design dilemma” to Ktaylor@Whatsupmag.com and NMaril@Whatsupmag.com. Upon approval, we will submit your room to a local interior designer who will diagnose your problem and suggest solutions and products. WhatsUp? will publish the results in this column and/or on our web site.

A Tiny Backyard Becomes a Leafy Room

This landscape, prior to its transformation, was defined primarily by its winding path.

The Problem:

The homeowners, who live in Murray Hill, a historic, urban neighborhood in downtown Annapolis, wanted to transform their sandy backyard into an outdoor room where they could barbecue, entertain friends, lounge, cut flowers, and play with their four-year old daughter. Also, they recently renovated their kitchen, which adjoins the back yard and wanted their outside to feel as fresh as their new interior.

The Solution:

Hal Quayle created more living space with a patio and fire pit made of Bluestone and water fountain and pond distinguished by interlocking rectangles. For visual interest, he chose for the fountain and fishpond Carder Rock, which is hewn from a local Maryland quarry. Because seating area is compact and there is not much room four furnishings, he capped the fountain walls with “sitting benches” ideal for cooling your feet or feeding the fish and which conveniently accommodate larger crowds. He planted clusters of purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, blue lace Hydrangea and irises, heat-tolerant plants all ideal for cutting. Giant mounds of low-maintenance ornamental grasses, painted hosta, and fern create the feeling of a leafy enclosure. For their daughter, he built a custom playhouse with swing and, after composting and roto-tilling the soil, installed an instant carpet of fescue sod able to withstand hot summers and a child’s wear and tear. Finally, he enclosed this special “room” by re-fencing the backyard with tongue and groove cedar whose simple lines are echoed by the play hut.