by Christy Heitger-Ewing | photos by Graham Photography
Have you ever stepped inside a home where a room was added or renovated and were struck by the stark difference between “old” and “new”? That same thing can happen when adding an exterior living space to your home unless you are proactive about blending the interior with the exterior. According to Dan Weingart, owner of GreenImage Landscape & Design, ideally, an exterior living space should be an extension of your interior design style.
“We want it to all flow together cohesively so that it looks intentional and not just a hodgepodge of things thrown together,” says Weingart, who starts his consultation meetings by asking his clients questions to gauge an understanding of not only their style but also how they plan to use their exterior space. For instance, do they envision dining outdoors, unwinding solo, or using it primarily to entertain? That helps determine what elements to include such as firepits, fireplaces, and pergolas.
From there, they match colors, complementing the features from a design standpoint. He also finds out if they lean towards more of a traditional or modern aesthetic. A modern look is made up of clean, straight lines and larger format pavers with more stone and lots of grey. Traditional might involve some natural stone and either a modern or a tumbled “roughed up” paver.
“For many projects, we take those two and blend them, meaning that we take a modern paver with clean straight lines and mix in some natural stone,” says Weingart, who recently worked with a client who requested a weathered limestone boulder retaining wall to frame her contemporary pool. The same homeowner asked Weingart to build a flagstone pathway to the firepit area that is set back into the trees.
“You can mix styles together, but it has to be softened the right way with colors and various sizes of plant material,” says Weingart.
If you’re looking to seamlessly blend your indoor and outdoor living spaces, call the team at GreenImage Landscape & Design to ask for their expert advice, ideas, and installation.
