From a windy yard to a sheltered oasis: soaking in the sea views from the hot tub and grilling behind the wall
Landscape designer Kairi Meos fulfilled the residents’ wish for a seating area that has room for an outdoor kitchen, a hot tub, and a fire pit—without blocking the sea view from the home’s windows. Check out the plan and the chosen plants!
Starting point: The family's new home is a modern, light-colored, two-story house that offers a magnificent view of the sea. The yard is windy and opens to the south, resulting in a fairly plain, minimalist overall impression.
The residents’ wish: The yard needed both enlivening and softening so it would fulfill the family’s vision and complement the home’s architecture. They also wanted an outdoor kitchen, a hot tub, and a fire pit within about 35 square meters (377 sq ft) of seating space. It was crucial that neither the outdoor kitchen nor the hot tub would block the sea view from the home's large windows.
Implementation: In the plan, attention was paid to ensuring that the different areas formed a cohesive, functional whole. The choice of materials emphasized natural elements and earthy tones so the yard would blend with the surrounding landscape and create a calm, harmonious feel.
A pergola built with glulam posts and finished in warm brown translucent wood connects the outdoor kitchen and the hot tub. This sturdy, modern structure also balances the large stone house and ties it to the yard—just like the yard tree, a visually striking and eventually sizable Juglans mandshurica.
At the center of the yard, the outdoor kitchen was designed to be durable, low-maintenance, and eye-catching. The kitchen and its background walls were built with concrete blocks and finished with flagstones in warm beige and brown hues. The countertop is granite, and the top of the background wall is capped with a finishing stone.
The hot tub is framed by a tall retaining wall that shelters the seating area. Ornamental grasses, perennials, and pallohortensia soften the wall. You reach the tub via wooden steps, and once inside, you can admire the view toward the sea.
The fire pit area was upgraded by removing old concrete pavers and replacing them with flagstone, spaced with groundcover plants in between. In the sunny gravel strip at the front of the house, feather reed grass and Allium atropurpureum were planted. The highlight stones sprinkled among them add another dimension to the yard’s appearance.
These plants were used
1. Smooth hydrangea, in the foreground cranesbill ‘Rozanne’ and Endres's cranesbill
2. Feather reed grass ‘Karl Foerster’
3. Kolomikta
4. Bugleherb, Saxifraga × arendsii and white stonecrop
5. Japanese spiraea
6. Kolomikta
7. Juglans mandshurica
8. Feather reed grass ‘Overdam’ and Allium atropurpureum
