Sage Outdoor Designs » landscape design

I’m a big fan of lazing around on a Saturday morning with a cup of tea and a good book. Because of that, I have always wished for an outdoor bed (in the shade, with a great view), like this one by GM Construction Inc. in Hawaii. We go on vacation and hope to find something just like this, but in all my years designing outdoor living spaces, I hardy ever get asked for one here. Why not? This is San Diego- don’t we want to pretend we’re on vacation all the time?

By the way, I love the soft green colors they used for the throw pillows. Those kinds of greens are so relaxing that I just want to take a deep breath every time I look at them. I learned recently that our brains find greens so relaxing because they are right smack in the middle of the spectrum of colors we can see. Pretty neat, huh?

I got a new batch of project photos back from my photographer, Ed Gohlich, who I can’t recommend highly enough. I’ve updated my website and my Houzz page. I’d love to know what you think!

I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for adaptive reuse. What do you think of this German hotel where the cottages are made from reinforced concrete pipe? I think they are wonderfully reminiscent of Hobbit holes, only a lot hipper.

  Do you have a home with one of those covered patio areas that seems to small to be useful for anything? How about using it as your outdoor kitchen?

Today’s sneak peak is a newly completed project we did in Santa Luz. The developer-built house had a covered patio off of the kitchen, but it was too small to be a useful outdoor dining room, so for years it had just been a wasted space, a pass-through to the garden. But it was just the perfect size to be an outdoor kitchen! We split the kitchen in two: one side became the grill station, and the other side was perfectly sized for a bar. There is plenty of storage but it almost vanishes behind custom cabinet doors that look like they are part of the siding.

The client wanted a relaxed Mediterranean look with a hint of something modern, so we used concrete counters and barnwood siding, both materials that are very rustic, but also very now.

Thank you, Dave DeBruin of Blue Pacific Landscape, for your excellent craftsmanship!