The Artful Garden
When photographer Sally Holst bought her house on Conway Glen in 2003, the long, narrow veranda running the length of the rear façade was a major selling point.
And as she, architect Yong Pak, landscape designer John Howard and interior designer Wallace Bryan took on the task of overhauling the home and its surrounding landscape, making a seamless transition from indoors to outdoors took top priority.
With that objective in mind, the dynamic design team replaced the traditional wooden French doors with large, steel-framed panels that opened from the home’s main living areas and master bedroom to the outside.
They also opted to shorten the veranda, designing a light-filled breakfast area and sitting room that feels more like a screened-in porch thanks to its views of and access to the exterior through each of the windowed panels.
Landscape architect Howard was charged with the task of updating a canopy originally designed by the renowned landscape architect Philip Hainsworth.
Furnishing the outdoor living space was a no-brainer for Holst, whose deftly trained eye created several areas for meditation, inspiration and relaxation.
“I wanted to create a Moroccan feel out here, to feel like I could transport myself to another country in that space,” she says, “and I think that’s what I achieved.”
The mix includes antique screens and a shell mirror parlayed from Scott Antique Market, French dining chairs from her previous residence, and a Buddha statue she’s hung on to for years.
The furniture stays outside year-round for entertaining purposes, while an overgrown tiki hut furnished with Adirondack chairs and a fan provides a cool haven from the sun.
The black-bottom pool was replaced with Caribbean blue, and the rectangular spa replaced with a round one; the stamped-concrete pool floor was changed to bluestone to match the veranda floor and “and to respect the quality of the house,” Holst says.
“I knew what I wanted and had an exceptional team to help make that happen,” she smiles. “I’d worked with [interior designer] Wallace for years and she can finish my sentences; I love Yong’s edge, I think it sets him apart. I couldn’t have asked for a better team.”
Yong Pak, Pak Heydt & Associates, (404) 231-3195, John Howard, Howard Design Studio, (404) 876-7051, Wallace Bryan, Southern Exposure Interior Design, (404) 875-2669, Superior Pools, (770) 458-6499, D.L. Troughton, (770) 421-8904