Outdoor Escapes

The weather is totally moody around here right now. But rather than wanting to curl up with a book like I normally do, I am craving some spring: sunshine, budding flowers, and dewy greenery everywhere. When I ran across these pictures of Trip Haenish's LA home in the latest issue of Lonny, I was instantly smitten.

This pic (kinda) reminds me of our narrow backyard just outside of our double sliding doors. I would love to eventually upgrade them with folding sliding doors like this to really open up the living room to our views. Add it to the wish list. Sigh...

I also fell hard for this secluded outdoor lounge. I almost didn't believe it was the same house until I looked closer at the dramatic modern angles of the wood chairs. The simple cast fire pit is pretty handsome too.

Since our side yard is secluded from the neighbors by a high fence - minus the romantic brick and ivy - and much bigger than the backyard or the other side of the house, I would love to create a cozy fire pit for our chilly summers and amazing Indian summers (which is really fall here in on the Central Coast).

This would require moving the hideous hot tub (I realized that I have never taken a picture of it, and it is currently dark out), which incidentally I am fine with, but I think Ryan feels otherwise. Thank goodness none of this is in the budget, or it could lead to some serious disagreements!

Hopefully these pictures will help me stay motivated this weekend while Ryan is finishing up the fence and I am tearing up visquine where the lava rock used to be. If all goes according to plan, I will also transporting dirt from the front yard to the back yard so we can plant some grass for the pups. If we have any luck, maybe we'll be blessed with some springy weather too!