LITITZ, PA // Award winner
Designed by: Howard Jay Supnik Landscape Architect
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This project integrates seamlessly with the well-crafted architecture by treating the outdoor spaces as extensions of the house.  The clients are strong believers in family and friends and were seeking a comfortable and relaxing experience beginning with entering the house from the front as wells as in the more private backyard.  The front path is more then just a path and is truly a garden experience.  In the back, the clients were looking for a space that would accommodate social gatherings for both dining  and relaxing in a comfortable setting.  Because the backyard faces due south, reducing heat and glare were addressed by a significant amount of plantings as well as a pergola for shade and introducing water.  Water was used both formally and more organically to help provide a cooler environment in the daytime and the sounds provide distraction and a relaxing link to nature.  A casual stone firepit with areas for to sit, as well as distinctive lighting, were important elements for the evening experience.  Below the pergola is an outdoor kitchen with a barbeque, storage below and ample countertop space for food preparation, all tastefully integrated into a stone wall which defines the space and screens views to the driveway.  Essential to the backyard space was keeping much of it level with the house, and then stepping down to a smaller sitting area or the larger lawn and vegetable garden.