Outdoor Retreats

When I was a child, my brother built a platform high up in the branches of the sycamore tree in our front yard.  I loved to sit up there in this magic world amongst the foliage, to witness the different sights and sounds of the world around me, to read, to relax, to daydream.  These special little dwellings installed up among the trees bring back childhood memories and with them the desire to have an “adult” private retreat where we can  go to relax, to rejuvenate ourselves or to meditate.

Any outdoor space can be transformed into a personal retreat.  It doesn’t have to be a huge space, nor does it need to be an expensive project.  “Even the smallest space can provide a welcome respite from this all-too-busy world,” stated Barbara Ellis in her book Shady Retreats. The best getaways are those that reflect the user’s personality and promote relaxation.  For some it can be as simple as stringing a hammock between two trees in a quiet, shady corner of the yard.  For others, it can be something much more elaborate.

START WITH A PLAN

To create your own retreat, start by imagining what you want the area to look like and how you want to use it.  Determine the placement of the elements you want to include and the space needed for the layout.  Consider the budget for your plan.  Many retreats can be created in stages, spreading the cost out over several years. 

Be sure the plan complements your existing house and landscaping.  Creating outdoor havens not only provides a pleasurable oasis to enjoy, but it will be a focal point in your backyard, even increasing the resale value of your home.  If you have difficulty making these decisions, seek professional advice so that you don’t make expensive mistakes.

When selecting the components of your retreat, consider all the senses—sight, sound, smell and touch.  Make selections based on what is meaningful to you and coordinates with how you want to use the area.  Feature colors you find soothing.  To create visual interest, add decorative items that you love.  Water features are essential for a retreat but can range from a simple tabletop fountain to pedestal fountains featuring animals or nymphs to wall fountains whose water spouts from a lion’s mouth to gurgling streams wandering out of corners of the lot.  The sound of wind chimes can be soft or heavy.  Fragrant plantings of flowers or herbs provide pleasant scents.

All the elements of a backyard retreat are available in a wide range of costs and can be found in specialty centers or do-it-yourself home improvement stores, or can be contracted to professional landscapers and builders who specialize in outdoor projects and bring a breadth of experience in products, a wide range of prepared plans, and an understanding of how to best create the desired result. 

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR DECK

House lots in many residential areas have little room in the back yard for even a small retreat.  But as Elliot Kanarek, Owner and President of EMK Construction, Inc., says, “With the rising costs of land, if you like where you are, why move when you can improve.”  Take advantage of your deck or patio where you will have easy access from your house and you can build on existing flooring.  Choose all-weather furniture based on the activities you intend for this space.  Do you need a table for your laptop?  Light to read by?  A chest for storage?  Sprinkle color around through bright cushions, plants in interesting containers, pillows, decorative items, rugs and even artwork. 

Provide warmth for chilly evenings with a fire pit, chiminea or even a fireplace.  Create moods with candles and music from outside speakers.  Add lamps or ceiling fans. 

Screening your deck or adding a screened room provides a bug-free extension of your inside living area.  “Adding the screen element to the deck eliminates battling worrisome mosquitoes,” stated Max Herring of Coastal Screening.  “It also prevents debris like leaves and berries from collecting in your space.”
 

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR YARD’S FEATURES

For back yard retreats look at the existing characteristics of your yard and see if there are unique areas that are advantageous to privacy—fencing, mature trees, or unusual elevations to the land.   Think of the view you will have from the area; avoid overlooking driveways, play areas or busy streets.  Consider noise elements you might want to block out.

Evan Blewett, owner and landscape designer of LandArts, has been designing retreats for 20 years.  Featured in HGTV’s Landscaper’s Challenge, Blewett specializes in themed gardens, water features, walls, walks, and patios.  “We integrate destination spots into naturalistic settings where our client can reconnect with the senses,” Blewett states.  His projects have included water features large and small, including a pondless waterfall where the stream cascades into a basin.  “It has all the advantages of a larger waterfall,” Blewett adds.  “The pitch of the splashing water, the same as that of traffic, masks the suburban sounds, yet it has no algae and still attracts dragonflies and frogs.”  Low-maintenance gardens like herb gardens or xeriscapes are frequently planted in these meditative areas, and themes like Tuscan or Japanese can be attained through choices in landscaping, decorative items and boulders.

Blewett defines areas with interesting ground patterns of stone or brick as well as with low walls, landscaping, water features and boulders.  Intimate seating, small tables, even a hammock invite one to stay and relax, and low-voltage lighting throughout the garden adds ambiance. 

Decorative items create interest, and allow the homeowner to express his personality or to sustain a theme.  Anything goes in this category—statuary, metal sculptures, orbs, wind chimes, clocks, weathervanes, bird baths, antique pieces from wagon wheels to crockery, wood carvings, even artwork.  The simple addition of a Japanese lantern establishes the theme for an oriental retreat.

Covering the hideaway can be as inclusive as construction of a gazebo or as simple as making use of eaves or an outdoor umbrella.  Fences, screens, vine-covered trellises or arbors, awnings, even gauzy tents can mark the parameters of the area.  Winding garden paths draw visitors to the retreat.

A poolside cabana can become a personal retreat when the setting is private and relaxing.  A large formal pool house built at a Cary home by Elliot Kanarek’s EMK Construction, Inc. houses a kitchen, bathroom and changing area; and its roof extends to cover open areas on both sides defined by columns.  On the right side a table and chairs are arranged before an outdoor fireplace.  Canned lighting can be dimmed to create ambiance, and outside speakers add music to the mix.  The splash of the nearby pool and spa, the breezes filtering through the open areas, and the tall trees forming a wall behind all contribute to create a relaxing atmosphere where you could read, meditate, or even take the laptop and work. 

LAVISH CAN STILL BE INTIMATE

Resorts specialize in creating hideaway areas where lush landscaping, splashing water, colorful fragrant flowers, comfortable seating, interesting outdoor décor, and even exotic birds invite the visitor to sit and relax.  People love to create similar areas as personal retreats in their own back yards where they can go to rid themselves of life’s stresses.

Adam D’Alessandro, owner and founder of Paradise Pools, created just such a retreat for a Jamison Park homeowner in Cary.  “The owner specifically wanted to have an area that resembled those in resorts she had visited,” said D’Alessandro.  Any resort would be proud of the result.  His design began with a 24’ x 53’ free form pool that features a profusion of huge boulders whose natural look belies their concrete makeup.  A beach entry leads to a lazy river whose jet-driven current meanders around a center island featuring a water cascade and exotic plants.  The stream comes out into the main pool through an 11’ waterfall tumbling from the rock bridge overhead.  A water slide and spill-over Jacuzzi complete the swimming arena. 

Lush plantings of exotic palms and ferns surround the pool’s rock terrace.  “The landscaping definitely contributes to the intimacy of the area and keeps the rock-dominated pool from being overwhelming,” stated D’Alessandro.  The thick profusion of tall North Carolinian trees forms a privacy wall that shuts out the surrounding neighborhood.

D’Alessandro created a stunning backyard retreat, but a most remarkable feature is that the intimacy of the setting, the splashing of the cascading water, the dappled sunshine, and the sounds of nature blend to create a personal retreat as well.  It is enticing to imagine sitting alone on the poolside chaise lounge, reading the morning paper, having a cup of coffee, or even taking a nap, enjoying the soothing sights and sounds of the area.

NEWEST TREND: OUTSIDE BATHS

One of the fastest growing design trends for an outside oasis is integrating a private bathing experience into the garden.  Outdoor jacuzzis have been popular for many years, some covered with structures that turn them into year-round hideaways.  Although these spas are usually located next to the swimming pool or on decks, a new trend places them in a garden setting in order to create even more intimacy.  Freestanding claw-foot bathtubs or small outdoor showers placed outside in walled enclosures provide a unique and romantic bathing experience.

MAKE IT PERSONAL—MAKE IT PRIVATE 

Being in the garden, whether literally or figuratively, is good for mental and physical health.  Our high-tech society is drawn to the great outdoors.  “We are, in part, formed by the landscape that surrounds us,” writes local author Gini Hamilton.  How wonderful it is to sit in one’s private retreat, relaxing in the comfort of a colorful setting, listening to the sounds of splashing water, enjoying the scent of flowers, candles or incense.  “These spaces provide a personal and meaningful way to regroup, re-energize and relax,” says Debra Moffitt, author of Sacred Space at Home.  “It’s a place of solitude, a retreat away from demands that create stress.” 

How sweet it is.

Barbara Hobbs is a freelance writer