The Wow Factor

 

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Sonoma Cedar Pergola

Shown with optional lattice ceiling panels, optional wall panels, and optional stucco clad post bases.

Tuscany Pergola

A great pergola for your great outdoor room! The Tuscany Pergola is a 14' x 14' outdoor living center piece


It's time to make the living area outside your home as stylish as the inside."

The last word in outdoor living: The Outdoor GreatRoom™

The era of mismatched tables, grills and lawn chairs is over. The age of the Outdoor GreatRoom has arrived. At Fire Stone we offer fully-coordinated packages of upscale fireplaces, campfires, grill islands, romantic lanterns and high-end weatherproof furniture. All beautifully framed by a graceful selection of pergolas.

A Fire Stone Outdoor GreatRoom is a fantastic upscale upgrade. It makes your outdoor living area look like a million dollars at a fraction of the cost of indoor construction. And you can build them in a fraction of the time. Best of all, the cost can be rolled into the mortgage.

Let our experts help you design your Outdoor GreatRoom. After all, what you're adding is the last word in gracious outdoor living. Make that word: Wow!

From the first name in outdoor living ideas: Fire Stone
Of all the home product companies, only one is dedicated to improving the outdoor living areas of your home - literally, to "think outside." That dedication has - in just a few short years - made Fire Stone the category leader. The one name more and more people trust for unique, upscale outdoor home products.







http://www.hurricanefenceneworleans.com/Pergolas/pergolas.htm

Outdoor Kitchen Ideas And Designs

Outdoor Kitchen Designs
Outdoor kitchen cabinets are constructed using durable materials like stone, stainless steel, and redwood. This protects them from the harmful effects of seasonal weather and termites.

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The outdoor kitchen is a luxury and should be treated as such. It is a place for family and friends to enjoy each other’s company while swimming in the pool or just entertaining a full house. This keeps the majority of them outside making clean up more enjoyable.

This Los Gatos, California kitchen combines a freestanding stone-clad pizza oven and an L-shaped stucco-and-stone island that, at this end, holds a built-in gas grill and a painted plank cabinet. The floor is poured concrete. Photo: Ray Kachatorian (via)

Real stone fascia and rare Brazilian granite grace this contemporary outdoor kitchen.

1930′s BBQ is updated to a modern outdoor kitchen to match new pool area. (BBQ)
How to build an outdoor kitchen http://www.kitchenbuilding.com/tag/outdoor-kitchen/

Extending Your Living Space with Outdoor Kitchen Landscape Design

Outdoor kitchen landscape design is an increasingly popular trend in garden planning, not just in the year round warmth of southern California, but in cooler climates as well.

Modern outdoor design takes the elegant style of your interior living space and continues it into the yard, creating the same functional living space on the outside. Because the kitchen is an integral part of entertaining at home, many people prefer an outdoor kitchen or sometimes referred to in the cooler climates as a 'Summer Kitchen' for convenient cooking and dining in the beautiful outdoors.

Planning Your Outdoor Kitchen

Designing an outdoor kitchen landscape design requires careful planning. Today’s kitchens are much more elaborate than the traditional outdoor grill near a picnic table and there are many things to consider to ensure a living area that is both functional and attractive.
Below is a colored rendering of an outdoor kitchen elevation that one of our landscape design members created for a client in Orange County, California. Heavy wooden beams with detailed corbels are perched on rustic stone columns providing shade over head for this Tuscan styled outdoor kitchen.

Outdoor Kitchen Appliances

Outdoor kitchen landscape design can be as simple, or as grand, as the homeowner desires. Many design plans for these functional outdoor living spaces recreate the modern conveniences of the indoors with outdoor plumbing, elegant counter tops, cabinets for storage, and refrigeration.

Get ready to enjoy your outdoor kitchen landscape design - click here to view a video about interesting grilling tips.


The size and number of your outdoor appliances and accessories will depend upon your budget, as well as the space available for your kitchen and the number of people it will typically be used for.
An outdoor grill or barbecue is the most basic component of your design. There are a variety of styles and types of appliances designed for the outdoors including the Viking outdoor cooking equipment shown in this photo.

Choosing Your Outdoor Grill

There are a wide variety of barbecue grills available. The right one for your outdoor kitchen will depend on the number of people you typically entertain in your home. A large cooking surface or double rack design will allow you to prepare bigger meals, but a compact model will be sufficient for more intimate gatherings.

Today’s outdoor grills feature a number of accessories and add-ons as well. Side burners are the best way to prepare a full meal without the inconvenience of being trapped indoors.
Choose from simple models with one or two burners or large barbecue grills with full sized cooking surfaces for the feeling of an indoor kitchen. Cabinets and storage areas are also popular options.

Click here for help choosing your perfect BBQ grill.

Outdoor Barbecue Islands

Luxurious outdoor kitchen landscape designs often feature a barbecue island to provide a functional, yet attractive, workspace for meal preparation as well as room for storage. Outdoor kitchen islands can be custom made from fine wood, polymer, or brick or can be purchased in prefabricated sections for convenient installation.

Custom outdoor barbecue islands are:

• Easily suited to the appearance of your home with matching brick or complementary wood.
• Built on site for permanence.
• Designed according to your specifications so your outdoor kitchen landscape design meets all your needs.

Prefabricated outdoor kitchen islands offer:

• A simple, piece together installation.
• A more affordable price.
• A variety of styles, materials, and colors to blend with your overall design.
• Several different options to personalize your outdoor kitchen.

Other Outdoor Appliances and Accessories

Your barbecue island can be designed to contain your grill as well as several other appliances and accessories that make outdoor entertaining more convenient and enjoyable. Refrigerators are extremely common elements of outdoor kitchen landscape designs. Sinks, beer taps, wine coolers, pizza ovens, warming trays, cabinets and storage, and even dishwashers can also be integrated into your plans. A custom outdoor kitchen design can provide unlimited possibilities for cooking outdoors.

Click here to learn more about outdoor appliances and accessories.

The Best Materials for Your Outdoor Kitchen

Because your outdoor kitchen will be open to the elements throughout the year, it is important to select materials designed for outdoor use. Polymer is a strong, weather-resistant material preferred by many landscape architects because of its ability to not peel or crack with changing climates. Brick is another long lasting material for outdoor use that has a luxurious appearance in your landscape design.

Counter tops and surfaces are typically finished with natural stone for a sophisticated look similar to your indoor kitchen design.
Granite, marble, and slate counter tops are common in high-end outdoor kitchen designs and ceramic tile is also an option hat can be found in several colors.
The final touches to any outdoor kitchen landscape design, regardless of how simple or elaborate, are outdoor accessories that enhance the overall style of your home. Dining furniture, decorative accents like sculptures, throw rugs, or potted plants, and the right outdoor lighting design can help unify your outdoor kitchen with the rest of your outdoor design as well as with the interior of your home.  http://www.landscape-design-advisor.com/outdoor-kitchen-landscape-design.html

Outdoor Living at its Finest with Tuscan Landscape Design

More and more homeowners are opting for a Tuscan landscape design for Old World charm that blends the elegance of their fine home with the natural beauty of simple gardens.

Your outdoor area is much more than the space that surrounds your home; it is an extension of your home.

The landscaping and décor of your garden defines the style, the atmosphere, and the appearance of your outdoor living space.

Equal importance should be given when choosing your plant material. Creating structure using trees and shrubs is key when designing a Tuscan landscape design. After that, soften with ground covers and flowers are in order.


Today’s Tuscan style landscapes often combine the elegant feel of Italian landscape design from the Renaissance period with the peasantry gardens and rustic accessories of the enchanting farms of Tuscany.


The video below showcases our members work and illustrates how the use of certain materials can create a unique Tuscan look and feel...

Tuscan gardens are distinct from other landscaping styles because of its rustic, yet elegant flair. Experience the look and feel of Tuscany in your own yard by carefully planning your outdoor space, using the right materials and Tuscan landscape design style accessories.

Selecting the Best Materials for Tuscan Gardens

Tuscan gardens are popular for their beauty, as well as the simplicity and ease of maintenance they offer. Paths, patios, and other functional areas are essential to any comfortable outdoor living design and the type of material used to create these floors plays an important part in defining the atmosphere and theme of your outdoor area.


To create a Tuscan garden look, consider these flooring options:



• Ceramic decorative tiles adds authentic charm to any Mediterranean design. Use them to create a pattern that will add a slash of color to an otherwise dull patio. They also can be used on stair risers and counter tops. Choose colors that will tie in other elements in your garden.


• Saltillo tiles create charming walks and floors with a rustic feel. Choose only a porcelain saltillo instead of the porous generic type to avoid repetitive stripping and sealing routines.



• Weather treated bricks are easy to maintain and can be mortared in place or sand set for and even more uneven rustic feel.




• Flagstone offers a smooth, elegant style of charm for contemporary Tuscan landscape design with the same convenience as brick.

• Pebble tile has been used for centuries in Italy to create a durable, natural finish. Use it as a solid pattern or as bands to create a unique accent.
• Arto pavers are a quite popular flooring option for many magnificent California homes with lush Tuscan gardens. These exquisite tiles make beautiful patios and walkways that balance the beauty and elegance of modern homes without losing the quaint Tuscan charm of your landscape design.

• Tumbled travertine is another paving material that can refine the rustic feel of your garden, allowing the simple Tuscan theme of your outdoor living area to blend with the sophistication of your modern home.

• Aggregate finish with its hard, colored gravel textured surface is a good, inexpensive way to create a natural look and combines well with stone and tile accents.

• Gravel is the ideal flooring choice for a rustic Tuscan landscape design on a limited budget. Like other flooring materials, there are a variety of colors available. A subtle, neutral color will best accent the Tuscan feel; it is best to avoid white or gray gravel.

• Decomposed granite is a time tested favorite for naturally appealing pathways and is another inexpensive option for the paving areas of your yard.

Accessories That Complement Your Tuscan Design

Like the materials used to pave your patios and walkways, the decorations and furnishings you choose to incorporate into your landscape design help define your Tuscan theme.

Choose items that reflect the rustic and simple appearance of Tuscany, as well as the elegance of your home. Décor with a Mediterranean flair is perfect for this type of look.

If you are looking for unique Tuscan decor we recommend checking out Design Toscano. They carry a large quantity of rare and unusual garden products with a European flair.


Consider these accessories:
• Terra cotta accents are one of the most simple and inexpensive ways to bring a sense of Old World Tuscan charm into your garden. Decorate with terra cotta planters of various shapes and sizes, decorative urns, and other terra cotta pottery.

BurkeDecor has good collection of Mediterranean pots of Portuguese origin. These reproduced antique vessels originally used for transporting olive oil, wine, and molasses are true in every detail. Whats great about these pots are they're light weight and last longer than their terra cotta cousins. They also offer free shipping on orders over $50.
Plant these beautiful wide-rim planters with overflowing creepers or flowers for an authentic Tuscan landscape design effect at the entrance of your home or patio area.



• Italian ceramic pottery can add colorful accents to your garden. thatsArte.com has a wonderful collection of old world ceramic pottery which can be shipped worldwide. The Italian owners Tiziana and Manuela share a passion for the very finest Italian artistic majolica.

They search out ceramic centers located in the small medieval cities of Italy for the worlds most talented artisans who use the same process their ancestors did centuries ago.
Besides their unique collection of planters, they also carry a wide selection of ceramics including tile and dinnerware that can also add to your outdoor living space.
Each piece is delicately hand made and hand painted like this beautiful Planter "1700" by Giacomo Alessi pictured here.
Use them on their own or combine them in groups of various sizes and styles. Plant them with topiary, dwarf shrubs, rosemary, lavender or herbs... anything with green or gray foliage is fine as long as it doesn't compete with the planter's colorful pattern.

• Clay roof tiles and heavy beams of dark wood will add authenticity to your Tuscan landscape design. They can be used to unify your indoor and outdoor living areas into an astounding, elegant estate that is as magnificent outside as it is inside.

• Accent walls can add a sense of elegance to your Tuscan landscape design. Stone walls make wonderful barriers and dividers for your gardens and flowerbeds and, at the same time, they give your yard a simple, Tuscan flair.

• Wall art is another good way to warm up an exterior wall.
The Outdoor Art Store offers the largest selection of outdoor wall art online. The art is made specifically for the outdoors by renowned artists in every style imaginable like this Tuscan print by Sarina shown here.
Take time to peruse their site to pick out a piece that will complement the style and color scheme of your outdoor setting.

• Wall fountains are commonly found in Mediterranean gardens and make beautiful additions to your design.

• Teak wood furniture and accessories can also give your garden an Old World appearance without shadowing the modern, sophisticated design of your home.
• Wrought iron can be a great way add a rustic touch and can be used as fireplace accessories, window and door hardware, lighting, urns, gates and even as mosaics embedded in paving.

Flora That Completes Your Tuscan Garden

The plants and flowers you decide to feature along your walkways and throughout your backyard are the final key to designing a beautiful outdoor living space with a Tuscany theme.

The “best plants for your Tuscan garden” are any of the lush flowers and shrubs common to the Mediterranean region. Creeping vines make rustic adornments, while vegetable and herb gardens are both aromatic and useful. Click here for more information on the types of garden plants found in a Tuscan landscape design.

Your outdoor living area should be just as beautiful, functional, and enjoyable as the inside of your home. If you desire a yard with an Old World, Tuscan flair, it is important to blend this theme into the modern style of your home. Many local landscapers fail to pay attention to the small details mentioned above that are essential for a true Tuscan landscape design.

These tips and ideas are designed to help you gather your thoughts about what you want for your own Tuscan landscape design. We recommend consulting the services of our professional landscape architects and garden designers who can further assist you with the right materials, plants, and accessories for the ideal Tuscan outdoor living area.
Our member designers are from all over the world, from the Mediterranean regions of California all the way to Tuscany, Italy. Use our Member Directory to locate one near you.   http://www.landscape-design-advisor.com/tuscan-landscape-design.html

Your Secret Garden Awaits You with English Garden Landscape Design

The simple and refined beauty of English garden landscape design can blend easily with a variety of home styles and is becoming a popular outdoor design theme for fine home owners around the world.

Gracious curves, lush green lawns, and fragrant, colorful blooms can transform your home into a relaxing outdoor hideaway, reminiscent of the tranquil English countryside.
The traditional English garden style has its roots in the English culture. It is most noted for the array of fragrant flowers and abundant, lush plant life, as well as the romantic element of secluded sitting areas and meandering walkways, covered with creeping vines and majestic shade trees.
Incorporating an English garden landscape design into your own property is simple. With the right landscape design materials and carefully selected outdoor accessories, you can create the perfect garden for your afternoon tea. Experience a romantic English garden.




Spring Hill Nursery is a great source for your roses, bulbs and vines...a absolute beauty is Spring Hill's Pink Freedom? Hedge Rose. This beautiful rose has 'Five Star' reviews! It comes in a bright scarlet or salmon to rose-pink blooms and lush green foliage.
All of Spring Hill’s Freedom Hedge Roses are the most maintenance-free, trouble-free roses ever developed!
They have been specifically hybridized to resist diseases and insects and display a profusion of exquisite flowers. Brilliant, fragrant, long-lasting with blooms that appear by the hundreds all summer long and into the fall. They are excellent for creating a privacy wall and screening unsightly utilities.


Click on the arrow below to view a video on how to care for your roses...

The Materials That Create English Gardens of Mystery

Winding pathways surrounded by flourishing plant life are an essential part of English gardens.
Whether you’re strolling through the garden under the light of the moon or enjoying the afternoon breeze in the midst of the sweet floral aroma, the design of your garden paths should add an element of romance and an air of mystery to your outdoor design.



The following materials are ideal for constructing pathways and patios in your English garden landscape design:
• Gravel is economical and easy to maintain.
• Bark is another inexpensive, yet beautiful, flooring option.
• Interlocking stone or brick pavers add an elegant charm to your English garden design and typically blend well with modern home styles.

Consider these tips when you design your paths and terraces:
• The English garden style boasts a relaxed, free-flowing ambiance. Design paths to be functional, but primarily to enjoy the beauty of your outdoor space.
• Opt for curves and soft angles in your landscape design rather than straight lines and sharp corners.
• Allow colorful flowers, sprawling greenery, and aromatic herbs to gracefully brush the edges of your paths for a natural, rustic appearance.
• Combine various path materials for a more authentic English garden look. Stone pavers are a nice match for both gravel and brick.
• Choose natural, unobtrusive colors for pathway materials.
• Grass is also an important element of your English garden landscape design. Plan sitting areas and other functional areas amid lush green lawns that allow you to enjoy the charm of your outdoor space.

Charming English Garden Accessories

The furnishings and décor you add to your garden design can greatly influence the overall theme of your outdoor area.
When you plan your English garden landscape design, think simple, natural, and romantic and consider these accessories:
• Outdoor furniture with a weathered appearance is typical. Hardwood or teak garden furniture typically complements the English garden style.
• Design sitting areas to overlook the most scenic spots of your garden. Rustic garden benches and small tables with chairs are perfect choices.
• Garden arbors and trellises are key elements in the charm of English garden styles. Arbors with small benches can be covered with creeping, graceful ivy, richly sweet roses, fragrant honeysuckles, and a variety of other aromatic and attractive plants for a natural oasis that makes an ideal reading spot.

Tips For Attracting Nature

Traditional English gardens invite an array of insects and animals that add to the quaintness.
Knowing that your garden is providing a haven for wildlife will give you a closer connection with the nature.
Activities such as watch birds feeding or playing in a bird bath can lift the spirits and improve your sense of wellbeing.

Here are some tips for attracting nature to your garden:
• Create natural animal habitats with decorative arrangements of rocks, branches, or other natural elements.
• Select plants that attract butterflies, insects, and hummingbirds, like lavender, clover, and asters.
• Ponds and natural waterfalls are scenic additions to your garden and are inviting to birds, frogs, and other wildlife.
• Make your garden alluring to birds with colorful berry bearing shrubs, decorative bird feeders, and rustic bird baths.
• A natural, meadow style yard design will be the most appealing to native wildlife.
• Rustic wooden fences or decorative stone or brick walls make wonderful barriers and can add to the English garden style with climbing plants like wisteria and fragrant jasmine.
• Tranquil gazebos and scenic bridges make charming additions to your English garden landscape design.

English Garden Plant Life

The English garden style is full of natural charm created by an abundance of colorful, untamed plant life.
As with any landscape design, it is important to select a variety of blooms and shrubs to keep your yard colorful and vibrant year round.

The following suggestions are just a few ideas for plants to include in your design:
• Shade is an integral part of an English garden. Select plants that grow well without direct sunlight for these areas:

• Delicate roses of various hues • Lily of the valley, a native spring flower in English gardens • Fragrant, creeping honeysuckles • Dainty, bright primroses • Colorful foxglove

• Potted plants make attractive arrangements in your landscape design. Try these suggestions:

• Violas, forget-me-nots, and cornflowers are ideal for pots in shady areas • Pot petunias, fragrant lavender, and herbs like rosemary with the charm of trailing verbenas to display in sunny areas

• Other English garden plants include:

• Geraniums are attractive and require very little maintenance • Grannies Bonnets add splashes of color to your landscape • Peonies provide vibrant colors • Aromatic sweetpeas are beautiful and create a romantic fragrance • Delphiniums are essential plants in any English garden design

Click here to learn more about country garden plants used in French county, American country and English garden landscape designs.



English garden landscape designs are unique and require special attention to planning details.
Similar styles, including the quaint cottage garden designs and the French country gardens, have the same relaxing charm but may be more appropriate for your property.

Before you consider an English garden landscape design, please consult with our Member Directory where you can locate one of our locale members in our area.     http://www.landscape-design-advisor.com/english-garden-landscape-design.html

Create a Backyard Landscape Design for Relaxation and Entertaining

Modern backyard landscape design takes the traditional, simple lawn and extends the enjoyable living space of your home into the natural appeal of the outdoors. Today’s outdoor living spaces incorporate all the elements of indoor living, from purposeful living areas to detailed accents, to create a true estate home that is enjoyable throughout.The most important thing to remember when designing your outdoor living space is to blend the look and feel of your home’s interior into the exterior.
Choose a garden style that complements the style of your home and integrate the same color scheme, furniture style, and even add similar outdoor accessories.
Another way to define the unity between the inside of your home and your backyard landscape design is to connect the two with entrance ways.
A kitchen doorway may provide access to a sunny terrace with a fresh herb garden or the dining room could extend to an outdoor eating area. Consider connecting your bedroom to a romantic, fragrant flower garden.

For more information on backyard entertainment areas view our page on creative landscape design for backyard entertainment.

Extending Home Life by Creating Outdoor Rooms

Just like the inside of your home, your outdoor space should have designated areas for the many different things you and your family may do, from hobbies and relaxing to entertaining and recreation. Decorate your outdoor rooms just like you would the interior of your home, with fine patio furniture, weatherproof accessories, and integrate the same overall color scheme.

Consider these outdoor room and living area options:
• Dining areas and outdoor kitchens are common elements of a modern backyard landscape design. This may be as simple as a grill and picnic table or as elaborate as a custom outdoor kitchen with stainless steel accessories and fine patio furniture.
• Outdoor living rooms can serve many purposes and many upscale homes incorporate more than one outdoor living area to serve these functions. Plan this living space with consideration to the time of day it will be used and the amount of sunlight desired. These areas can be used for relaxing, lounging, entertaining, and even recreation and may integrate interesting decks, beautiful patios,or terraces into the design plan.
• Outdoor areas designated for recreation will depend on the hobbies and interests of you and your family. Swimming pools, outdoor spas, workshops, and backyard sports areas are all possibilities and can be tastefully integrated into your backyard landscape design.
• Living spaces designed specifically for sitting, lounging, or simply enjoying the beauty of the garden are equally important. These areas are often centered around a focal point of your landscape design, like a fountain, pond, or sculpture and are usually accented with comfortable seating.

Creating Indoor Comfort With Outdoor Accessories

The typical modern backyard landscape design truly reflects the comforts and beauty of luxurious indoor living right in the natural elements of the outdoors. There are a number of accessories designed to resist rain, sun, and other weather conditions that are traditionally found on the interior of the home.

• Fine patio furniture is an excellent way to add comfort and style to your outdoor living area. From traditional tables and chairs to more contemporary outdoor couches and weather-resistant recliners, outdoor furniture is a necessity.
• Outdoor rugs add safety as well as beauty to your outdoor area. Select colors and designs that blend with the rest of your outdoor design. Bright, vibrant colors are often an appreciated contrast to the neutral, cold hues of outdoor flooring.
• Curtains, shades, and other privacy accessories are designed for outdoor use as well.
• There are many other decorative accents found on the inside of your home that can add comfort and personality to your backyard landscape design as well. Candles, artistic wall hangings, and throw pillows are among a few of the accessories you can find designed for outdoor use.
• Incorporate your own personal tastes into your outdoor living space with your favorite patterns incorporated into furniture and accessories, unique water features, and majestic wind chimes.

Lighting in Your Outdoor Living Area

Just like indoors, lighting options are a great way to create the right ambiance and atmosphere in your outdoor rooms. The romantic flicker of candles is a backyard landscape design favorite, but there are several other possibilities to consider as well.

• Most modern homes feature convenient outdoor electrical outlets that are ideal for the many different styles of outdoor lamps currently available. Choose lamps that match your outdoor design style, blending with the colors and decor inside your home.
• Custom lighting design plans that incorporate just the right amount of light throughout your yard are also popular.
• Outdoor lanterns, lighting along walkways, and cozy outdoor fireplaces are other options.


Creating an outdoor living area can be as simple or as complicated as your home, budget, and tastes allow. It is important to remember that your landscape is an extension of your home and should reflect a similar style and appearance. The best backyard landscape design is a plan that allows you and your family to enjoy the beauty of nature and your favorite outdoor activities, while adding function and value to your property.
Our landscape design members are available to help you with every aspect of design and installation of your outdoor living area.


To get started complete just go to our Member Directory where you can choose from landscape architects, installation experts and other landscape related professionals who would be happy to help you with your landscape project.     http://www.landscape-design-advisor.com/backyard-landscape-design.html

Backyard Landscaping Ideas

Create Your Own Sanctuary  For me, backyard landscaping ideas are a high priority. There's just no place in the world more dear to me than my own private backyard.