For a couple and their young family, with two kids and a dog, moving to a new house in Sellwood, Portland near the Willamette River was their dream. Luckily the 1910-built house had already been incredibly renovated by the previous owner and was move-in ready, but at 1,390 square feet the family simply needed more space. Instead of building an addition, the family of four looked to their backyard to create additional living space for all four seasons.

Leveraging an existing ipe deck, Life Design Build designed and created an outdoor lounge with modern Adirondack-style custom outdoor furniture and fire pit, a complimentary spa with matching outdoor shower and hot tub, and surrounding landscaping and hardscaping. The goal was to reinforce and celebrate the home’s Pacific Northwest natural/modern cabin aesthetic, making the most of the region’s most ubiquitous timber source, Douglas fir, along with strategic placement of western red cedar and local willow, and a garden utilizing low-maintenance but also striking native-species.

“The outdoor lounge and spa gave us a backyard that we use every day.”