Bruce DeBoer
This outdoor kitchen designed by Old North State Landscape Development features a flatscreen TV and lounge for enjoying outdoor meals and movies.
a private hideaway that features a stone patio, fire pit and low-maintenance landscaping. “With a gas fire pit, we don’t have to put any thought into storing wood or starting a fire. “We use the space every chance we have, especially on the weekends. It has quickly become a preferred place to entertain a small group of friends,” Rorie says. “Without being able to easily go out on a date night with COVID
restrictions and two small children, our fire pit has come to be a place where we can truly escape and enjoy our home in a new way. Our children also love to watch a movie by the fire.” Rorie offers homeowners practical advice to enhance their landscape: “Consider all of the many ways you can enjoy your outdoor space and then finalize a plan; you can always work in phases to achieve your full vision.”
VIVID OASIS
Debbie Sheppard has been upgrading the landscape surrounding her home in Raleigh’s Wakefield Plantation for years and appreciates having a soothing place to unwind during the pandemic. David Payne of Hillsborough-based Home & Garden Landscapes enhanced Sheppard’s haven, which boasts a pool and outdoor fireplace, with eye-catching softscapes.
“My husband, Frank, and I love spending time in our backyard admiring all the flowering shrubs David planted—azaleas, rhododendrons and gardenias,” she says. “Our property backs up to a golf course and, now that the pandemic has more people playing golf, we created a buffer with colorful shrubs and deer-resistant plants.”
MARCH/APRIL 2021
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