Resident and designer Julie Baker was ready to create her and her husband’s outdoor living dreamscape despite the challenges. Although their backyard had potential with its enviable lakeside views, its topography was far from ideal.

“Honestly, no one thought it was feasible,” Julie recalls. “Our property has a very heavy slope right off the back of the house. And we sit on a ton of rock. So I sat and stared at the space, measured this and that for months before I realized how the elevation of the land could work in our favor.”

Her master plan included two nearly impossible desires—a pool and a wraparound deck with no stairs. After making accommodations for space and budget, the Bakers ended up with a half-in-ground, 15-foot by 20-foot cocktail pool and hired a contractor to pump concrete over the top of their home and into the deck foundation below to make the structure work.

During this process, the couple began brainstorming ideas. Her inspiration came from fond vacation memories; his from a love of golf.

“When I started thinking about how I wanted the space to feel, I thought about bike rides I’ve taken through places like Martha’s Vineyard,” Julie says. “Striped awnings; high-backed, sit-for-hours lounge chairs; an easygoing charm—that was in my mind for the materials and furnishings.”