The Oasis

The Oasis is a renovation and addition for a couple who entertains extensively throughout the year. Their home is the hub of activity for a large, multigenerational family. The previous outdoor area featured small, disparate areas that created pockets of hard-to-use space. The designers reimagined how the spaces could work better together while providing additional functionality, making the outdoor area usable year-round. Additionally, a portion of the interior spaces needed to be more connected to the new exterior spaces, making the connection between indoors and out seamless. 

The primary challenge was to address the home’s storm drainage issue. Years of erosion had created a significant risk of water infiltration into the home’s finished basement. 

The design solution offers several individual spaces for dining, fireside chats, shaded happy hours or watching the grandkids play on the sports court. Each separate space flows organically into the next for connection between activities. Tying these spaces together is a central, custom-designed and fabricated 20-foot linear fire pit. This central focal point features both fire and water elements.

Atop the covered lounge pavilion sits a tray green-roof system that captures and controls rainwater, preventing storm drainage from becoming inundated during heavy downfalls. Inside, the focus was to connect every space to the newly imagined exterior. The design team updated the client’s office with a large picture window to frame the view of this new outdoor oasis. The fresh, light-filled space compelled the team to introduce sleek custom cabinets, slender metal floating shelves and intentionally placed lighting. Function meets form in these interior spaces, drawing the homeowner’s eye to the stunning view.

An interior lounge also found new purpose with a redesign that better connects to the outdoor spaces. The design team combined a small TV parlor with a rarely used exercise room to create a larger gathering space visible from multiple points around the house. As with other spaces inside, floor-to-ceiling windows blur the line between inside and outside.

Every detail of The Oasis was designed with connection in mind. Nothing can be taken away without affecting the overall function of the space. Each newly designed detail is cohesive with the overall home, yet unique in its own way.