Beyond Four Walls: Extending the Home Outdoors
Somewhere in the Texas Hill Country, perched on the edge of a cliff, is one of the most beautiful and serene swimming pools you’ll ever see. No bright blue chlorine water here, no vinyl deck chairs—just a clear, dark pool of the deepest blue-gray surrounded by teak wood. It is as if nature, not man, created this oasis, floating here among the trees.
But it was, of course, created by man—specifically by Bill Bauer, a landscape architect and designer who spent the last 17 years with Gardens, an Austin nursery and gardening center. Though Gardens closed this year, Bauer is continuing his work as an architect and designer.
“That was one of our most challenging projects,” Bauer says of the hilltop oasis. “Anyone can stick a pool out onto this great view, but doing a pool that was worthy of that view, and had a really high level of design put into it, made a huge difference.”
Often when we think of landscaping, we think plants and pots, flower beds, maybe a tree or two. But Bauer’s work is more than just superficial arrangement; by incorporating multiple elements, he is able to make an outdoor space an extension of the home.
“One of the things we focus on in our work is that there’s sort of an architectural foundation there,” he says. “There’s a big emphasis on the built landscape, the hard landscape, the decks, pools, stairs, and how lighting might integrate into these things. All of that is decided before plants come into things.”
As we all know, Austinites love their outdoors, from our parks and pools to our favorite restaurant patio. Bauer’s advice is to take those experiences to our own backyards.
“What better way to enjoy the weather than to walk out your back door and take advantage of a great day?” Bauer asks. “There’s been an ongoing trend toward sustainability and the idea of growing your own food and cooking outside. There are more dinner parties being held outside and this whole movement of doing that at home as opposed to going out.”
Most of us don’t have an amazing view of the Greenbelt, or a giant outdoor space to build a large-scale project, but Bauer emphasizes that any outdoor space can become a comfortable and unique hangout.
“Think about that patio space you see out your back door and never use. What simple things could you do to really enliven it? Maybe just a few pieces of furniture or pots… It can be simple touches that can really transform a space and make you want to go out and use it.”
Bauer’s goal is to harness the same emphasis on design and quality that you put in the interior of your home, and translate it to apply to your outdoor areas as well.
“These outdoor spaces have value, and the people who have them and use them would agree that it gives you another layer of living and entertaining. In a way it extends the square footage of your home and creates a more enjoyable, usable space,” he says.
For those with bigger ambitions, Bauer advises getting your landscape architect involved in the early stages of a building or remodeling project. Often, he explains, landscape architects are able to manage many different aspects of a project and work through design and implementation issues as they arise.
“We design everything and install everything. I feel very strongly about that as a model. I am there onsite all the time,” he says. “There isn’t this more traditional model of plans being handed off to a contractor. The design intent is very consistent and I enjoy getting involved at that level. I love seeing it come to life and being there to help it all come together.”
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