01
One axis, four rooms
Kitchen, dining, fire lounge and pool sit on a single axis off the great room, so the garden reads as a plan rather than a collection.
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Pool & outdoor living · Atherton, Silicon Valley · 2025
Pool, Outdoor Kitchen & Cabana
The clients wanted the back of the house to work like a second living floor — cooking, dining, swimming and showering, without anyone tracking water through the kitchen.
- Site
- 0.9 acre rear garden
- Scope
- Exterior architecture, design, management
- Duration
- 12 months
- Programme
- Pool, kitchen, lounge, cabana bath
The brief
- One connected outdoor programme rather than four separate garden features.
- A pool bathroom and shower so wet feet never enter the house.
- Materials and lighting that hold up to a Bay Area winter and still look right in July.
The approach
02
Cook where you eat
The outdoor kitchen carries a full grill run, sink, refrigeration and a bar counter, so nobody has to walk back inside mid-service.
03
The cabana solves the mess
Teak-screened outdoor shower, stone basin and a full bathroom mean the pool never spills into the house.
04
Lighting for after dark
Layered low-level lighting, in-pool light and a fire feature make the garden a night room, not just a day one.
Renderings
Five views of the finished design.
Materials
- Board-formed concrete
- Teak joinery and screens
- Honed granite counters
- Cedar soffits
- Dark-plaster pool finish
The outcome
- The garden is used year-round, not seasonally.
- All wet circulation kept outside the house.
- Delivered in twelve months including pool engineering and permits.
“In summer we barely go inside. Everything we need is out there.”
Next step
Begin with a complimentary in-home consultation
Ninety minutes in your home to talk through scope, sequencing and budget. No cost, no obligation.