West Stockbridge, MA
The owners of this antique colonial home engaged Christine Krause Design Studio to create a design that included additional outdoor living space and an update of the existing landscape around the house. She is a sun-lover and he is a shade-lover. The compromise was to build a screen porch with an adjacent south-facing pea gravel sitting area for each of them to enjoy their property.
Working with their builder, the porch construction included removing an existing chimney, updating windows and outdoor lighting, and adding interior French doors opening out to the new screen porch. One of my favorite aspects of the new porch is the stained concrete floor and reclaimed granite step from the house onto the porch.
The clients also desired an updated no-fuss garden to enjoy on the weekends they spent in the country. We removed several trees that were too close to the house, an iron fence that closed off the house from the property, and an outdated, labor intensive perennial garden. The planting design focuses on late spring-to-summer blooming plants and fall color for the clients to enjoy while they are up on weekends.
