360 West October 2011 : Page 58
PatioStyle Warm Cozy & An outdoor fireplace and intimate seating areas make this patio an inviting place to enjoy year-round. By Meda Kessler Photos by Ralph Lauer Pyracantha, featuring loads of berries that turn color in the winter, are espaliered on the sides and front of the house, where it frames the custom garage door. Shelly designed the pool with several seating areas around it. Large containers allow them to add some seasonal color. With grand plans for a house at Eagle Mountain Lake, Cody and Shelly Whelchel thought the little bungalow on a quiet street in Fort Worth’s Ridglea neighborhood would be perfect for temporary living quarters. The plan was to then turn it into a rent house. The Whelchels own Cody Landscape and the office is not far from where they’d be living in Ridglea. But they soon realized how much time they would spend commuting from Eagle Mountain Lake and decided instead to build a vacation cabin in Mount Pleasant, a bit north of Tyler in East Texas. Which left them with a very small bungalow in Fort 58 October 2011 www.360westmagazine.com
Patio Style
Meda Kessler
Warm& Cozy<br /> <br /> An outdoor fireplace and intimate seating areas make this patio an inviting place to enjoy year-round.<br /> <br /> With grand plans for a house at Eagle Mountain Lake, Cody and Shelly Whelchel thought the little bungalow on a quiet street in Fort Worth's Ridglea neighborhood would be perfect for temporary living quarters.<br /> <br /> The plan was to then turn it into a rent house. The Whelchels own Cody Landscape and the office is not far from where they'd be living in Ridglea. But they soon realized how much time they would spend commuting from Eagle Mountain Lake and decided instead to build a vacation cabin in Mount Pleasant, a bit north of Tyler in East Texas.<br /> <br /> Which left them with a very small bungalow in Fort Worth. “We kept the footprint of the house and expanded back and up," says Cody. "Shelly took charge of the exterior."<br /> <br /> As it’s just the two of them and they wanted a low-maintenance and private backyard, Shelly decided to flagstone most of what was a rectangle of grass and to add a small pool, multiple seating areas and a covered patio. "Even though we have a maintentance staff, we didn’t want to deal with having to water and mow while we were out of town. Plus, we wanted something a little more intimate for this space; something that suited the coziness of the house itself.” A covered patio — a piece of inch-and-a-half-thick Plexiglas keeps the elements out and is pretty much shatterproof — is covered with the trailing vines of a Chinese wisteria. Cody found a set of vintage multipaned French doors, purchased from the old Chickasw Lumber Co. In Fort Worth, and installed them in the addition in the back of the house. Now the couple can open the doors in nice weather, allowing their two dogs to go freely in and out. They move a dining table outside for an al fresco dinner or a game of cards with friends. The covered patio provides a sheltered area where the dogs can hang out, too.<br /> <br /> The black gunite pool blends in with the landscape, and small fountains offer the soothing sound of water. Large urns hold seasonal plantings at two of the corners, and the rest of the landscaping was designed to be weather-hardy.<br /> <br /> Flagstone paths wind down each side of the house, one from a side entry gate next to the garage, where pyracantha has been espaliered on the white brick wall.<br /> <br /> On the opposite side, the walkway from the backyard leads to a fenced-in area that the Whelchels can access from their master bedroom. “This is where we come out and have coffee in the morning,” says Shelly. “It’s peaceful and a great way to start the day.”<br /> <br /> Shelly also designed a fireplace, built off one corner of the house, to create a cozy area for reading or having drinks. While fire pits have become popular, this fig-ivy covered fireplace looks as if it's been there forever. “My sister comes over and won’t leave this spot,” says Shelly. “After you start a little fire wrap up in a blanket, it’s easy to not want to move.”
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