Where the rest of us might see a cramped, narrow, long--okay, let's say hopeless--backyard, designer Susan Lane saw a "decorating opportunity." She designed the area as a series of intimate spaces, with the feeling of rooms. Each area is a separate country vignette.
First, Lane solved the problem of the right corner, which was right outside her bedroom. "It sort of goes to a point, and there's nothing there," says Lane. She pored over home magazines until she found a "darling niche"--really just an oversized wood canopy platform. She had a carpenter build it, and then stocked the niche with oversized pillows. It provides extra seating for a party or private conversation , and "it gives your eye a place to go," says Lane.
Another place perfect for "tea for two" was inspired when Lane was drinking a glass of wine on a pleasant day in the yard. "I thought, 'What a boring wall!'" she said. Lane didn't let that last for long. "I love Matisse, who doesn't paint anything straight," she explained. In his honor, she painted gray on gray "shutters" that frame the windows charmingly, slightly askew. A cafe table and bunches of flowers , and the vignette was complete.
At the opposite end of the yard, Lane made an outdoor eating area. She did want a place for casual lunches or maybe even more formal meals, but she didn't want a heavy wall. Instead, for privacy, she built a wooden fence about shoulder level. Then she installed a window, complete with shutters, which had been left over from her home. That way, people can see the greenery of the surrounding yard, but there's still privacy for the gatherings.
Throughout the process of creating her backyard haven and entertainment areas, Lane recycled some unlikely objects. In the "main living space"--really just some country twig furniture beneath a blue umbrella--she used a table made from an old spool of telephone wire. She crafted the top from broken china shards.
Nor was Lane discouraged when the backyard waterfall she'd designed using concrete pieces was too expensive when an architect drew up the plans. Instead, she used a favorite accessory--whiskey barrels--and came up with a less expensive way. The falls babble happily--background music to this five-part country haven. Who would have dreamed it was once an ordinary backyard?
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