BY
Andrea Darr
PHOTOGRAPHY
James Maidhof

Like most homeowners who strive to get more use out of their backyards, Mike and Joni Lambert wanted to add structure and functionality to a portion of their 23-acre property. The rolling green lawn already featured a pond, a large barn for storage and a baseball diamond for their three teenage sons. But there was no real connection to their stately brick house.

The family mulled different ideas for an outdoor living arrangement, looking at photos in books and discussing the options at their sons’ baseball games. One of the other mothers often in attendance was Dana Rzepka, an interior designer and a family friend. She helped them talk it out and work with architect Theis Doolittle and landscape architect Vance Rzepka, Dana’s husband.

At that time, in 2001, the trend in outdoor living hadn’t caught on to the extent that it has now and examples were somewhat limited. The Lamberts’ preliminary plans called for a bathroom and shower. Mike also talked Joni into installing a pool. But once everything was down on paper, everyone realized they had room to do much more. But what?

During a trip to Breckenridge, Colo., for a sports event, Dana and Joni went shopping and found a painted cabinet that inspired what the project was to become. Dana took a photo of the colorful primitive piece painted in barn red, butter yellow and black. “We both fell in love with the colors and the aged look,” Dana says. It was a departure from the casually elegant interior of the Lamberts’ home and therefore became the basis for the design of a separate pool house cottage.

The Lamberts are family-oriented people who prefer to stay close to home and entertain. With a fresh idea, their revamped backyard would become their own personal resort that they could visit any time they wanted.

Brick walls around a portion of the designated outdoor living area tie in the new addition with the existing house and give privacy. On the back side, iron fencing allows the family to see the entire property, while an arbor on the pool deck creates a non-obstructive visual stopping point to the useable space.

An L-shaped pool with a waterfall provides hours of fun and relaxation, and when the heat gets to be too much, swimmers can head to the shaded outdoor living room that is covered by half the roof of the cottage. White columns support the structure and allow the room to be open on three sides. Brick pavers outline the space where walls would normally be. A natural stone fireplace is the focal point, flanked by a TV cabinet and a Viking grill.

“The columns and brick coordinate with the house, but I started pushing Mike and Joni toward stone because there was so much brick,” Dana explains. She outfitted the space with a rolling bar cart and bar seating and weather-resistant furnishings.

For longer stays outdoors, the Lamberts and guests can enter the cottage through two sets of Dutch doors. One leads to a back hall with three storage closets and an oversized bathroom and the other to a complete kitchen.

Evident everywhere is the use of the colors that inspired the cottage. In the kitchen, a yellow tile floor, barn red cabinets and black accents (including a near-black stain on the horizontal wall panels that Dana says acts neutrally); in the bathroom, a black granite vanity top and yellowish vessel sink; upstairs, yellow-painted wood walls and a black granite fireplace surround.

“What’s most important in my design is that it’s comfortable and inviting,” Dana says.

She achieved both and more. In fact, the entire design team created exactly what the Lamberts didn’t know they desired at first. And although they’ve now had several years to use it, the cottage is still and always will be a favorite destination.

Resources
Designer: Dana’s Designs
Architect: Theis Doolittle
Landscape Architect: Vance Rzepka
Contractor: Darnell Construction
Pool: Swim Things