“Ron was born in Boston and has lived here all of his life,” Kellie said. “I’m a country girl. I’m willing to give up a lot to be here with my guy, but I want our home to reflect some of my personality and what’s important to me.”
Creative deck design begins in the acknowledgement that the home is an expression of the self. If there’s only one homeowner, that’s easy enough, but most families include more than one person. Understanding and integrating the multiple personal preferences into a deck design that works for everyone can mean marrying seemingly disparate elements, such as rustic with sophisticated, or big city with country casual.
As Metrowest deck builders, we’ve found one successful route forward is to have each party identify essential, must-have features they want in the deck. Areas that are essential to more than one person can be the starting point of a creative deck design. In Kellie and Ron’s case, that meant the fire feature for their deck. Both of them enjoyed the idea of relaxing by a fire under the stars; Ron’s vision was of a sleek gas fireplace while Kellie wanted a more traditional wood burning fire pit. Compromise was found with deck design that combined the look of a traditional fire pit with the easy care and maintenance of a gas fireplace.
“I always loved the cornstalks and pumpkins on the deck in the autumn,” Kellie said. “But Ron thinks that looks cluttered and trashy.” Navigating a balance meant building in areas for seasonal displays that could be both contained and festive. This included built in flowerboxes as well as strategically positioned posts for hanging wreaths or other decorative displays. “When Ron saw everything could be displayed tastefully, he came around,” Kellie said. “And I think having a great Christmas display really sold him on the idea. Anything is possible with good design – even getting my Boston guy to appreciate some country decor!”