Love of the outdoors inspired this client's requirements for the design, which include an expanded area for relaxing and entertaining, a space for a scultpure created by an artist friend, raised vegetable beds, and a space to hang their kayaks out to dry. A flagstone patio and a pergola with a retractable canopy creates a space that is usable year-round. It accommodates an outdoor kitchen, a grill, a dining table, and a separate seating area with a fire pit. A current maintenance trouble spot, the small but steep slope under the Pieris japonica hedge, has been replaced with a retaining wall. The areas around existing trees and raised beds are also free of grass, to avoid having to maneuver a lawn mower in those narrow spaces.