INDhome

Outdoor Done Great

by Amanda Bedgood

The best place in the house may not be in it.

The Guidrys built their home around the outside.

From where the house sits on the property to the pond and the comfy outdoor living area, Cathy Guidry says the great outdoors were a high priority when it came to home design.

"We built it around knowing we would be out here all the time," she says from the beautifully appointed outdoor living and kitchen area.

The Guidrys enlisted Denise Kartsimas of dk Design, who created a space that's a breath of fresh air. From the comfy couches to the fi re pit, the pool and the lux outdoor kitchen, the outside space Kartsimas designed is as purposeful as any interior.

"This is as important as the inside, or more so," Kartsimas says. "I do as many outdoor spaces as I do indoor, and I take as much care with the outdoor as I do the indoor."

For Kartsimas that means utilizing the growing inventory of weather-proof fabrics. Say adios to stiff or plastic-like varieties.

She says the newest outdoor fabrications are long lasting and good looking: "There are exterior fabrics, lamps, accessories, rugs and drapery. Seven years ago we were using stuff and saying, It won't last,' and now we have possibilities almost as vast for this as for inside your house."

Mike Guidry, a veterinarian, loves to cook, and the family includes a son who loves to fi sh in the pond just feet from the back door and a daughter who loves the super-sized couch-like swing. The entire space is versatile enough for the whole family and, thanks to the design, is cool much of the year.

"There's a lot of breeze and open space and a high ceiling," Guidry says. "It's not hot; we were pleasantly surprised."

The colors through the space are all pleasantly defined, and the high ceiling is painted a soft beautiful blue.

"There's no interruption of the sky," says Kartsimas.

And yet, it's all the perfect interruption for everyday life.