Palmyra, New Jersey–based Premier Outdoor Living was tasked with designing an expansive deck constructed from earthy-hued, heat-resistant Deckorators Voyage composite boards for a house in nearby Marlton, New Jersey. Sourcing loggia inspiration with a utilitarian flair, the studio incorporated a kitchen and a living area kitted out with a television, sound system, and in-ceiling heaters. “This leads seamlessly out to an open portion, highlighted with a custom pergola and hanging chairs. Finally, a double-sided staircase leads down onto a private paver patio with a firepit shielded from the neighbors’ views by decorative screens and a wall of arborvitae,” says owner Sean Collinsgru. From the outset, Collinsgru and his team envisioned the entire deck as “outdoor rooms or zones with corresponding functionality,” he adds. “Beams stretch out beyond the covered area to elongate the space and create a sense of flow from indoors to outdoors.”
Naturally, Francisca and Antonio Alonso, the husband-and-wife team behind AV Architects + Builders in Great Falls, Virginia, designed their own house from scratch. Five rooms on the main floor are mirrored in a sprawling outdoor vignette that includes a covered centerpiece dining table. It’s connected to the great room by way of “an atrium that has no outdoor roof structure to allow the sunlight to penetrate inside and reach the main entrance,” explains Francisca. Porcelain pavers, which are easier to maintain than natural stone, are married with fiber cement, Nichiha siding, exposed steel columns, and beams painted black. “For the ceiling, we used natural cedar to give the space a warm, modern feel,” Francisca says. “Since it’s not exposed to the elements, it will have a gentler aging process.”
