Resort at Home in Mclean

This generous parcel is in an established neighborhood in McLean, VA. The land surrounding the house did not serve the owners’ needs or desires, but they lived in the house for a decade before transforming the entire landscape in lieu of buying a vacation property. With Richardson & Associates, they embarked on creating a resort for themselves, their kids, and their friends, right there at home. 

The project was constructed beginning with the rear yard, which includes a large pool terrace with a woodland meadow backdrop. The pool house, painted a deep charcoal gray, serves as the perfect focal point for the garden while offering a fireplace with seating, an open bar, and an outdoor shower. These amenities, along with the pool, terrace, and spa can accommodate a lively crowd. Ten to twelve people fit easily in the spa and the stainless-steel scuppers are a water feature that continuously provides sound. For such an exposed area, pavers and steppers of concrete remain cooler underfoot than stone and establish a modern sensibility. A long concrete accent wall reinforces the design intention and is a foil for the vibrant perennial beds beyond. The texture of the wall is illuminated by a light channel while privacy all around is provided by a staggered evergreen screen of Arborvitae, hydrangea, Karl Foerster grass, and flowering accent trees. Snug against the property line to allow for more lawn, an infiltration bed helps direct drainage.

The second phase addressed the front yard. Rudbeckia, salvia, echinacea, and Liguria are massed to create an attractive perennial garden with drifts of Hydrangea quercifolia and Clethra alnifolia in the background. A new stone walkway and a large boulder salvaged from the property complete the scene and mark the address.

  • General Contractor: Winn Design-Build
  • Landscape Contractor: Black Pearl
  • Photographer: Stacy Zarin Goldberg Photography
A rectangular swimming pool sits beside an open-air pavilion featuring a stone fireplace and television. Several lounge chairs line the pool edge, and a curved wicker chair sits on the stone patio.
A rectangular fire pit with dark decorative spheres sits on a patio surrounded by four wicker armchairs and a circular daybed. The patio overlooks a grassy backyard with a swimming pool to the left.
Eight lounge chairs are arranged in a row along the edge of a swimming pool. A rectangular in-ground spa sits in the foreground, backed by a wall of evergreen trees and a stone retaining wall.
A poolside lounge area features a covered cabana with an outdoor fireplace and television. Several modern lounge chairs line the edge of the blue rectangular pool, which includes a water feature fountain flowing from a stone ledge.
A modern outdoor pavilion with a dark frame, stone fireplace, and television overlooks a swimming pool. The sheltered space includes two wicker chairs with footstools, set on a stone patio surrounded by a green lawn and trees.
An outdoor kitchen with a dark counter and four wooden stools sits beside a black-sided structure. A wall-mounted shower head is attached to the exterior wall, and a television is mounted above a fireplace built into the structure.
A square hot tub overflows into a swimming pool through a row of six metal spouts. The surrounding patio is bordered by a lush green lawn and a flower bed.
A backyard swimming pool features a covered pavilion with an outdoor fireplace and television. A row of lounge chairs lines the pool edge, and a fire pit sits in the foreground near wicker patio furniture.
A row of poolside lounge chairs sits next to a swimming pool. Behind the pool is an open-air pavilion featuring a stone fireplace, a wall-mounted television, and outdoor seating.
A white house with a covered porch features a flagstone path leading through a garden of tall ornamental grasses. Two wicker chairs with white cushions sit on the porch beside a black metal fence.

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