We transformed this former carport into an outdoor living room. To define the space, we sliced the existing concrete slab into a pattern of pavers and then polished and stacked the strips to form a corner bench and a raised pond. Where the concrete strips were removed, we created planting beds with a plant palette complementary to the house. Finally, for nighttime entertaining, we lit the space using low-voltage lighting and installed a dramatic fire bowl for gatherings.

Photos by Andrew Takeuchi and Eric Schmidt