Members of Chip and Susie Hobson’s dining club could be forgiven for wanting to hold all their dinners at the couple’s Reno home. Or, specifically, in their eat-in kitchen, an airy volume featuring clean-lined cabinetry and filled with light. Recalling the U-shaped kitchen, cramped dining area and breakfast nook that originally made up the space, architect Jack Hawkins laughs, saying, "It was completely dysfunctional."  Chip and Susie Hobson called on architect Jack Hawkins to transform their barely functioning kitchen and dining area into an indoor/outdoor space.The Hobsons don’t dispute his assessment. When they bought the 2,500-square-foot house, which was built in 1968, they knew they had work to do. "But we didn’t think we needed another thousand square feet to make it more open and livable," says Susie. "We wanted to stick to the footprint." IKEA chairs join a table from CB2; a Kawneer triple-sliding door opens to the family’s new ipe deck.Susie met Hawkins while she was working for the Stremmel Gallery, which Hawkins remodeled, and liked his aesthetic.

After hiring him to redo their family room, they wanted to do more. But cost was a concern, and then their second child was born. Eight years passed, and the kitchen wasn’t getting any better. Susie, an avid cook, took to storing pantry items in the laundry room. "You do it because you don’t have a choice," she says. french doors for sale edmonton"But every day it starts bugging you more and more." sliding door rollers nzHawkins removed walls and swapped outdated storage for floor-to-ceiling African mahogany cabinetry.outdoor patio furniture concord ncThey called Hawkins, and pondering the couple’s requirements, he started sketching. garage door motors for sale in port elizabeth

The rooms faced south, to a derelict rudimentary deck, sizable yard and swimming pool. "You had all these little apertures—a tiny window over the kitchen sink, a crappy bay window in the dining area, and a 1970s slider that didn’t work," Hawkins says. "I thought, How can we clean that up so you get that indoor/outdoor effect?"  garage door parts flint miOf the Caesarstone counter, which extends to a built-in steel dining table with a detachable leaf, he says, “The total length is just over 16 feet, which gives it a really beautiful, sleek proportion.” upvc front door with glass panelsChairs are from IKEA.windows and doors heidelbergWorking with longtime collaborators—like contractor Darin Murphy, cabinetmaker Ben Wilborn, and steel fabricator Paolo Cividino—helped Hawkins get the detail he wanted while controlling costs.

He began with the entry, reconfiguring the landing to the adjacent living area, the kitchen, and the upstairs bedrooms. What looks like a sleek, paneled wall in the living area now holds the built-in refrigerator, cooktop, and oven on the other side."It was a simple move, but it totally transformed the space," he says. Chip agrees: "You open the front door and see straight through to the backyard."  “We had all these little apertures. I thought, ‘How can we clean that up so we get that indoor/outdoor effect?’”—Jack Hawkins, architectReplacing the awkward warren of rooms with a kitchen/dining area enhanced the feeling of expansiveness, and floor-to-ceiling African mahogany cabinetry solved the couple’s storage   dilemmas. There’s even an "appliance cabinet" for things like the toaster oven and microwave. "Everything has a place," marvels Chip. "There’s little if anything out on the counter." Cabinetmaker Ben Wilborn carefully matched the grain of the cabinets, which hold everything from dishes to a television, while a steel niche for the dining table leaf doubles as a display space.

Function and aesthetics also influence the hot-rolled steel dining table and counter that extends from the kitchen island. To accommodate groups, a wooden leaf attaches to one end and pockets into a steel niche in the cabinetry. The dining table narrows to a counter attached to the island.To open the space to the rear yard, Hawkins settled on a 22-foot-long triple sliding glass door. Set flush with the refinished white oak floors inside, a new ipe deck with cement bench seating makes it a popular spot for parties.  The stools are from Crate & Barrel. The Hobsons chose a geometric-patterned glass tile backsplash by Island Stone. Induction cooktop and oven are by Bosch.The couple and their children (Annika, 15, and Luke, 12) use the kitchen daily. Susie doesn’t miss her trips to the laundry room for provisions. "I don’t want to walk a mile to get ingredients. Here, everything is right at my fingertips." A George Nelson pendant hangs in the reconfigured entrance hall, whose stairs echo the concrete steps off the back deck.

Hawkins is ready for the call to implement Phase II of the plan, which in-cludes a lap pool, new plantings, and a pool house/office/guest room. "He has a complete vision," says Susie. "He’s been saying, ‘Are you guys ready for that new front door?’ "  Designed by Hawkins, the Perch by Canary 3 offers additional outdoor seating. The 22-foot-long triple slider facilitates indoor/outdoor access.How To: Style an Outdoor Space This month, we joined forces with The Everygirl, a lifestyle site devoted to giving creative, career-driven ladies all sorts of valuable advice, from finding travel deals to feeling more energized. In addition to creating a custom box filled with some of their (and our) favorite beauty products, the founders will be sharing their brilliant tips over the course of August. First up: their chic suggestions for sprucing up your outdoor space with five simple pieces. Summer has finally arrived (and it only took until July for some parts of the country—ahem, Chicago)!

So it's time to set up and hunker down in your (or your friend's) outdoor space. Some of you might reside in the suburbs and have a nice yard for entertaining guests; many of you might live in a city and rely on three square feet of a rickety urban fire escape as an outdoor retreat for your morning coffee. Whatever the case may be, we wanted to show you that with only five fundamental items, you too can create a cozy, complete outdoor space! 5 Key Components to Style Any Outdoor Space 1. Seating Takes many forms, including dining chairs, a bench, or even floor pillows (if you have minimal room). Regardless, you need a comfy seat for your seat! 2. Table: A reliable, sturdy surface to hold your beverage, rest your laptop, write in your journal, etc. 3. Rug: Makes the space feel finished but depending on the weather, a rug can potentially get dirty very quickly. Make sure to buy an outdoor/indoor material that is easy to clean. 4. Lighting: To set the mood, lighting can be in the form of candles, twinkle lights, tiki torches—whatever atmosphere you are going for!