Outdoor Kitchens
The Main Attraction
An Overland Park family’s outdoor fireplace brings them together.

For once in its history, a television prompted its owners to spend more time playing outside and fewer hours watching mindless programming.

Steve and Ellen Katz wanted to put a TV in the hearth room, but the space wasn’t large enough, so they decided to add on to their home by bumping out the back where a “basic little patio” resided. Once the 8-foot addition was complete, all that remained in the backyard was some gravel, a patch of lawn and a couple of birch trees. Even though they had hardly used the former concrete pad, the couple wanted a useable patio to spend time cooking, dining and relaxing outdoors. “We wanted something that would blend in with the house and be secluded from the neighbors,” Ellen says. What they got was a sophisticated, intimate setting that lives three times as large as it is.

The Katzes’ initial idea had included curved walls; from there, they weren’t sure what to do. But Maverick Pickering of Maverick Landscaping had plenty of ideas for them. “He made the process fun because he’s so creative,” Steve says. “We would say ‘we like this’ or ‘we don’t like that’ until we came up with the final design.”

Maverick worked the curved walls into the design, encompassing the small space, and took that theme one step further. To give a 500-square-foot space good proportion and multiple functions, he used an inlay in a circular pattern to define three different areas. The circle separates the outdoor kitchen, nearest to the house, from the living area, furthest away. At the center of the circle is the dining table.

Pennsylvania Bluestone flagging is the foundation for these outdoor rooms. Maverick says that in addition to looking great, it’s the best stone to use in Kansas because it handles the cycle of heat and cold well. He coordinated with the landscapers to put in a row of evergreens behind the low walls to create privacy, while the existing birch trees make a canopy overhead.

What’s most striking and unusual about the project is the fireplace. Maverick describes it as “fat, low and sleek.” “The low rectangular shape is very European. We’ve always known fireplaces as tall and square,” he adds. That aspect was highly appealing to the Katzes. “We like things to look a little different,” Ellen says.

Even more unique is what’s inside. Crushed glass is the base for three round fireballs. “(Fireside) had river rocks, iron logs, balls and triangles. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Ellen recalls. “We went with the balls because they match the contemporary look of our house best.”

The fireplace has an open front and top with a stucco surround. “It’s what you call an ‘effect fire,’ for the ambiance and crackle. There’s no chimney or logs,” Maverick says.

The mood it creates is entrancing. The family can sit outdoors late into the evening, aided by eyebrow lighting on the curved walls and a couple of post lanterns. This winter they’ll bring out heat lamps for additional warmth.

With the ability to enjoy the space year-round, Steve says, “It’s the whole package.”

Resources:
Design and Installation: Maverick Landscaping
Stone: Sturgis Materials
Gas Grill: Fireplace and BBQ Center
Furniture: Amini's Galleria
Fire Design: Fireside
Electrical: Teague Electric