This backyard began as an underused sand volleyball court, a generous space the household had stopped getting much out of. The renovation reimagines it as a place built for gathering after dark, organized around a pergola, a fire pit to gather around, and an outdoor kitchen for cooking and hosting.

The outdoor kitchen grows out of what was already there. Instead of demolishing an existing brick planter, the design keeps it and works it into the new kitchen, carrying a piece of the old yard into the new one. It is a quieter kind of resourcefulness, building from what the site already offered rather than starting over. The finished space draws people outside as the day cools and holds them there by firelight.