Have you ever imagined owning a vacation home but find it hard to getaway?
With the help of the dream team of McAlpine Architects and Interior Designer Elly Poston, this Richmond, Virginia couple decided to tackle just that by creating a dream oasis right in their own backyard.
A simple outdoor space was transformed into a splendid sanctuary,
complete with a pool house that serves as the heart of their retreat.
With a charming chef’s kitchen, the pool house invites culinary adventures and family gatherings.
Here, they share delicious meals together, fostering connection and family traditions.
The cozy bunk room is perfect for kids and guests, allowing for sleepovers filled with laughter and fun,
and the lounge offers a peaceful escape,
where they can relax with a book or enjoy a glass of wine while overlooking the pool.
On Sunday nights, this couple embraces the joy of family traditions by ordering pizza to the pool house,
turning dinner into a special occasion.
This cherished ritual helps them unplug from the hustle and bustle of every day life,
reminding them
that a getaway doesn’t always require a long trip.
Instead, they’ve created a magical space that’s just a few steps away,
proving that with a little creativity and vision, your own backyard can become a beautiful destination.
Would you enjoy a getaway with your own backyard oasis?
With “her signature warmth and Southern charm” (E! Online), the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer of Songbirds and the Peachtree Bluff series presents a tender and touching novel about a young woman who discovers the family she has always longed for when she spends a life-changing summer in North Carolina.
Present Day: Keaton Smith is desperate for a fresh start. So when her mother needs someone to put her childhood home in Beaufort, North Carolina, on the market—the home that Keaton didn’t know existed until now—she jumps at the chance to head south. But the moment she steps foot inside the abandoned house, she’s confronted with secrets about grandparents who died in a car accident before she was born. And as she gets to know her charming next-door neighbor, his precocious ten-year-old son, and a flock of endearingly feisty town busybodies, she soon finds she has more questions than answers.
1976: After meeting her adoring husband Townsend, Rebecca “Becks” Saint James abandoned the life she knew and never looked back. Forty years later, she’s made a name for herself as the best hostess North Carolina has ever seen. Her annual summer suppers have become the stuff of legend, and locals and out-of-towners alike clamor for an invitation to her stunning historic home. But she’s struggling behind the façade. Becks strives to make the lives of those around her as easy as possible, but this summer she is facing a dilemma that even she can’t solve. And as the end of the season looms, she is brought to a decision she never wanted to make.
As both Keaton and Becks face new challenges and chapters, they are connected through time by the house on Sunset Lane, which has protected the secrets, hopes, and dreams of the women in their family for generations. For fans of Summer of ‘69 and The Notebook, A Happier Life explores the power of family, the bonds of friendship, and the boundless nature of love.