A Natural Beauty

For the outdoor living spaces of this English-style pool pavilion designed by the architectural firm Henry Sprott Long and“Associates, decorator Phoebe Howard chose elegant Kingsley-Bate chaise longues and ceramic garden seats. “I love mixing teak and porcelain,” says Howard. “It brings an “indoor“ look outside.” Landscape design by Kelly Hulsey.

In the great room, a bird motif on F. Schumacher“s “Chenonceau” fabric alludes to the forest beyond without distracting from the view. A Hickory Chair sofa is upholstered in outdoor fabric by Nobilis. The wicker chair and two Baker occasional chairs don Pierre Frey acrylic outdoor fabrics, which are available through Travis &“Company. Driftwood lamps, bird prints and all other accessories available through Mrs. Howard. The room is anchored by a hemp rug with a diamond pattern, which lays atop slate floors.

Pebble stone floors in the heavily used kitchen are extremely durable, and they“re also comfortable against bare feet. Cabinet doors and drawers feature slate-gray painted panels and insets.

Towels are neatly folded behind glass doors of a painted cabinet from Mrs. Howard; pool toys, goggles, flip-flops and games are stowed underneath.

In the bath, sumptuous monogrammed towels by Matouk feature blue banding. Towels available through“Gramercy Home.

The garden includes a combination of formal and informal spaces, as well as a fountain and a fire pit.

An Orkney Island chair adds an air of relaxed formality. Its classical shape is softened by its rope-like rush seat and back.

The pool house was designed to be used year-round. During spring and summer, the lush greenery and blooms add even more dimension to the outdoor spaces.

If it weren’t for the swimming pool out front, one might think this stone-clad structure—set against a backdrop of rolling hills—was a quaint cottage nestled somewhere deep in the English countryside. And inside, with furnishings as luxe as one would find in any formal living room (without the pretense), you might think you are in a good friend’s den. But the structure is, in reality, a pool house. Created by architectural firm Henry Sprott Long and Associates and decorator Phoebe Howard, the new space has a sense of permanence, even though it’s only a few years old.

While the pool house’s great room is casually elegant, it goes well beyond being functional, too. “If something is not pretty and not practical, it won’t make the cut,” says Howard of her designs. “An object has to be beautiful but it has to work for what it’s intended.” Here, cases in point include a hemp diamond-pattern rug that can stand up to the abuses of indoor/outdoor living, plus comfortable upholstery covered in weather-friendly acrylic outdoor fabrics by Pierre Frey.

“I wanted to connect the room’s design to the feeling of the woodlands that surround it—not in a mountain style, but in a way to pay homage to the nearby streams and trees,” Howard explains. A slate gray-and-white fabric with a bird motif by F. Schumacher frames a grand window and the view beyond. Bird prints, driftwood lamps, wicker and rustic antiques offer subtle reminders of the surroundings, as well.

The great room is flanked by two simply stylish spaces—a kitchen and bath that the decorator designed with her stepson, Andrew Howard. White kitchen cabinets feature doors with inset panels painted slate-gray, while an antique sideboard was converted to a vanity in the bath. Pebble floors, a Howard favorite, anchor both spaces.

“I didn’t want to distract from the architecture or the setting, so the pool house didn’t need to be over-decorated,” says Howard. “I wanted the clients and their guests to be able to sit anywhere they wanted while wearing a wet bathing suit.”

DECORATION Phoebe Howard, Mrs. Howard, (404) 816-3830; phoebehoward.net, ARCHITECTURE Henry Sprott Long and Associates, (205) 323-4564