Southern Breeze 2007 Fall Issue

The Chamlees spend every morning in their outdoor room, and their visitors love the lush gathering spot. “This is a labor of love,” Linda says of the lushly landscaped outdoor areas of her home, which is “truly where we live.” Linda and Al, both plant lovers, have created all of the topiaries themselves, as well as wall containers overflowing with plants that survive every winter, she says, because they’re protected by the walls of the room. Three fountains provide soothing sounds to disguise any noise from outside the walls that surround the home, giving it a courtyard effect. There’s even a hot tub and, hidden behind it, a food-preparation area where Al cooks for all of their parties on his assortment of grills and smokers. Visitors to the Chamlees—and there are many, since the couple loves to entertain—are drawn to their seven-foot-long swing, which Linda had custom-made for Al as a housewarming gift. It was designed with an extra-high back and thick, luxurious cushions to make it a spot no one wants to leave. With a black wicker coffee table, an outdoor rug that looks like it could go indoors, and a couple of comfortable antique rocking chairs with black-andwhite-striped cushions, the spot is comfortably furnished and conducive to conversation and good times. Rob Robinson, director of advertising and public relations for Montevallo, Alabama-based Summer Classics, which manufactures upscale outdoor furniture, knows how important comfortable seating is to any outdoor space. He says the company is “teaching people how to live outdoors.” “We feel the reason outdoor living has become so hot is because people have found out it’s the easiest way to add livable square footage to their home.” Local licensee Tommy Clement, who owns the Summer Classics showrooms in Mobile and Gulf Shores, gauges the popularity of outdoor living spaces by the bottom line: “The company is doubling in size every four years,” he says. 32 s o u t h e r n b re e z e . c o m Clement attributes the growth to “people spending more time outside.” His customers are spending more money to decorate the places where they spend their time—and in return, they get furnishings that will last outside “forever,” he says. Summer Classics’ bestselling resin wicker is guaranteed not to fade or crack for five years; wrought aluminum is also popular and long-lasting. Landscape architect Paul Fontenot of Garden Design Solutions Inc. in Fairhope says outdoor spaces have “become huge” in the past few years, as people seek to create vacation-like oases in their own backyards that make them feel as if they’re escaping without ever leaving home. His clients are “very concerned about the relationship of the outside to the inside architecture,” he says. Swimming pools are traditionally popular backyard accessories in the South, but Fontenot says that nowadays they have a “double function,” serving as a “focal point and aesthetic water feature, as well as for swimming.” Clients want pools that look like garden ponds or fountains, with plantings coming all the way to the edge. Though many homeowners, like the Chamlees, have cultivated their outdoor living space for two decades, Fontenot stresses that anyone can create a beautiful space outside, thanks to stores like Target and Pier 1. “It’s incredible what they have right there,” he says. “One shopping trip on a Saturday can turn a space around pretty quickly. For the do-it-yourselfer who doesn’t have a huge budget, all the elements are out there.” Michelle Roberts Matthews has fond memories of weathering a tropical storm with a book in her favorite outdoor space: the front porch of her first home in midtown Mobile. IMAGES BY KARIM SHAMSI-BASHA http://southernbreeze.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Southern Breeze 2007 Fall Issue

Editor's Letter Contributor Gumbo Words & Notes Accessories Coastal Calendar Storefronts: French Flair in Fairhope Sweet Dreams: Smooth Sailing Art of Living: The Colors of Hope Fixtures: Shake It Up! Live Here: Filled to the Brim Our Backyard: Just Add Water Make Yourself at Home: Open Invitation Pierless Pleasures Always Biloxi Spirited Away Reef Madness Louisiana Love Cheers: Fall Freeze Dish: Java Servers Reader Services Chef's Table: The Kid Inside Let's Eat: Cornbread, Catheads, and Calas Last Bite

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