Sunset aerial of a Newark DE family backyard landscape design with a pool terrace, loungers, and dining set, floating concrete steps with black metal railings, concrete retaining walls with echinacea and allium beds, and a custom outdoor kitchen overlooking open pasture

Space for Family Living

This Newark property needed a backyard that could keep up with an active family of four, including two young children and playful dogs, while still feeling sophisticated and connected to the home. GreenRoots designed a cohesive series of outdoor rooms that bring together pool, fire, cooking, dining, play, and relaxation without ever feeling like a collection of unrelated features.

The pool anchors the design, with a safe shallow entry where the kids and dogs can splash and a deeper section for swimming. Durable, slip-resistant materials throughout the terrace stand up to constant use. Between the kitchen and the pool, a custom outdoor kitchen lets the hosts grill, prepare meals, and gather with friends and family without leaving the activity of the backyard.

Location

Newark,
Delaware

Design/Install

GreenRoots
Design Firm

Photography

Mark Rutt
Creative

A family relaxing on the lower patio of a Newark DE family backyard landscape design, with modern outdoor seating on concrete pavers set in river stone, a custom outdoor kitchen, floating concrete steps with black metal railings, and tiered concrete walls with echinacea and allium plantings
Custom outdoor kitchen with a built-in gas grill and wood-slat cabinetry beside offset floating concrete steps and black metal railings in a Newark DE family backyard landscape design, with river stone joints and echinacea, allium, and yarrow plantings

The Project Brief

  • A family pool with a shallow entry for kids and dogs and a deeper section for swimming
  • Durable, slip-resistant materials built for frequent use
  • A custom outdoor kitchen set between the house and the pool
  • Offset floating concrete steps and custom metal railings connecting the pool terrace to the lower patio
  • Lounging, gathering, and play spaces that read as one connected landscape
Two French bulldogs playing at the shallow pool entry of a Newark DE family backyard landscape design, with a slip-resistant concrete terrace, woven loungers, umbrellas, and a mature oak beside the pool
Aerial view of a Newark DE family backyard landscape design with a concrete stepping stone path rising along the home to a tiered pool terrace, board-formed concrete retaining walls, echinacea and allium beds, an outdoor kitchen, and open lawn

The Experience

The property's significant grade change became the design's signature moment. Offset floating concrete steps carry you from the pool terrace down to the lower patio, turning a necessary connection into a dramatic architectural element. The custom metal railings are an art piece in themselves, keeping the walk between levels safe and graceful. Concrete walls hold the slope, and perennial beds of echinacea and allium soften them with bursts of red and lavender.

Spend an evening here and the rooms come alive one after another. The sun drops over the open pasture beyond the fence, loungers line the pool terrace beneath a mature oak, and the fire pit glows at the center of its own gathering space. Every material was chosen for active family life, with durability, easy maintenance, and the toughness to handle children, pets, and constant outdoor use.

The result is a backyard that does it all, with plenty of reason for family and friends to stay a little longer.

Yellow yarrow and coral echinacea blooming in a perennial garden bed below tiered board-formed concrete retaining walls in a Newark DE family backyard landscape design
Tiered concrete retaining walls with echinacea, allium, and ornamental grass beds stepping down the slope in a Newark DE family backyard landscape design, with black metal railings, floating concrete steps, and the outdoor kitchen and patio beside the home

Always a reason to stay a little longer.

Overhead view of a Newark DE family backyard landscape design with a freeform pool, concrete terrace, fire pit lounge, dining and lounger areas, floating concrete steps, outdoor kitchen, and tiered perennial beds stepping down toward the home