Date:  February 28, 2025  |   Story: Stephanie Maxwell Newton  |   Photography: Rett Peek  |   Styling: Stephanie Maxwell Newton  |  

In Little Rock, Eminent Terrain designs a beloved relaxation destination right outside a client’s back door

What’s the next best thing to waking up at the beach? Feeling like you’re on vacation in your own backyard. That was the plan when the owners of this west Little Rock home decided to upgrade their outdoors into a multipurpose living space. “We’ve been vacationing in Rosemary Beach for about the past 16 years,” the owner says. “We’ve stayed in some fabulous homes while there, and one thing that they all had in common was that the backyards were surrounded by walls, creating a courtyard effect.”

Consisting of a plastic-lined pool, concrete surround, and block retaining wall, the home’s backyard was ready for not only an aesthetic improvement, but a functional one as well. The owners’ wish list included updates to the pool, hardscaping and landscaping improvements, a pavilion to provide covered seating, an outdoor kitchen, and, if space and budget allowed, a firepit.

It was with this vision in mind that the couple contacted Kristi Wright, landscape designer and owner of Eminent Terrain. “In our initial meeting, she told me what she was drawn to—and that was a new style for me,” Kristi says. “It’s very clean and modern, but also easy to maintain and functional.”

The designer started by drawing up the bounds of her clients’ new space to give the courtyard feel they remembered from their beach trips. She created a gated entrance from the driveway, then designated the area directly across from it for a newly constructed pavilion. “Your pedestrian access starts your design,” Kristi says, calling on both her formal education in landscape architecture and 20 years of experience owning her own business. “After that, I looked at where we might want a water feature, and started to think about layout in terms of the view from the house and the circulation and flow of traffic.”

An outdoor kitchen with easy access to the home’s interior and a centrally located firepit make for a cozy hangout almost year-round. Finally, an updated pool lining, coping, and surround make that feature of the backyard feel completely new. “We couldn’t believe our eyes when Kristi came back with absolutely everything we’d asked for and more,” the owner says. “We’d thrown a lot of requests at her, and she took them all into consideration in her design.”

Come On In
Concrete pavers and river rock create an eye-pleasing French drain that helps direct water away from the backyard—an integral part of any outdoor plan, Kristi notes. “Function comes first in landscape architecture. It’s all about planning, construction, and drainage; plants are secondary,” she says. Stately asparagus ferns in concrete urns frame the approach.

Modern Upgrade
After removing dated elements of the existing pool, such as a metal ladder and diving board, Kristi designed a “lounge ledge” to create a sleek entrance for swimmers. On the opposite side of the pool, four loungers accented with green lumbar pillows provide a place for sunbathing with a view. “I wanted you to be able to see the pavilion, but also the rest of the action from there,” she says. A darker shade of pavers was used for the pool coping and also to delineate different zones of the backyard.

Natural Wonder
Three stone pillars make up a water feature that provides a focal point as well as soothing sounds. The pillars’ clean lines are juxtaposed with the natural-cut stone used to create them, reflecting the harmonious pairing of the natural world and contemporary design elements seen throughout the backyard.

“My husband loves to grill, and having a functional space to do that was really important.”
—homeowner

Grill Zone
An outdoor kitchen equipped with two grills, a wine fridge, and storage makes feeding a crowd a breeze. “I tried to keep the cook in mind,” Kristi says, noting the area’s convenience to both the indoor kitchen and its position within the rest of the layout. “It’s not too isolated, and he can walk around both sides and still interact with people.” Cane-back barstools provide a place to perch while chatting with the cook or waiting for the next batch of burgers to come off the grill.

Long-term & Lush
Large container plantings punctuate the backyard with evergreen and seasonal color. In the center of the trio seen here is sky pencil holly, angelonia, sweet potato vine, and wave petunias. The pots on either side contain oakleaf hollies, which can stay in place several seasons before they need to be repotted. “I try to keep the plantings simple and pick things that don’t need a lot of pruning to make the upkeep easy for my clients,” Kristi says.

Gather Together
In the center of it all, a grouping of all-weather Adirondack chairs creates a cozy conversation area around a modern firepit. Its proximity to the pavilion, barstools, and a dining table under a nearby covered porch make this space perfect overflow seating when entertaining a crowd. Turf is a low- maintenance option underfoot and breaks up the hardscaping with its vibrant green hue.

Got it Covered
With the pavilion, Kristi selected materials and trim styles present in the home’s exterior for continuity in the design. “That way it looks like it was always meant to be,” she says. The pavilion’s back wall also brings additional privacy to the backyard, adding to its courtyard feel. A large fan and outdoor heaters make the space usable all four seasons of the year.

Outdoor furnishings from Ninth and Co. offer the same sense of sophistication seen indoors with the durability to withstand the elements.

Design Resources
Landscape design Kristi Wright, Eminent Terrain, Inc. Accessories and furniture Ninth and Co. Brick and Stone Antique Brick & Block, Bennett Brothers Stone on I-30 Inc., and Miller Stone Countertops Countertop World Fence Eagle Fence Distributing Fireplace insert and plantings River Valley Horticultural Lighting Keeling Company Painting Certa Pro Painters of Central Arkansas Pool (lining) Waterscapes by Nolan Pools Turf Arkansas Luxury Lawns and Greens