Outdoor Living: Designed for good times

Spaces for gathering, cooking, dining, and play define this family's backyard getaway

- KATHRYN O'SHEA EVANS

Despite an earlier update to his 1923 home in South Pasadena, CA, Joe Davis's backyard still wasn't hitting a home run. "It was just kind of an afterthought for us," says the FOX Sports and LA Dodgers sportscaster.

"We had a nice deck, but it felt fenced in." Adds his wife, Libby: "We didn't even want to be out there." With two young kids-and another on the way the family longed for a more free-flowing alfresco experience.

So they turned to System Pavers, a local design-build hardscape company, for a patio revamp that would add an outdoor kitchen. They also enlisted contractor Abe Nabbout to open up the deck with wide steps for a better connection to the backyard and to add a second pergola over new dining and cooking areas.