Creating the Ultimate Outdoor Oasis In The Woodlands — How Woodlands Stylehouse Brought a Vision of Tropical Grandeur to Life

When Woodlands Style House’s Sondra Lagasse got the call from Wayfair Professional to style a backyard retreat around a summer trend, she didn’t have to look far. It turned out Lagasse’s neighbor and friend Ashley Basso wanted a backyard upgrade.

“So they (Wayfair) sent us all their trends and the one that resonated with Ashley’s vision was called Tropical Grandeur, which has a lot of black and whites,” Lagasse tells PaperCity The Woodlands. “It has a lot of texture and foliage.”

Basso, her husband and their two daughters moved into a home in The Woodlands that backed up to a greenbelt four years ago.

“I grew up on 20 acres so I needed something with woods,” Basso says. “There was nothing in the backyard so I spent time focusing on what I wanted to do with the backyard. We knew we wanted a pool. We wanted to create a space that (my daughters) would be super excited to have their friends over.

“So I started researching on Pinterest. That’s kind of what I do. I created a mood board and then anything that didn’t fit, or would catch my eye in a negative way, I kicked out. I just keep creating that board until I get it to what I like. I’m very modern. I love white and black.”

A Backyard Oasis Takes Shape

Woodlands Style House‘s Lagasse worked with Basso and Wayfair to develop a Tropical Grandeur-style backyard. One heavy on lush greenery, black and white colors and scalloped textiles.

The lush greenery idea is carried through the yard with 7,000 square feet of artificial turf. It’s not the Astroturf of years gone by either. Options abound with choices in color, height and texture for the yard. Texas weather is only getting more extreme — droughts, freezes and floods — and it is very hard on plant life. All the “plants” are artificial in this outdoor oasis, and even fooled Basso’s landscaper at first glance.

The pool is designed with two shallow ends, and a deeper area in the center of the pool.

“Our kids play volleyball, and we really wanted to offer a way to play that inside the pool as well,” Basso says. “So we have added inserts where we can actually put in a volleyball net and they play volleyball.”

While the pool is the centerpiece of this stunning yard in The Woodlands, there are several other areas in the backyard that elevate the space.

Basso has two favorite areas — the hot tub, which measures eight feet by 10 feet, and the fire pit area.

“We have a massive arched windows looking out into in our backyard,” Basso says. “I love looking at the hot tub right in the middle.”

Lagasse loves all the areas.

“There are lots of vignettes, which I feel like it’s so nice to have,” Lagasse says. “The hangout space under the covered patio, the fire pit, the lounge chairs, the umbrellas.”

Lagasse pulled in pieces from Target and World Market in the some of the textiles too.

One thing you won’t find in this outdoor oasis is a television.

“I kind of like they don’t have a big TV in any focal point,” Lagasse says. “You want to be engaged with the people you’re out there with.”

Those different spaces were important to Basso too. She knows that the usage will change over time.

“It was more about utilizing the space and having it where I can utilize it now and I can utilize it in 15 years,” Basso says.  “My kids aren’t always going to be home. We do like to have friends and family over and I wanted to be able to entertain.”

Family time is precious for Basso, who knows that time with her kids at home is limited.

“We have these precious years with them and we want them to have a fun, safe environment,” Basso says. “They’re always in and out, and playing volleyball, and going out swimming and using the space. And so it’s perfectly met our expectation for what we wanted.”