KBB: Entertainment Oasis
Published in the November/December 2025 issue.
Avid home entertainers, the clients – a couple in their 60s – wanted a backyard that would reflect their hospitable and social lifestyle as well as provide respite for them and their guests. But what they originally had was a bare lot with a swimming pool they had no intention of using or maintaining. So, to transform the yard into their personal Eden, they called on Boxhill & Co. founder and landscape designer, Elizabeth Przygoda.
An Outdoor Floor Plan
Fulfilling the clients’ wish list without treating it like a series of boxes to be checked off, Przygoda approached this Tucson, Ariz., project as a designer would tackle the interior.
“It was a massive blank canvas, so the best approach was to create distinct rooms – outdoor vignettes where guests can naturally flow from one experience to another,” she explained. Instead of walls, however, each zone is clearly defined by blankets of poured concrete.
Naturally, the patio lies front and center and comprises a kitchen-and-dining zone and a living room–like “lounge” for relaxation. The outdoor kitchen is anchored by a 40-inch-wide grill station that’s clad in slatted wood-mimicking eco-board material and topped by a ¼-inch-thick countertop that extends to form a bar. Przygoda custom designed this feature from a single sheet of metal powder-coated in high-gloss white.
“I loved the look of a seamless, clean and modern surface with no transitions or cuts,” said the designer. “The house’s interiors are midcentury modern, so the kitchen’s finishes and clean lines carry that spirit outdoors, making it feel cohesive without being literal.”
The clients grill frequently – practically every week – but even when they don’t, they still entertain their guests around the bar, at the sleek formal dining table beside it or at the numerous other areas Przygoda created.
Resort-Like Amenities
The adjacent concrete floor section, for instance, features equally minimal and modern lounge furnishings and a discreet water feature. The latter’s low, slim-channel design – constructed from simple CMU block and smooth stucco – blends in with the furniture grouping but wasn’t just a style choice.
“The clients are sensitive to sound, so instead of a piercing splash, we designed a wide mouth that creates a soft, soothing flow,” said Przygoda. Secondly, it serves as a bench for guests to perch on during larger gatherings. In addition to entertaining, the homeowners are passionate about golfing, so in place of a disused pool, the yard now has an L-shaped putting green that wraps this lounge area and water feature.
Among some of the clients’ other requests was a therapeutic spa element, which the designer positioned to one side of the yard. Here, homeowners and guests can enjoy an outdoor sauna or an above-ground, jetted, water-therapy tub. The concrete section situated next to this zone was designed specifically for post-soak relaxation with seating for two and a fire pit to warm the damp bathers.
On the side opposite the spa element, toward the rear of the yard, stands a casita for houseguests. The designer gave it its own mini patio made semi-private by screening via a pony wall as well as plantings.
“We furnished it with a bistro table and chairs so guests can enjoy morning coffee outdoors, making the backyard feel much like a retreat,” said Przygoda.
As for the plantings used throughout the yard, the designer says the goal was to keep things simple, low-maintenance and productive. To that end, along the rear wall of the yard, she planted eight citrus trees – a perfect complement to grill nights.
“All the plantings we chose were designed to give back in some way, and the orchard is a beautiful example of that as it provides shade, greenery and fresh fruit year after year with very little upkeep,” said the designer.
The homeowners are thrilled with their outdoor oasis and are regularly putting it to good use. They’ve even tapped Przygoda to work on their vacation home next.