Backyard Life On the Peninsula
Scott and Kim Kingsfield can get in their 10,000 daily steps without ever leaving the yard. It’s a scenic walk, too, with a 270-degree view of Lake Oconee, ospreys coming and going, and a few rest areas (for people) designed among the immaculate landscaping.
“We jokingly call the entire property Georgia, Alabama, and Florida,” Kim says of the 14 acres that are actually and incredibly hidden along Horseshoe Bend. “We built on what we’ve deemed the peninsula of Florida.”
Scott says they put as much thought into the backyard as they put into the house.
“We kept a lot of trees, so the yard gradually reveals itself as you approach from the lake,” Scott says of boating friends who idle in toward the infinity pool, three fire pits, outdoor kitchen, covered living area, and dozens of other features. The wine cellar, however, is in a location that will never be revealed from any distance. “None of this ever gets old. It’s like a movie that keeps getting better and better.”
Backyard Life at The Homesteads
Travel through nature on the approach to this magnificent home separated from a standalone gym and a guest house. It can’t get any better than this … or can it? Walk around to the back and, whoa, no wonder people who gather here call it “Little Utopia.”
During planning, the owners toyed with a few fantastical ideas (like TVs rising from the ground) before trusting their down-to-earth belief that a backyard, no matter how humble or Utopian, is best when it’s shared. So, they built the pool as much for friends with children as for themselves. The covered patio with a big swing replicates the spot where their son told his future wife he loved her for the first time. They added an oversized covered lounge for their daughter and her friends to pile into; you might call it “the bird cage” or you might call it “the Taj Mahal.”
“The girls call it their favorite spot,” says mom.
Who can possibly choose a favorite spot? There’s the in-ground firepit for roasting marshmallows, which this family uses a lot, and a fully furnished pavilion for football watching, pizza making, meat smoking, and living at its best.
“My husband was never a grill master, but he wanted to learn so we could make it more enjoyable for friends to be here.”
Some of what you see are reminders of vacations they took to a certain resort before moving to Reynolds. The pool. The walkways. The big swings.
“Mostly, it’s the mood. We want people to come and can kick up their feet, relax, and feel completely free, the way we always felt during those vacations at The Ritz-Carlton, just across the lake.”
The Backyard Life For Everyone
When Ralph Vick arrived as the General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee, he stepped out the back and saw a stunning canvas. There wasn’t much more to it at the time, just a lawn, a small fire pit, and the pool.
“I saw a great opportunity,” he says. “We could transform this property into a family destination, where generations could reconnect around a beach, a pergola,
hammocks, windchimes, a bigger fire pit, and swings along the creek. I wanted to create a mood: calm and magical, like my childhood backyard in Virginia Beach.”
Today the backyard he walked into is known as “The Backyard.”
“People call this ‘the unpretentious Ritz-Carlton,’” Vick says. And then, sounding very much like our Homesteads family on the previous page, he adds, “Adults can totally relax and enjoy barefoot luxury. Some of my favorite moments back here are watching moms and dads on swings, reliving their own memories while making new ones with their children. There’s no better place to do that than in the backyard.”
