the heat is on

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays, I hope it was terrific. We had a dreamy, unseasonal 70-degree Christmas, and the kids loved it.

Earlier this week, we got the backyard sauna I've been working on finally up and running. I have long dreamed of this day.

From the beginning, I knew it had to be custom, not a kit. First, I considered covering the exterior in tile, inspired by the studio at Flamingo Estate. Eventually, we decided on cedar shake for weight reasons, and the possibility that this might be moved in the future.

I looked at hundreds of different saunas and garden sheds for inspiration on windows, doors, and rooflines. We settled on a relatively simple symmetrical design with a hip roof.

I think it turned out pretty good!

This idea has been percolating for at least 5 years. I was looking for the right partner to do this with and found The Sauna Place, a really wonderful small business. They helped me design the interior and source and fabricate the gorgeous materials to bring our vision to life.

Floor tile is Venice Scarpa from Concrete Collaborative​

Everything we used on the interior was part of their Cedro Sauna line. I knew I wanted more brown than blonde, so we used Trio Thermo Pine tongue-and-groove boards for the walls and Thermo Magnolia for the benches.

I was fortunate enough to be able to use the Huum Drop heater - it looks great, it turns on from your phone if you want, and it heats up in about 15 minutes.

I've been popping in here every day, usually mid-afternoon, for a little work break. And then, often again in the evening, with my wife. The fact that it heats up so fast really helps.

Like anything new and custom, it took a while to get everything worked out and built correctly.

You don't dream about something for years, then do the quick-and-dirty version. This little backyard needed direction and purpose.

Now the door of the sauna points out at the flagstone firepit and the surrounding landscape knows what to do and what to frame.

We were never going to do a pool at this house, but in a similar vein, this allows us to host something fun and unique.

If you've also been thinking about *it* for 5 years, maybe this is your sign.