outdoor oasis
Story by Susan O'Connor, Photo by Dero Sanford

Just outside of Jonesboro in the lovely countryside near Brookland, Laura and Mark Wood’s Greek revival home is a welcome retreat for family and friends. A curved driveway with beckoning trees meanders past grazing horses on the way to their home. The back of the house features an outdoor entertaining area with a view of the pool and garden.

Though Laura and Mark are extremely busy with their careers (he is an internist and she just completed a master’s degree in nursing from Arkansas State University and recently took a position as peritoneal dialysis coordinator for St. Bernards), family life is a priority. Entertaining often revolves around their three teenage children, Cole, 18, Gretchen, 17, and Isabella, 13.

Their home was built 15 years ago, but the cabana area was constructed in the last two years.

“With our schedules, we thought we’d build an oasis here,” Laura said. We wanted an outdoor space that made our family area more spacious and inviting.”

Laura grew up in Little Rock, and attributes a great deal of her cooking and entertaining know-how to time spent in the home of Mack and Donna McLarty, where she worked during college as a nanny and cook. Laura said she admired Donna’s emphasis on dining as a family at a properly set dinner table and has incorporated that tradition into her own home.

After starting a career as a registered nurse at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Laura met Mark, a Jonesboro native, on a blind date. They will celebrate his 50th birthday this month with a Las Vegas themed party at their home.

How did the design come about for your outdoor dining area? We designed this outdoor cabana area with Paul Hoelscher, our architect, but we really already had some pictures pulled and an idea of how we wanted the space to flow and the materials we wanted to use. Our builder, Steve Schmidt Sr., helped us with rest of the details and really made everything come together to make this a great area for entertaining. One of my favorite features is the vaulted ceiling that is painted a very light blue. I think this makes you feel as if you are not boxed in when the retractable screens are down. I chose this color because it reminded me of my favorite little store at the beach, I would go in that little store just to see the color of the walls! Mark and I love to go to the beach, so we carried this over into the small cabana bathroom/changing room with limestone tiles that are a sandy tone with select tiles that are finished in an aqua glaze and are cast with crabs and seashells. The fireplace was really an inspiration from a house in Southern Living. I had considered Pennsylvania Bluestone, but the freight was outrageous and the dark color would have absorbed heat and been too hot to walk on around the pool and steps. We were able to find what is called Arkansas flagstone from here and Memphis to complete the projects. We also used some stone from Mark’s mother’s garden area, just as a sentiment. The floor is stained concrete in a tobacco color and has its little imperfections, which give it character. We installed mounted fans, a rustic chandelier from the vaulted ceiling that mimics pillar candles burning, canned lights and also what I call piazza lights…which are the only ones I ever use! They are not as bright and seem a little more romantic.

What do you cook that your family especially enjoys, and how do you manage a sit-down dinner with teenage kids? As a family, we always loved to eat outside at our table on the old small porch, which only seated four. Since we built the cabana there is ample room for all of us at a teak table that seats eight. Although everyone is home this summer, we are all busy with different work schedules and activities. We seem to manage to eat together at the same table about three to four times a week. This is cherished family time and definitely a “value” meal when we get it in. It is a time when we can see each other face to face, no cell phones or TV allowed during dinner (I am sure someone is texting under the table). Mark prefers hamburgers and American fries when we cook out, the kids like hot dogs and of course steak, loaded baked potatoes or Finch corn on the cob and a good summer salad are always a hit. We don’t do anything too fancy out there, we use bandanas —yes, the red, blue and yellow ones) that have been washed a hundred times — as napkins.

When you entertain friends, what types of food do you serve? I wouldn’t call myself an entertainer, but I do love to cook for people and Mark has grown to tolerate it! I am the “cooker” and he is definitely the “baker.” I am a little like Tom Hanks, I am not much on dessert, I would just rather have mashed potatoes. But Mark likes dessert, so therefore he cooks it! We have not had the time to entertain anyone but family, kids and youth groups since we built our cabana. But when we have had friends over, they love to eat outside and enjoy the pool. Sometimes we have good ole soul food like white beans, cheesy cornbread and molasses, fried okra and sliced homegrown tomatoes. Sometimes we have marinated steak in jalapeño juice (gives it a smoky flavor) or chicken and vegetable kabobs, steamed asparagus, garlic cheese grits and baby butterball biscuits. Mark will usually whip up some homemade shortbread and fresh strawberries and whipped cream for dessert or we will have crème brulee with fresh berries, which can be made ahead and is very easy. On occasion, he will make Emeril’s banana caramel pie, which is a knock out!

What are some decorating tips for entertaining outdoors? We do luminaries to light the driveway and trees to keep the bugs at bay — not lots of mosquitoes but we have got some whopper beetles flying around! I try to use branches and flowers from the yard to decorate— roses, tiger lilies, Shasta daisies, irises, hydrangeas, crabapple branches, dogwood branches, floating a magnolia blossom in a big bowl of water— all make beautiful arrangements with white votive candles. I let nature take care of the rest.