OUR STORY

In 2015, I launched SATURDAY HOUSE LLC, a full-scale exterior design firm specializing in custom, luxury outdoor living.  Here’s how it all started:

 

SATURDAY HOUSE was named after one particular Saturday years ago.  It was early summer, and already by 10:30am, it was one of those perfect blue sky, sunny days.  A friend and her kids dropped in for a swim.  After a while, we fixed an easy picnic lunch on the lawn.  Time seemed to slow down.  We wallowed the afternoon away playing with the kids, sunning on the chaises, and taking dips in the pool.  Soon enough, another friend came by with her kids.  A platter of rummaged snacks and cheese materialized.  Wine was uncorked.  Husbands were summoned.  And the whole motley crew sorted out a take-out dinner order, which we gobbled down outside as the sun started to set.   The kids retreated inside for a movie, but the adults stayed rooted firmly outside.  We lit candles, opened a few more bottles of wine, and soaked up summer, and Saturday, friendship, a gorgeous day spent outdoors.  

 

Before SATURDAY HOUSE, I was an interior designer.  As an interior designer, I often got to help clients furnish their outdoor spaces, too.   But outdoor spaces have their own unique set of restrictions and considerations.  Weather, humidity, UV rays, building codes, sun trajectory, lot lines, views, landscaping.  It was often hard to give the outdoors the attention it deserved while managing interior projects at the same time.  Even my trade and subcontractor relationships were often different for each space.   Exterior goods need to have specialized foams and fabrics that resist mold and sun-bleaching.  Any exterior metal requires a special powder coating to resist rust.  All products must tolerate expansion/contraction due to temperature variations.  I always loved sourcing outdoor products.  I have my undergraduate degree in Engineering, and I tend to nerd out over materials science and the fluid mechanics of water through foam, optimal air circulation for proper drying of pillow and foam inserts, etc.   So, I decided to focus exclusively on exterior design.  It suited my technical background, and I felt like it’s what my clients wanted.

 

As you may have noticed, exterior product offerings have exploded in the last decade.  Even on retail sites like RH, CB2, and West Elm, there are tons of great looking outdoor products to choose from!  But buyer beware!  Not all exterior products and materials are created equally.  Just ask the client whose bright, fun outdoor pillows bleached out in three months.  Or the client whose expensive metal-frame chairs left permanent rust stains on their concrete tile.  Or ask the guests with soggy bottoms after sitting on cushions that didn’t dry out properly after the last rainstorm.  With countless options for furniture, lighting, heating, pools, water features, umbrellas, fire pits, landscaping…not to mention accessories It makes sense to hire a specialized exterior designer to help weed out the bad from the good.  And make sure your exterior spaces do what they’re supposed to: provide the backdrop for you, your friends, and your family to enjoy being outside.   

 

Email info@saturdayhouse to talk about how we can help you with your exterior design project.  Or check out our ever-growing online catalog of unique, premium-quality outdoor products for you savvy DIY customers.  

 

 

Erica McLoughlin 

Founder and Lead Designer - SATURDAY HOUSE