Yardzen is proud to work with one of our favorite Instagrammers, Ashley Petrone (@arrowsandbow), on her newest venture—a boutique vacation rental called Joie Inn on Anna Maria Island, Florida. Learn more about our history working together, what she has taught us over the years, and how she worked with Yardzen’s incredible design team to transform her most recent projects.
Our First Project Together
Yardzen first started working with Ashley in 2019 at her home in Northern California. Nestled in the woods and bordered by a vineyard, we helped the Petrone family transform the neglected outdoor space into an oasis of good living.
A huge part of that outdoor transformation was actually transforming the exterior of the home. Ashley put into words what we had long known: “the power of paint” is transformative. To truly reimagine the yard, we had to start by changing the color of the house from a ruddy white that hadn’t been updated in over 20 years to a rich-hued black. It was changing the home’s color that unlocked the landscape design process. An entirely new backdrop on which our talented landscape design team could work.
Yardzen design for the Petrone’s home in Northern California
Progress on the Petrone’s Northern California home
Knowing the house would be black determined the direction of the plants and hardscaping. In keeping with one of our 2021 Design Trend, High-Contrast Yards, the design team opted for lightly colored hardscaping, including decomposed granite and Belgard pavers, alongside several native and climate-adapted plants, including olive, sage, salvia, lavenders, and grasses, all of which have a muted shade of green and purple and an iridescence that plays beautifully with the depth of the home’s facade.
Joie Inn
When it came time for Ashley’s newest venture with Joie Inn, we were thrilled when she tapped us to help with the landscaping and the total outdoor transformation. It was right around that time that we were formalizing plans for our exterior design package, and we knew that this partnership would focus equally on changes to the facade and the landscaping, creating the perfect opportunity to test our newest service.
Ashley went through the beta of our Outdoor Transformation package, working with our team to not only reimagine the overgrown landscaping on the property, but also, to make high-impact changes to the facade of the Inn, including paint, trim, siding, lighting, doors, railings, and reimagining an atrium into a coffee bar with a pass-through window.
“We knew that one of the biggest opportunities we had in transforming Joie Inn was working with Yardzen on reimagining the outdoor spaces. Just like our old home, the outdated exterior paint made the whole place look dingy. With a fresh coat of paint, we chose Simply White by Benjamin Moore, new furniture and decor, and landscaping updates, we knew that Joie Inn would be a showstopper! Yardzen made the whole process fun and affordable.”
The facade of Joie Inn is white with black trim and embodies the immense “power of paint.” Many of the properties around Joie Inn are typically tropical, painted in blues, yellows, and pinks, but Ashley wanted to bring her design perspective to the Inn and add touches throughout, like lighting and furniture, that would make it feel a little more “Florida.” Yardzen’s designers proposed a white exterior with black windows and trim, and it was love at first sight—bright and inviting with the dark architectural touches that Ashley loved at her home in California.
The white we used is “Simply White” by Benjamin Moore (Yardzen’s official exterior paint partner) and the black is “Black” by Benjamin Moore. New windows weren’t in the budget, so instead, Yardzen’s contractors painted the window trim black to make them pop and look entirely brand new. Custom doors were added too, made by local artisans.
One of the exterior details that we especially love is the yellow gooseneck sconces throughout the exterior. These the brightly colored furniture into the exterior of the Inn and add a very cheery pop of color. You can find similar options at Rejuvenation, our exterior lighting partner.
Perhaps our favorite change to the exterior of Joie Inn is the reimagining of the courtyard at the front of the property. Previously an overgrown outcropping of plants, Yardzen’s design team repurposed the space into a coffee bar with a pass-through window and hammocks. Our team is always happy to rethink not only how your property looks, but also, how it functions.
Landscaping Joie Inn
The facade of the Inn is the backdrop to the incredible landscaping throughout the boutique property. When Ashley began her landscaping project with Yardzen, her big goals were beautification, privacy, and durability-- plants and hardscaping that would hold up to South Florida’s weather and the guests moving through the spaces.
To achieve these goals, we strategically added climate-adapted plantings throughout the property, including Natal Plum, Winterbourn Philodendron, Gardenia, Bamboo, Chinese Fan Palm, Julietta Bromeliad, Flax Lily, and Bird of Paradise. Underfoot, we added a light decomposed granite, which provides a satisfying “crunch” and recalls the sandy beach nearby, and black mulch around the plants to help with water absorption and to provide a contrast that mirrors the exterior of the Inn. Large boulders throughout add texture and add a slightly rustic feel.
Go Visit!
Joie Inn opens in September, and we can’t wait for the final reveal! In the meantime, follow along on our Instagram, @yardzen, and on @arrowsandbow and @joieinn to see more updates!