London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

An Artful Lakefront Deck Invites Family Gatherings in Minneapolis

An Artful Lakefront Deck Invites Family Gatherings in Minneapolis

Perfect for summer fetes, this spacious circular deck features striking inlay and a gently curved stair.

Dreams of summer cookouts motivated homeowner Jimmy Rathmanner to enlist Minneapolis-based builder Pat Noonan, founder of the Deck and Basement Company, to redesign the deck of his lakeside residence. "Jimmy envisioned bringing his family together around a fire pit and wanted separate places to lounge and dine, and to use as spillover office space for working outdoors," recalls Noonan.



Sustainable, capped polymer boards from the TimberTech AZEK Vintage collection take center stage in this outdoor retreat built for entertaining.

Tasked with creating distinct yet fluid zones and given full creative freedom, the designer conceived a circular shape for the deck and divided it into three areas: a casual seating lounge at the center flanked by a grilling zone on one side and a formal dining area on the other. He says, "I thought a great, big circle would be soft and inviting as you come up from the lake, and it would provide plenty of room for people to sit on the rounded stairs."



"I was able to define the spaces visually instead of using different levels," says designer and builder Pat Noonan of the AZEK Vintage collection inlay (pictured in Dark Hickory), which marks the focal point of the deck.

Noonan’s design, a geometric study in contrasting shades of warm and even deeper gray, incorporates offset arrangements and an elegant herringbone pattern slicing through the deck’s center. "We focus on creating clean, modern lines and symmetry," Noonan says of his approach.



The deck’s lively pattern creates the illusion of more shades of gray than were actually used. Its center incorporates herringbone inlay, which catches the light at sunset.

When it came to materials, Noonan turned to natural-looking capped polymer boards from TimberTech, opting for the beautiful, wire-brushed finish of its AZEK Vintage collection. "We live in one of the most extreme climates in the country," Noonan emphasizes, noting the durability of the product makes it even more appealing.



"Incorporating a deck-spanning curve helped soften the straight lines surrounding it," Noonan says of his design.

Another highlight of Noonan’s design is the gentle curve of heat-formed inlay that defines the circle’s perimeter and cascades down steps leading to the lake. Noonan admits that, although the concept came easily, implementing the curve proved challenging. "There was a lot of math and head-scratching due to the sheer size of it," he recalls.



Made from majority-recycled material and available in five colors and three widths, the AZEK Vintage collection spares trees, has greater longevity than natural wood, and stays cooler in hot weather.

The result of Noonan’s careful calculations and his refined design sensibility is a welcoming oasis the Rathmanners can enjoy for many years to come-a testament to the builder’s artistry and expertise.



Just a stroll away from the lakefront, the deck is perfect for outdoor celebrations. Noonan notes that slip-resistance was a crucial factor in selecting TimberTech AZEK boards for the project, to safely accommodate "people in wet flip-flops running up and down the stairs."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×