residential Landscape Architecture
Bold color, clean lines, natural materials, and minimal forms. Welcome to the 1960s! Playing off the architecture and horizontal lines, we used this as our design inspiration. This family of five hosts friends often and wanted a functional and fun rear garden with an aesthetically beautiful front garden. An ipe deck and bench tops bring visual warmth to the period appropriate concrete hardscape. We designed the pool and spa to nod to the minimal lines of 1960s design, including selecting the vertical pool tile and gorgeous blue pool finish. Furniture was curated for comfort, form, and durability, all while using mixed materials that work together without being ‘matchy’. The landscape needed to be suited for the full sun exposure while also bursting with color and texture year round. In the front garden, we anchored the space with matching pilasters bookending the property with a carefully selected stone to match the existing original on the house. Colorful pottery, new exterior lighting, and a custom rear garden entry gate finish the timeless look. From boring to groovy!
After fully restoring the interiors of this 1950's mid-century modern home, our client asked us to completely remodel the exteriors for a seamless aesthetic with many spaces to lounge and relax. Large floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the home reinforced the need for every view to the outside to be carefully designed. Long, linear shapes of this iconic architecture were carried throughout the landscape in the planting patterns, site furniture, hardscape, and light fixture selection. While the property is large, our client opted out of lawn, preferring a drought tolerant landscape full of texture. Can you believe there was a time when our client rarely stepped outside?!
We met this sweet family of 3 during the pandemic and their desire for a safe, fun, peaceful retreat at home was huge. A total bank slate with a gorgeous view, we transformed their rear garden into an extension of their home. A place to cook, dine, shelter from the sun/rain, relax by the fire, lounge on sofas, and explore on age appropriate play equipment with proper safety fall zones. As a busy family, low maintenance was a top priority! So, we incorporated artificial turf, a seasonal California plant palette, outdoor site furniture meant to withstand all seasons without covering, and TimberTech decking. The louvered pavillion allows adjustable control of shade and rain protection, while the custom Brown Jordan outdoor kitchen with commercial appliances truly facilitates indoor/outdoor living. When the world around you is seemingly chaos, isn’t it grounding to just hang out in your ‘family room’?!
Nestled on a corner in the South Land Park Hills, this sweet home was lacking character, useable space, and beauty. The property was separated into front and back yards when we first met it …but we eliminated the boundary and created an entire wraparound garden! The hillside lot called for terracing with board formed concrete walls to form more useable flat spaces. Careful consideration was taken to secure the property for pool safety while keeping an open aesthetic. We collaborated with DVB Architecture to expand the front porch architecture to look as though it was original to the home. New house paint color selection, exterior house and landscape lights, pool tile, stone, and pool finish color, and site furniture selection were all part of our scope. The rear deck kept the same footprint, but we updated all the materials to freshen the aesthetic. Creating for this young family was an honor as we imagined all the years they will spend making memories at home.
We love creating spaces for peeps to hang out in! Her roots are from colorful Florida and his from California agriculture. They called upon us to blend these two aesthetics seamlessly, all while creating spaces to entertain, dine, and rest. Low maintenance plant palette with lots of texture and edible plants like olive and date palm trees, figs, bay laurel, rosemary, lavender, citrus and an in-ground vegetable garden. Site furnishings were chosen for longevity, comfort, and entertainment in mind. New landscape lighting, house lighting, hardscape, outdoor kitchen/bar and pool fountain remodel pull the spaces together cohesively. California Cool.
We were asked to bring this 1930s home back to its roots after a few inconsistent design choices over many years. We chose new house paint colors, exterior light fixtures, new front door and garage door, pottery, house address tile and a custom fabricated driveway gate…all with the lines of the house and the time period in mind. And, of course, new landscaping as the icing!
Three existing patios and a mature oak tree. Connecting them all into a relaxing, usable, and clean-lined space was the design objective for this sweet family of four. We selected the site furnishings and finishes and then designed the space around them! Fuss-free Trex decking allowed terracing around the gorgeous oak for dining and fire lounging. Oversized outdoor swivel chairs and sofa draw the family outdoors to relax. Custom made pottery and fountain ground the space, while landscape lighting allows the fun to carry on well into the evening hours.
When this family of 6 came to us with their vision for their outdoor spaces, we couldn’t wait to bring the fun to life! Design objectives included breaking up the 1/4 acre lot size into several usable and playful spaces, incorporating aged brick and natural materials to seamlessly blend the 1930’s architecture with the landscape, creating an outdoor kitchen and dining space to host their large family gatherings, incorporating a plant palette that could withstand all the busy activities and soften the spaces at the same time, and ensuring an outdoor lighting design to allow them to carry the fun into the evening hours. We really don't see a need for them to leave home now, do you?!
Frank Lloyd Wright may not have lived here, but everything about this complete remodel was inspired by his timeless Craftsman style. The project started with a leaning porch column that needed restoration and rolled into a completely new porch with new brick to match the existing 100 year old brick! This was followed by a front and rear garden redesign with the design objective to stay as true as possible to the era of the house, including new exterior paint, a remodeled wood porch soffit, and custom iron railings. The clients also wanted the spaces to be more user friendly for all of their gatherings with friends and family and also incorporate some family heirlooms into the design. And, of course, a low maintenance and texturally rich plant palette to unify and soften the spaces. A Craftsman beauty!
Bringing the love of the east coast back home, these clients wanted to create outdoor spaces to play, relax, garden, gather with neighbors, and dine day/night. This total transformation included painting the brick on the house, removing all lawn, creating many gathering spaces that flowed seamlessly, and using a huge plant palette reminiscent of a coastal landscape. No detail was overlooked, including the hand selected natural stone for the seat wall, finishes on the pottery, and landscape lighting throughout the property. This is now a playful space for this family to grow into and make memories together!
Avid golfers and outdoor lovers, these clients not only wanted to enhance their existing golf course view, but also have fun and relax in their outdoor spaces day and night. The putting green is leveled just perfectly for each hole and softened by a low maintenance plant palette, especially under the existing gorgeous redwoods. A natural gas concrete fire bowl lends warmth and ambience to the new paver patio space, while powder coated steel obelisks show off the client’s favorite red climbing roses and star jasmine. Custom putting green and landscape lighting allow them to enjoy their rear garden spaces well into the evening. This was quite the transformation from an overgrown, muddy, and unused space to a putter’s paradise!
These clients had invested all of their time and attention to their interior remodel over the years...until they called us! Their beautiful 1930's East Sacramento home received a new paint color and an entire front and rear landscape remodel. The design objective was to mirror the lines and shapes found on the classic architecture while giving it a modern look to match the interior. This busy family of four needed spaces to relax, play, dine, and entertain...all while keeping the landscape texturally diverse and low maintenance. Custom accents such as the LED lighting, furniture selection, fun "M", and hallway mirror and decor made the spaces truly theirs.
1930's revival! The design objective for this beautiful home was to enhance the historical architecture, add a courtyard with furniture and LED lighting for evening lounging, use a low maintenance plant palette that still had a lush look, replace the existing lawn with a more drought resistant variety, and incorporate aesthetic details that stayed true to the era (custom high-low picket fencing and pottery that mimics the moss covered terra cotta so prevalent in 1930's gardens). These clients now spend many hours in their once unused front garden space!
I met these clients just weeks before our planned family vacation to Kauai. Turned out, Kauai was their favorite island and they wanted to transform the bare unused half of their backyard into usable space reminding them of their family time on the island. I brought my inspiration back and channeled it through the tropical plant palette (still suitable for the valley climate), a semi-custom Ohana house with porch for a studio/hangout/storage area, handmade pottery, fire pit, pizza oven, and dining space. Pizza making dinner parties and family fun happen in this portion of the garden all the time now. Aloha!
It's hard to believe that this entire front yard started off as unused, water consuming lawn. Just weeks post-construction, these clients are not only saving water, but are relaxing and dining in their front garden with their neighbors and family. The drought tolerant plant palette and permeable decomposed granite surfaces add texture, beauty, and low maintenance qualities to the garden. Unique amenities such as the copper patina two-tier fountain and pots were selected and made especially for the site, blending the new spaces with the aged bridge on the residence. LED lighting, a 10' in-ground cantilever umbrella, and comfortable dining furniture draw the clients into their custom space any time of the day or night.
Four months post-construction, this front and rear garden is starting to wake up from its winter nap to get ready for all the entertaining and family gatherings hosted by the client. Design objectives for this project included a low-maintenance and semi-drought tolerant plant palette, space for the family's impromptu croquet and table tennis matches, LED lighting throughout the gardens for evening enjoyment, and a fresh, modern aesthetic to match the newly renovated interiors. Special amenities include an artificial grass grid as a soft dining space definer and custom designed wood panels for use as a master bedroom privacy screen and a plate holder for the BBQ. Modern furniture, a copper fire pit, custom storage shed, and new house paint colors were incorporated as part of the landscape design.
Working alongside a successful local restaurateur, we provided landscape design services for three new Jack's Urban Eats locations. Close collaboration was essential between the owner, interior design firm (twitchell elliott design), and property management groups to facilitate design rich restaurant environments. Our role was to enhance the "front door" to these restaurants and create new patio spaces for outdoor dining. Careful design consideration was given to such elements as new hardscape surfaces, outdoor lighting, custom patio fencing locations, and plant material selection, all of which was completed under an accelerated schedule.
This project showcases the holistic approach to developing a landscape master plan. After much collaboration with the client, it was determined that the existing landscape did not meet the functional needs or aesthetics that the client desired. The final plan created a series of gardens and spaces uniquely tailored to the needs of this client. Those spaces allowed for recreation, relaxation, and entertainment where materials such as pavers instilling old-world craftsmanship, crushed gravel pathways, a canopy pergola, a fountain, raised vegetable gardens, and over 700 selected plants were found.
After extensive collaboration with the clients, and understanding their needs, this complete remodel integrated a large entertaining area with several seating spaces to host their frequent events. It also provided a focal point element along the back of the property for visual interest and screening. The design removed all lawn and replaced it with a low maintenance/low water use planting scheme rich in seasonal color and texture. To extend enjoyment well into the evening hours, the entertaining area and surrounding gardens were illuminated with energy efficient LED lighting. This design successfully connected the exterior environment with the client's newly remodeled contemporary interior.
This neighborhood favorite landscape design in Lake Forest, CA incorporated terracing to address elevation changes and add visual interest. It also created a strong and interesting connection to lead visitors from the street to the front door, incorporated low garden walls and pilasters using aged stone, replaced the existing driveway to create a hardscape material uniformity, created an outdoor kitchen in a limited rear garden space, and incorporated low maintenance plant material of varied textures. The result is crisp, classic, and timeless.