When the Owner of this 1920's American Foursquare bought her home in 2011, she wanted to unite the inside of the house with the outside, and transform the "ocean of asphalt" separating the house from her design and music studio into a living landscape filled with art, music, and friends.

 

Our design solution features a multi-tier deck that invites guests in the Dining Room to venture outwards with ease. Gabion walls with cedar bench tops offer a comfortable place to sit.  A rock garden, a reflecting pool, and a permeable gravel and grass paver driveway beckon the curiosity of the neighbors, and the feet of many family and friends, into the backyard.

 

The rock garden and gabion walls (dry-stacked stone inside custom-formed wire mesh baskets) remind the Owner of the landscapes she grew up with in the Texas Hill Country.  But this project is firmly rooted in New England with its use of native plants and locally-sourced materials.  Over 2 tons of excavated fieldstone 'rounds' were diverted from the landfill when we realized we could use them in the gabion walls. 

 

Taking a cue from the layout of the home, we borrowed some views to neighboring properties, while screening out others with evergreen trees and shrubs.

 

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Design + Summer 2013