リッチモンドにある広いトラディショナルスタイルのおしゃれな庭 (日向、レンガ敷き) の写真

Giardino esterno
フィレンツェにある高級な広い、冬のカントリー風のおしゃれな庭 (日向、レンガ敷き、ウッドフェンス) の写真

Our clients hired us to create a landscape for their new acreage that stays true to the native setting. We utilized natural rock, large southern Alberta native trees and plantings, with rock slabs for steps down the walkout sides of the home. The new asphalt driveway will be going in now that the landscaping is complete.

The problem this Memorial-Houston homeowner faced was that her sumptuous contemporary home, an austere series of interconnected cubes of various sizes constructed from white stucco, black steel and glass, did not have the proper landscaping frame. It was out of scale. Imagine Robert Motherwell's "Black on White" painting without the Museum of Fine Arts-Houston's generous expanse of white walls surrounding it. It would still be magnificent but somehow...off. Intuitively, the homeowner realized this issue and started interviewing landscape designers. After talking to about 15 different designers, she finally went with one, only to be disappointed with the results. From the across-the-street neighbor, she was then introduced to Exterior Worlds and she hired us to correct the newly-created problems and more fully realize her hopes for the grounds. "It's not unusual for us to come in and deal with a mess. Sometimes a homeowner gets overwhelmed with managing everything. Other times it is like this project where the design misses the mark. Regardless, it is really important to listen for what a prospect or client means and not just what they say," says Jeff Halper, owner of Exterior Worlds. Since the sheer size of the house is so dominating, Exterior Worlds' overall job was to bring the garden up to scale to match the house. Likewise, it was important to stretch the house into the landscape, thereby softening some of its severity. The concept we devised entailed creating an interplay between the landscape and the house by astute placement of the black-and-white colors of the house into the yard using different materials and textures. Strategic plantings of greenery increased the interest, density, height and function of the design. First we installed a pathway of crushed white marble around the perimeter of the house, the white of the path in homage to the house’s white facade. At various intervals, 3/8-inch steel-plated metal strips, painted black to echo the bones of the house, were embedded and crisscrossed in the pathway to turn it into a loose maze. Along this metal bunting, we planted succulents whose other-worldly shapes and mild coloration juxtaposed nicely against the hard-edged steel. These plantings included Gulf Coast muhly, a native grass that produces a pink-purple plume when it blooms in the fall. A side benefit to the use of these plants is that they are low maintenance and hardy in Houston’s summertime heat. Next we brought in trees for scale. Without them, the impressive architecture becomes imposing. We placed them along the front at either corner of the house. For the left side, we found a multi-trunk live oak in a field, transported it to the property and placed it in a custom-made square of the crushed marble at a slight distance from the house. On the right side where the house makes a 90-degree alcove, we planted a mature mesquite tree. To finish off the front entry, we fashioned the black steel into large squares and planted grass to create islands of green, or giant lawn stepping pads. We echoed this look in the back off the master suite by turning concrete pads of black-stained concrete into stepping pads. We kept the foundational plantings of Japanese yews which add green, earthy mass, something the stark architecture needs for further balance. We contoured Japanese boxwoods into small spheres to enhance the play between shapes and textures. In the large, white planters at the front entrance, we repeated the plantings of succulents and Gulf Coast muhly to reinforce symmetry. Then we built an additional planter in the back out of the black metal, filled it with the crushed white marble and planted a Texas vitex, another hardy choice that adds a touch of color with its purple blooms. To finish off the landscaping, we needed to address the ravine behind the house. We built a retaining wall to contain erosion. Aesthetically, we crafted it so that the wall has a sharp upper edge, a modern motif right where the landscape meets the land.

バンクーバーにある高級な巨大な、夏のビーチスタイルのおしゃれな庭 (門扉、ウッドフェンス、日向、コンクリート敷き ) の写真

サンタバーバラにあるお手頃価格の中くらいな、春のモダンスタイルのおしゃれな庭 (ゼリスケープ、日向、砂利舗装、ウッドフェンス) の写真

パースにあるお手頃価格の中くらいな、春のコンテンポラリースタイルのおしゃれな庭 (日向、デッキ材舗装、ゼリスケープ) の写真

デンバーにある低価格の中くらいなカントリー風のおしゃれな庭 (日向、ウッドフェンス) の写真

This unique pair of spaces serve as open green space and entertainment area for a complex of mixed-use buildings in Chicago. Formal garden incorporating colorful perennials, and new lawn provide respite for residents. On the opposite courtyard, a new large paver patio areas softened with plantings will offer an entertainment space.

オレンジカウンティにあるお手頃価格の広い、夏のコンテンポラリースタイルのおしゃれな庭 (ゼリスケープ、日向、コンクリート敷き 、樹脂フェンス) の写真

Front yard renovation, river rock beds, boulders, mulch beds, edging, plantings
デンバーにある高級な中くらいなおしゃれな庭 (日向、川石舗装) の写真

Viewed from the large patio doors, the natural stone dining terrace gives way to a snaking sett path which defines two circular lawns, and creates exciting planting pockets either side.

Photos: Tony Vitale of Landscape Logic
サンディエゴにあるお手頃価格の中くらいな、夏のモダンスタイルのおしゃれな庭 (ゼリスケープ、日向、レンガ敷き、ウッドフェンス) の写真

デンバーにある広いおしゃれな庭 (ゼリスケープ、日向、川石舗装、ウッドフェンス) の写真

The existing excavated limestone boulders were strategically repositioned to not only serve as functional components but also as visually striking features to the modified design of the dry creek pathways and planted areas. The trees are viewed as an opportunity to utilize dark Whittlesey mulch to provide contrast, water retention, and tie in to other defined beds and oak clusters on the property. The front walk is comprised of sawn limestone pavers surrounded by crushed limestone rock mulch and accented by river rock dry creek bed that follows through to the backyard. The pavers lead down to a poured-in-place concrete path that grants access to outdoor utilities and matches the driveway seamlessly.

フェニックスにある高級な広い地中海スタイルのおしゃれな庭 (ゼリスケープ、日向) の写真

Terrace and grill station with Storage Pavilion off the the left in photo
フィラデルフィアにある高級な中くらいな、夏のコンテンポラリースタイルのおしゃれな庭 (ゼリスケープ、日向、コンクリート敷き ) の写真

A simple lawn and landscape is delineated with garden walls built out of a recycled concrete patio. Concrete mow curbs separate lawn from landscape and integrated natural boulders add to the visual interest of this garden.

From the rear garden, homeowners and visitors can look over the garden to the central patio and to the house deck, allowing for unobscured sightlines throughout the lengt of the property.