Margie Grace - Grace Design Associates Cover is comprised of aluminum louvers from LouvreTecUSA, Inc. They're fantastic! 805 966 1977 / 805 962 7757

Margie Grace - Grace Design Associates That's the natural tone of the wood. It has been treated with a penetrating sealer.

Margie Grace - Grace Design Associates Hi - thanks for your inquiry. This was a fabulous project. Great clients, great site, great team. The project has won a lot of awards, including the 2009 International Landscape Designer of the Year from the Assn. of Professional Landscape Designers - it was over the top.

The plant is called Tapeworm Plant or Ribbon Plant (Homalocladium platycladum). It's a bit slow growing but a striking plant and well worth it. We use it for a screen between the street and the house.

Margie Grace - Grace Design Associates It has a penetrating sealer on it -- don't know the brand.

Margie Grace - Grace Design Associates Ipe.

Margie Grace - Grace Design Associates Ahhh. Glad you asked. The roof over the patio is aluminum louvres that are adjusted with a little hand crank. They're fabulous - you can completely controll sun/shade, temperature, etc. and they make beautiful patterns of light/shadow on the floor and walls. The company's called LouvreTec (they originated in New Zealand). A little spendy but worth it!!!!!! Where else do you get such a great blend of practicality, artistry and sustainability?

Margie Grace - Grace Design Associates The grass is Mexican Feather Grass (Stipa tenuissima) - but be careful, it's invasive. It should not be planted near wildland where it can escape. The really low green ground cover is Myoporum parvifolium, the pink-flowered variety (sorry, it doesn't have a common name...) Happy gardening!

lotfi Bernoussi Common Name: Creeping Booblialla