Landscape Design
Yard of the Week: Fresh Appeal for a Midcentury Modern Property
A landscape designer plays with architectural forms, angles and proportions to make a 1950s yard inviting and livable
When it came to finding inspiration for the landscape around this Fox Point, Wisconsin, home, landscape designer James Drzewiecki looked to the structure’s quintessential midcentury modern architecture. Designed by architects Lillian and Willis Leenhouts and completed in 1954, the home is marked by sharp exterior angles and thoughtfully arranged windows. It was important to the homeowners that the landscape design would respect and enhance the home’s architectural style. They also wanted to improve the home’s curb appeal and find more space for entertaining and hanging out in the backyard.
“Most people who choose a house like this love this style and want the landscape to reflect it,” Drzewiecki says. His degree in architecture and deep appreciation for midcentury design provided an expert lens through which he could make the landscape reflect the style of the house. He and his colleague Hannah Paulson, also a landscape designer, took inspiration from the home’s angles and forms to create a yard that complements, enhances and connects to the architecture.
“Most people who choose a house like this love this style and want the landscape to reflect it,” Drzewiecki says. His degree in architecture and deep appreciation for midcentury design provided an expert lens through which he could make the landscape reflect the style of the house. He and his colleague Hannah Paulson, also a landscape designer, took inspiration from the home’s angles and forms to create a yard that complements, enhances and connects to the architecture.
Before: The existing concrete and plantings had seen better days. “This was one of those homes with overgrown evergreens everywhere. You could hardly see the front of the house,” Drzewiecki says. The homeowners had pulled out most of the plantings before he got started, but the leggy shrubs seen here represent the condition they were in.
One charming original detail is a brick planting bed to the left of the front door. It extends off the chimney, matching its width. Drzewiecki admired and expanded upon the midcentury principle of playing with form and proportions, and of blurring the lines between indoors and out, in his design.
One charming original detail is a brick planting bed to the left of the front door. It extends off the chimney, matching its width. Drzewiecki admired and expanded upon the midcentury principle of playing with form and proportions, and of blurring the lines between indoors and out, in his design.
After: Drzewiecki composed a new concrete front walk with bluestone inlays. The angles of the roofline inspired the wedge shapes formed by the stone strips, and the stone was chosen to match the bluestone coping that caps the original brick planter. Follow one of the diagonal lines of bluestone to see how it continues as the edge of the wedge-shaped planting bed that runs across the front of the house.
A long rectangle of slate chips extends out from the original brick planter, creating a border for the new entry walk. The slate color also plays off the coping atop the planter and the bluestone strips. The limited color palette for both the materials and the plantings complements rather than distracts from the house.
The homeowners already were planning to change their home’s exterior accent concept, a pseudo redwood look that matched the house across the street. “They had narrowed down their color choices and asked my advice,” Drzewiecki says. “It’s a really, really dark gray, Sherwin-Williams’ Ironclad.”
Path lights: FX Luminaire
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A long rectangle of slate chips extends out from the original brick planter, creating a border for the new entry walk. The slate color also plays off the coping atop the planter and the bluestone strips. The limited color palette for both the materials and the plantings complements rather than distracts from the house.
The homeowners already were planning to change their home’s exterior accent concept, a pseudo redwood look that matched the house across the street. “They had narrowed down their color choices and asked my advice,” Drzewiecki says. “It’s a really, really dark gray, Sherwin-Williams’ Ironclad.”
Path lights: FX Luminaire
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Here’s a closer look at the brick planter that extends off the chimney. In addition to being a good example of how the home plays with geometric forms and compositions, it also introduces the idea of extending the architecture into the landscape. Drzewiecki echoed this architectural move by extending the slate chip bed out into the yard, following the width of the chimney and planter.
He planted the slate chip bed with ‘Overdam’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Overdam’, USDA zones 4 to 8; find your zone). Across the walkway (next to the garage) he planted a cousin of feather reed grass, ‘Karl Foerster’ (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, zones 4 to 9). He kept the planting plan’s color palette simple to enhance, rather than distract from, the architecture.
He also kept the hardscape palette simple. His clients shared lots of inspiration images, which included concrete, natural stone and wood. “This was a great simple palette — the stone and wood add warmth to the concrete,” he says. And the cooler tones of the slate and the bluestone strips add contrast to the home’s Chicago pink brick exterior.
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He planted the slate chip bed with ‘Overdam’ feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Overdam’, USDA zones 4 to 8; find your zone). Across the walkway (next to the garage) he planted a cousin of feather reed grass, ‘Karl Foerster’ (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, zones 4 to 9). He kept the planting plan’s color palette simple to enhance, rather than distract from, the architecture.
He also kept the hardscape palette simple. His clients shared lots of inspiration images, which included concrete, natural stone and wood. “This was a great simple palette — the stone and wood add warmth to the concrete,” he says. And the cooler tones of the slate and the bluestone strips add contrast to the home’s Chicago pink brick exterior.
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Front yard site plan: Here you can see how the slate chip bed extends off the chimney and planter, connecting to a circular planting bed off the driveway.
This plan also shows how the line created by the bluestone strip in the front walk continues to form the edge of the front planting bed. This strong diagonal line is one side of the wedge-shaped planting bed.
This plan also shows how the line created by the bluestone strip in the front walk continues to form the edge of the front planting bed. This strong diagonal line is one side of the wedge-shaped planting bed.
In the left side yard, Drzewiecki extended another slate chip bed off this tall, narrow run of windows. “I realized throughout the project that the house was telling me what I should do,” he says. “This bed reflects the shape of these windows onto the ground plane.”
The grading here slopes down toward the backyard, allowing for a walkout basement. The bottom window is in the basement.
The grading here slopes down toward the backyard, allowing for a walkout basement. The bottom window is in the basement.
Along the opposite side of the house, Drzewiecki placed a new walkway off the driveway. It connects the front yard to the backyard through a gate.
Here’s that same path leading from the backyard to the front. Look at the bottom of this photo to see how it ends in an angle. It’s another example of how Drzewiecki used angles and wedge shapes to play off the angles of the home’s roofline.
While the plans featured in this story show the walk composed of pavers, Drzewiecki and the homeowners ultimately decided on concrete. That’s because this side yard gets a lot of use — the homeowners planted their vegetable garden to the left of the gate. And because there are coyotes in the area, they’ve fenced this area off as a safe dog run for their whippet.
While the plans featured in this story show the walk composed of pavers, Drzewiecki and the homeowners ultimately decided on concrete. That’s because this side yard gets a lot of use — the homeowners planted their vegetable garden to the left of the gate. And because there are coyotes in the area, they’ve fenced this area off as a safe dog run for their whippet.
This photo provides an overall look at the back of the house. On the left, down a few steps from the lawn, is a large wedge-shaped concrete patio. A raised, circular composite deck with a fire pit occupies the right side of the yard. Behind the birch tree, the grading drops even more. There’s a lower patio that serves the walkout basement on the right side of the house.
“This yard had beautiful existing mature trees, so we really didn’t need to add any,” Drzewiecki says. These include a large oak, a branch of which can be seen on the left, and the lovely birch tree next to the house.
“This yard had beautiful existing mature trees, so we really didn’t need to add any,” Drzewiecki says. These include a large oak, a branch of which can be seen on the left, and the lovely birch tree next to the house.
Before: “The patio was located off the kitchen-dinette, and it was really pitiful,” Drzewiecki says. “And the 1980s stacked concrete block retaining wall behind it was failing.” The homeowners were eager to extend their patio space for relaxing and entertaining outdoors.
After: Drzewiecki added a patio that extends across the back of the house. Note the composition of the squares and rectangles that make up the wall of windows on the left. Then look to the patio’s surface to see the way the designer mimicked that geometry with the concrete paving and bluestone inlay. While the concrete rectangles are larger than the windows, they reflect the windows’ proportions. Once again, Drzewiecki carried the home’s architecture onto the ground plane.
A new series of dry-stacked Lannon stone retaining walls extends this new patio farther than the old one into the backyard. Lannon stone is a local limestone.
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A new series of dry-stacked Lannon stone retaining walls extends this new patio farther than the old one into the backyard. Lannon stone is a local limestone.
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Here’s a closer look at the bluestone inlay. It makes the patio much more interesting than a large expanse of concrete would have been and gives it a comfortable scale.
The design was created with trenches incorporated into the patio forms. Then the concrete was poured continuously, so that the paving was one big slab rather than individually poured squares. The bluestone was cut on-site and mortared into place in the trenches.
The design was created with trenches incorporated into the patio forms. Then the concrete was poured continuously, so that the paving was one big slab rather than individually poured squares. The bluestone was cut on-site and mortared into place in the trenches.
Backyard site plan: It’s hard to discern in the photos, but the main patio, seen here at the top of the plan, angles out from the house. “Rather than running the patio along the back of the house, it was interesting to turn the grid at an angle. It made the space more dynamic, added depth and turned it toward a different view. There wasn’t that much to look at straight out from the existing patio. But the angle turns the view toward the large oak tree and the park-like view of this yard and the one behind it,” Drzewiecki says.
Please note that there were some changes after this was drawn. The path along the left is now concrete, not pavers, and the lower-level patio is a wedge that echoes the main patio’s shape rather than the semicircle seen here. While the homeowners originally requested a circular patio with gridded paving, they changed their minds when they saw it on paper. The designer recommended mimicking the upper patio’s wedge shape, and they agreed.
Please note that there were some changes after this was drawn. The path along the left is now concrete, not pavers, and the lower-level patio is a wedge that echoes the main patio’s shape rather than the semicircle seen here. While the homeowners originally requested a circular patio with gridded paving, they changed their minds when they saw it on paper. The designer recommended mimicking the upper patio’s wedge shape, and they agreed.
Before: This view shows just how small the existing patio was.
After: The retaining wall carves into the upper backyard at an angle. It forms a diagonal line away from the house, giving the patio a wedge shape that plays off the angled roofline.
The wall breaks, allowing for cut Lannon stone steps between the patio and the grassy portion of the backyard.
This home is located in USDA Zone 5b. The designers chose a plant palette that would attract pollinators and birds. These include ‘Summer Beauty’ allium (Allium ‘Summer Beauty’, zones 4 to 9), PowWow Wild Berry coneflower (Echinacea purpurea, zones 3 to 8), ‘Rozanne’ cranesbill (Geranium ‘Rozanne’, zones 4 to 9) and dwarf Little Quick Fire hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata, zones 3 to 8).
Other sustainability-minded considerations included saving the mature trees and sourcing as many paving materials as possible locally. The only thing imported from a distance was the bluestone for the inlays. Drzewiecki also installed low-voltage landscape lighting. “I usually suggest the appropriate minimum base level for the lighting and tell my clients to live with it for awhile before adding any more,” he says. Most of the lighting in this yard is small modern patio lights.
12 Sustainable Gardening Ideas From Landscape Design Pros
Other sustainability-minded considerations included saving the mature trees and sourcing as many paving materials as possible locally. The only thing imported from a distance was the bluestone for the inlays. Drzewiecki also installed low-voltage landscape lighting. “I usually suggest the appropriate minimum base level for the lighting and tell my clients to live with it for awhile before adding any more,” he says. Most of the lighting in this yard is small modern patio lights.
12 Sustainable Gardening Ideas From Landscape Design Pros
Before: Besides the mature trees, the landscape did not have a lot going for it. The original plantings had become overgrown and scruffy.
After: Drzewiecki added a raised circular deck made of composite with a gas fire pit in the center of the yard. This shape contrasts with all the hard lines of the architecture and the gridded rectangles on the angled patio. And the wood color of the composite adds warmth.
Raising this deck gave it a feel of separation as its own intimate area. Drzewiecki served as the docent when this house was featured on a home tour, and “almost everyone who came through told me that the raised fire pit area was their favorite part of the yard,” he says.
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Before: The back of the house has a walkout lower level. The existing circular patio off that level had drainage issues, made clear by this photo taken after a storm. An old cistern found in the yard was failing.
After: Drzewieck carved out a new patio off the lower level. He also replaced the failing retaining walls around the old patio with stacked Lannon stone that matches the upper patio’s walls.
A new cistern and grading improvements solved the drainage problem. The patio slopes slightly toward the grass, which directs runoff water to the cistern and a new swale (not shown).
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A new cistern and grading improvements solved the drainage problem. The patio slopes slightly toward the grass, which directs runoff water to the cistern and a new swale (not shown).
More on Houzz
Read more stories about patios
Browse thousands of patio photos
Find a local design pro
Shop for your outdoor spaces
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple, their two children and their dog
Location: Fox Point, Wisconsin
Size: About one-half acre
Landscape designers: James Drzewiecki and Hannah Paulson of Ginkgo Leaf Studio
The landscape design is all about angles, literally. The slopes of the home’s rooflines, with the left side sloping up from front to back and the right side sloping down from left to right, inspired the yard’s shapes and lines. Drzewiecki created angled beds and patios and incorporated wedge shapes into the design. He also played off the composition of the home’s different window groupings.
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