Yard of the Week: Magical Moments of Joy on the Pacific Coast
Landscape pros create special and surprising spaces at an artistic couple’s longtime Santa Barbara, California, property
Perched on a hill in Santa Barbara, along California’s Central Coast, this well-loved midcentury home enjoys views of both the Pacific Ocean and the mountains in the Los Padres National Forest. The homeowners are a creative couple who have lived here since the 1970s. Their home is filled with happy memories for them and their adult children. After many decades, it was in need of thorough remodel, both inside and out. After an extensive renovation of the house was completed, it was glaringly apparent that the landscape was not worthy of its beauty.
“The remodel on the house was beautiful, with high-end finishes and gorgeous stone masonry,” Greg Hyman of Cornerstone Landscapes says. “The landscape was full of weeds and had almost zero usable space. It did not reflect the quality of the house.” Landscape architecture firm CJM::LA redesigned the landscape, and Cornerstone Landscapes handled the construction. The design includes special places where the couple’s grandchildren can play and explore, and the renovations were completed with the intention of creating a legacy for future generations. Come take a virtual journey through this series of outdoor rooms and discover delightful surprises along the way.
“The remodel on the house was beautiful, with high-end finishes and gorgeous stone masonry,” Greg Hyman of Cornerstone Landscapes says. “The landscape was full of weeds and had almost zero usable space. It did not reflect the quality of the house.” Landscape architecture firm CJM::LA redesigned the landscape, and Cornerstone Landscapes handled the construction. The design includes special places where the couple’s grandchildren can play and explore, and the renovations were completed with the intention of creating a legacy for future generations. Come take a virtual journey through this series of outdoor rooms and discover delightful surprises along the way.
Up the steps and just past that century plant (seen here on the left), a short gravel path leads from the driveway to a round dining patio.
The plant palette is Mediterranean-meets-coastal California. Plantings include a mix of palm trees, productive trees (including orange, avocado, lemon and olive), herbs, succulents, pollinator-attracting perennials, ground covers, grasses and lilies.
Find a local landscape architect
The plant palette is Mediterranean-meets-coastal California. Plantings include a mix of palm trees, productive trees (including orange, avocado, lemon and olive), herbs, succulents, pollinator-attracting perennials, ground covers, grasses and lilies.
Find a local landscape architect
Off the driveway, visitors arrive at the first garden room, a circular dining patio. A bespoke compass rose mosaic, designed by CJM::LA, marks the spot. The homeowners’ love of Santa Barbara inspired the design. It includes waves, palm trees, citrus trees and the mountains. The yard is full of fun surprises like this, making traversing it a journey of discovery.
Jonathan Cohen of Joseph and Sons crafted the mosaic, collaborating closely with the Cornerstone Landscapes team. They prepped the site to make sure the mosaic would be properly set and last for many years to come. “This was a combination of Jonathan coming out to the site and working remotely with us, back and forth,” Hyman says. “He gave us a life-size print of the design, and we constructed a raised portion of the concrete for the mosaic.
The sculpture on the right is an existing dead tree painted blue. “The homeowners are very creative people, and it was their idea to paint some of the dead trees on the property rather than remove them,” Hyman says. “It’s a dead trunk dressed up.”
Shop for patio furniture on Houzz
Jonathan Cohen of Joseph and Sons crafted the mosaic, collaborating closely with the Cornerstone Landscapes team. They prepped the site to make sure the mosaic would be properly set and last for many years to come. “This was a combination of Jonathan coming out to the site and working remotely with us, back and forth,” Hyman says. “He gave us a life-size print of the design, and we constructed a raised portion of the concrete for the mosaic.
The sculpture on the right is an existing dead tree painted blue. “The homeowners are very creative people, and it was their idea to paint some of the dead trees on the property rather than remove them,” Hyman says. “It’s a dead trunk dressed up.”
Shop for patio furniture on Houzz
Next along the procession is this patio inspired by Japanese Zen gardens. The homeowners designed this space themselves many years ago, and the landscape architects integrated it into the new design. The team also replaced an aging bamboo fence with this new cedar one. They designed the fence specifically for this garden room, and it is not repeated elsewhere on the property.
Through the cedar gate, a flagstone path leads to a patio with the most expansive views on the property of the Pacific Ocean. A Japanese lantern is a charming object to discover along the way.
This flagstone is called Utah Sunrise. It complements the Santa Barbara sandstone boulders used on retaining walls throughout the design. While this path looks casual, there is a lot of infrastructure keeping it in place, including a mortar setting bed, reinforced concrete and compacted soil beneath it. “The reinforced concrete was 30 inches thick in some places, per the engineer, because of unstable soil conditions,” Hyman says. “This will prevent it from failing.”
Thorough civil engineering work by Ashley & Vance Engineering and geotechnical work by GeoSolutions were completed before construction began. This ensured the stability of the site, the proper placement of utilities and the incorporation of responsible stormwater practices.
10 Gardens That Capture and Drain Water With Style
This flagstone is called Utah Sunrise. It complements the Santa Barbara sandstone boulders used on retaining walls throughout the design. While this path looks casual, there is a lot of infrastructure keeping it in place, including a mortar setting bed, reinforced concrete and compacted soil beneath it. “The reinforced concrete was 30 inches thick in some places, per the engineer, because of unstable soil conditions,” Hyman says. “This will prevent it from failing.”
Thorough civil engineering work by Ashley & Vance Engineering and geotechnical work by GeoSolutions were completed before construction began. This ensured the stability of the site, the proper placement of utilities and the incorporation of responsible stormwater practices.
10 Gardens That Capture and Drain Water With Style
Note the irregular edge of the path here. This is a good example of how the designers maintained a loose, informal feel that celebrates the beauty of the area. Flagstones such as these appear throughout the site on paths and patios, with irregular edges on both design elements. “This design is rustic but elegant,” Hyman says. “The stonework was completed by our master masons, and it is gorgeous.”
Find a local masonry-and-concrete contractor
Find a local masonry-and-concrete contractor
The flagstone path seen in the previous photo leads across the front of the house to a large patio. There is usually lounge furniture around this fire pit, but it was removed to get this beautiful shot. In addition to the fire pit lounge, this patio contains a dining area.
Shop for a fire pit
Shop for a fire pit
Past the fire pit patio, a flagstone path provides spectacular views of the ocean. It continues along to the other side of the house.
“Before, most of this yard was unusable,” Hyman says. In addition to adding the patio and paths directly off the house, the landscape architects made the yard more usable and accessible by designing graceful terraces. The retaining walls are composed of Santa Barbara sandstone boulders. In this spot, the terraces also created space for a gravel path between the two retaining walls.
Stairs allow easy access to a lawn-like area for playing and to other outdoor rooms. The handrails are wrought iron.
Stairs allow easy access to a lawn-like area for playing and to other outdoor rooms. The handrails are wrought iron.
In this photo looking back at the house, the fire pit patio can be seen in the center (on the same level as the outdoor dining set). The Japanese garden is located behind the glass pavilion-like part of the house on the right.
The play “lawn” in the foreground is composed of Kurapia (zones 7 to 13), a noninvasive, drought-tolerant ground cover. A small patio next to the Kurapia provides a good spot where the homeowners can sit and watch the grandchildren. It also has views out to the Pacific.
The play “lawn” in the foreground is composed of Kurapia (zones 7 to 13), a noninvasive, drought-tolerant ground cover. A small patio next to the Kurapia provides a good spot where the homeowners can sit and watch the grandchildren. It also has views out to the Pacific.
We’re going to head to the other end of the house to experience the landscape from that side. So pretend we’ve continued up the driveway, past the areas seen in the first two photos in this story, to park in a carport. Getting out of the car and catching a view of the mountains of the Los Padres National Forest off the driveway provide another magical moment of discovery on the property.
This is the backyard access located at the other end of the house. From the carport, visitors walk along the flagstone path, with a Cor-Ten steel moon gate directing them to pass through. After that, the material underfoot changes from hard to soft, and taking a few more steps reveals the ocean views.
The next part of the procession is a gravel path that borders the Kurapia play area seen earlier. The sculpture on the left marks this moment of arrival. The small patio next to the Kurapia is located just around the corner of the retaining wall seen here to the left.
The new design includes a series of garden rooms, both large and small. A good example of the latter is this delightful spot for napping in a hammock. As mentioned, the landscape architects tucked surprises like this all over the property, ready to delight visitors as they discover them.
Beyond the hammock is a trio of nonfruiting ‘Swan Hill’ olive trees (Olea europaea ‘Swan Hill’, zones 8 to 11). They were planted as large, mature trees.
Beyond the hammock is a trio of nonfruiting ‘Swan Hill’ olive trees (Olea europaea ‘Swan Hill’, zones 8 to 11). They were planted as large, mature trees.
A staircase connects the lower-level patio, Kurapia and hammock areas, and house.
Another century plant marks this transitional spot, just as one marked the path in the first photo. In the distance, two more otherworldly-looking green tree silhouettes beckon.
As the couple’s grandchildren are drawn in by the painted green trees, they’ll round the corner to discover a treehouse-like fort made just for them.
Beyond the fort are stairs leading down to extensive edible gardens planted in large containers. That part of the yard also includes productive trees, including ‘Fuyu’ Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki ‘Fuyu’, zones 8 to 10), ‘Eureka’ lemon (Citrus limon ‘Eureka’, zones 9 to 11) and mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata, zones 9 to 11).
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
Beyond the fort are stairs leading down to extensive edible gardens planted in large containers. That part of the yard also includes productive trees, including ‘Fuyu’ Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki ‘Fuyu’, zones 8 to 10), ‘Eureka’ lemon (Citrus limon ‘Eureka’, zones 9 to 11) and mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata, zones 9 to 11).
Check out our beginner’s guide to get started on your home project
The landscape is full of delightful surprises, a rich tapestry of textures and garden rooms for discovering, gathering and playing. The homeowners have created a legacy that their family can enjoy for generations to come.
Let’s enjoy one last wonderful moment on this property, looking out to the Pacific Ocean and a beautiful ombre sunset.
More on Houzz
Read more landscape design stories
Browse landscape photos
Find a landscape designer
Shop for outdoor products
Let’s enjoy one last wonderful moment on this property, looking out to the Pacific Ocean and a beautiful ombre sunset.
More on Houzz
Read more landscape design stories
Browse landscape photos
Find a landscape designer
Shop for outdoor products
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Santa Barbara, California
Size: 5 acres
Landscape architect: CJM::LA
Landscape contractor: Cornerstone Landscapes
Here’s a glimpse of the renovated house with its new landscaping and impressive stone chimney, which inspired the masonry choices throughout the yard. The stone block retaining wall around the driveway was inspired by existing dry-stacked stone block walls. The landscape contractors replicated and repeated these walls along the driveway, having the stone blocks fabricated from large boulders to match. The design also incorporates fire-wise practices, including creating a 100-foot defensible space between the house and the natural areas around it.
While the existing stone block walls were dry-stacked, the newer retaining walls near the top of the driveway provide structural stability. “We repaired all lower driveway walls reusing old blocks and fabricating new blocks. The upper driveway walls are all-new, built on reinforced concrete footings with rebar dowels,” Hyman says.
On either side of the house is a way to proceed directly from the driveway to the backyard. On this side, stone steps lead from the driveway to a gravel path. A century plant (Agave guiengola, USDA zones 9 to 11; find your zone) marks this entry, hinting at the rich tapestry of plantings that await in the yard.
Fire-Wise Landscapes Can Help Keep Your Home and Property Safe