This home is a cutting edge design from floor to ceiling. The open trusses and gorgeous wood tones fill the home with light and warmth, especially since everything in the home is reflecting off the gorgeous black polished concrete floor. As a material for use in the home, concrete is top notch. As the longest lasting flooring solution available concrete’s durability can’t be beaten. It’s cost effective, gorgeous, long lasting and let’s not forget the possibility of ambient heat! There is truly nothing like the feeling of a heated bathroom floor warm against your socks in the morning. Good design is easy to come by, but great design requires a whole package, bigger picture mentality. The Cabin on Lake Wentachee is definitely the whole package from top to bottom. Polished concrete is the new cutting edge of architectural design, and Gelotte Hommas Drivdahl has proven just how stunning the results can be. Photographs by Taylor Grant Photography

The tall window emphasizes the height of the side of this modern home. The permeable pavers allow drainage and combined with the concrete create an interesting texture in the driveway. Photo: Ryan Farnau

This was a neat job in it's scope. There was a nice Victorian style home sitting on lots of land but no landscape or usable space to speak of. We created separate spaces, including a vanishing edge natural feeling pool and built in spa. A cascading water feature linking an outdoor fireplace and built in grill. We also did a low maintenance driveway using an exposed aggregate, gray stained concrete with grass strip. The client supplied a greenhouse which we created a stone based and outdoor garden area for. It was all very natural and flowing. This garden was featured on HGTV's Ground Breaker Series. Mark Schisler, Legacy Landscapes, Inc.

This stunning design at a home in Hawaii features our SYNLawn artificial grass. It borders the driveway pavers and mimics the grid lines of the modern garage door. © SYNLawn artificial grass - all rights reserved.

This small tract home backyard was transformed into a lively breathable garden. A new outdoor living room was created, with silver-grey brazilian slate flooring, and a smooth integral pewter colored concrete wall defining and retaining earth around it. A water feature is the backdrop to this outdoor room extending the flooring material (slate) into the vertical plane covering a wall that houses three playful stainless steel spouts that spill water into a large basin. Koi Fish, Gold fish and water plants bring a new mini ecosystem of life, and provide a focal point and meditational environment. The integral colored concrete wall begins at the main water feature and weaves to the south west corner of the yard where water once again emerges out of a 4” stainless steel channel; reinforcing the notion that this garden backs up against a natural spring. The stainless steel channel also provides children with an opportunity to safely play with water by floating toy boats down the channel. At the north eastern end of the integral colored concrete wall, a warm western red cedar bench extends perpendicular out from the water feature on the outside of the slate patio maximizing seating space in the limited size garden. Natural rusting Cor-ten steel fencing adds a layer of interest throughout the garden softening the 6’ high surrounding fencing and helping to carry the users eye from the ground plane up past the fence lines into the horizon; the cor-ten steel also acts as a ribbon, tie-ing the multiple spaces together in this garden. The plant palette uses grasses and rushes to further establish in the subconscious that a natural water source does exist. Planting was performed outside of the wire fence to connect the new landscape to the existing open space; this was successfully done by using perennials and grasses whose foliage matches that of the native hillside, blurring the boundary line of the garden and aesthetically extending the backyard up into the adjacent open space.

Pool & Pool House Stowe, Vermont This mountain top residential site offers spectacular 180 degree views towards adjacent hillsides. The client desired to replace an existing pond with a pool and pool house to be used for both entertaining and family use. The open site is adjacent to the driveway to the north but offered spectacular mountain views to the south. The challenge was to provide privacy at the pool without obstructing the beautiful vista from the entry drive. Working closely with the architect we designed the pool and pool house as one modern element closely linked by proximity, detailing & geometry. In so doing, we used precise placement, careful choice of building & site materials, and minimalist planting. Existing trees were edited to open up selected views to the south. Rows of ornamental grasses provide architectural delineation of outdoor space. Understated stone steps in the lawn loosely connect the pool to the main house. Architect: Michael Minadeo + Partners Image Credit: Westphalen Photography

At this Palo Alto home, a concrete wall provides privacy for front yard seating. Existing boxwoods and dogwood tree at right were kept per client's wishes. (Photography by Paul Dyer)

Daniel Gonzalez
Photo of a huge traditional gravel driveway in New York for spring.

aeoniums, fern, flax, fountain, grasses, gravel, horizontal cedar fence and gate, kangaroo paws, leptosperum petersonii tree, smooth wall stucco walls, Cordyline 'Torbay Dazzler'

This inviting space features a decorative concrete patio with a custom concrete fire pit and Ipe floating bench. The lush landscaping and cedar privacy fence provides a tranquil setting for city living.

Large acid stained drive way that was completed in two days.
Design ideas for a traditional landscaping in Charlotte.

Grass plus pyramids equals one dramatic lawn in Laguna Beach By Kathleen N. Brenzel | Photography by Bret Gum PYRAMIDS ARE MADE for climbing. That's what architect Ryan Singer realized the first time he clambered atop one of the two 8-footers shown here. "I could see everything—the ocean and the house I designed—from a fresh perspective," he says. "It was amazing." Then he did what any kid would want to do: "I sat down and slid to the bottom." The pyramids flank an entry walk in front of a home in Laguna Beach, California. Made of hard-packed clay soil (excavated during a driveway remodel) and covered by plastic mesh, each rises from a 12-foot square in-ground concrete retaining wall. Drip tubing beneath the mesh irrigates the soft fescue grass. So how do you mow a nearly vertical lawn? It's not so hard as it looks: Start with a reel mower near the base, and then take a little off the top with a string trimmer.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRET GUM
This is an example of a large modern partial sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Orange County.

Michelle Lee Wilson Photography
Inspiration for a contemporary backyard patio remodel in San Francisco with a fire pit

Peter Koenig Landscape Designer, Gene Radding General Contracting, Creative Environments Swimming Pool Construction
Huge trendy backyard concrete paver and l-shaped hot tub photo in San Francisco

grass pave, pervious, sod driveway, driveway, coastal, cottage, cool, tongue & groove, key west, tongue & groove, brackets, oyster tabby, cool, widow's watch, palm tree, blue, cedar shingle, shake, metal roof.

A view from the house to the perimeter of the back yard. Westhauser Photography
Mid-sized minimalist backyard concrete patio photo in Milwaukee with a fire pit

the bamboo is a clumping variety called Bambusa eutuldoides viridi-vittata , Asian lemon bamboo. This variety is a clumper and you do not need to contain it, however, do allow an 8'by 10' area for its ultimate growth. Bamboo does require constant maintenance and you will need to do some research for the specific variety you choose. Once planted, it will become a beautiful focal point and add a stunning tropical accent. Photo Credit: Sherwood Cox

Residential home in Santa Cruz, CA This stunning front and backyard project was so much fun! The plethora of K&D's scope of work included: smooth finished concrete walls, multiple styles of horizontal redwood fencing, smooth finished concrete stepping stones, bands, steps & pathways, paver patio & driveway, artificial turf, TimberTech stairs & decks, TimberTech custom bench with storage, shower wall with bike washing station, custom concrete fountain, poured-in-place fire pit, pour-in-place half circle bench with sloped back rest, metal pergola, low voltage lighting, planting and irrigation! (*Adorable cat not included)