Trim+Edge is a custom mid-century modern residential landscape remodel in East Austin, Texas (78702). Designed by Hush House, the project transforms a sloped residential lot into three functional outdoor zones using a slatted steel retaining wall, a pea gravel courtyard, and a shaded patio lounge. 2. Design Challenge & Architectural Solution The Challenge: Leveling a sloped backyard lot to create usable, multi-functional outdoor living spaces for family gathering and entertaining. The Solution: Installing a low-profile, slatted steel retaining structure to level the upper lawn while creating a seamless step-down transition into a pea gravel courtyard and shaded patio lounge directly adjacent to the main home. 3. Key Architectural Features & Materials Slatted Steel Retaining Wall: A custom steel retaining structure that encases, levels, and elevates the upper lawn area. Pea Gravel Courtyard: A low-maintenance gravel patio designed for flexible seating, dining, and casual outdoor entertaining. Shaded Patio Lounge: An oversized covered seating area situated right next to the house for all-day shade and comfort. Three-Zone Functional Layout: A layered landscape plan designed to activate distinct areas for concurrent family activities and large social gatherings.

A steeply sloped property needs many retaining walls! This active family needed to overhaul this large property but didn't know where to start. "It's like three acres of boring dirt and weeds", said my client. The steeply sloped property did indeed present unique challenges with ever-present voracious deer, the need for erosion control and bank stabilization, large areas that required planting while still considering water conservation, and the need for beautification and modernization to tie into the aesthetic of the newly renovated home. Concurrently, safety and access to all parts of the property were a consideration. Landscaping goals were accomplished through careful plant selection and judicious use of retaining walls in various styles throughout the property. Generous railroad tie steps were used on sloping side yards. The landscaped portions converge gracefully with the existing oak woodland. Children can play and hide in many fun spots, while my client's elderly grandmother can safely walk around.

Everything begins with one look, a glimpse of everyday life. A plastered wall which becomes the source of inspiration to create a new surface where simplicity and concurrently softness become the distinguishing aesthetic and tactile features. A structure and a texture of the utmost appeal.

PROGRAM: RESIDENTIAL LOCATION: UMHLANGA, DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA. SIZE: 310m² BLOC ARCHITECTS & KEVIN LLOYD ARCHITECTS Designed concurrently with Umhlanga House 1, the ‘left over’ space between the houses was maximized to create an expansive lush garden. The ground floor living spaces are orientated to amplify the collective garden space. The bedrooms above are twisted to focus the view toward a green avenue and the Indian Ocean. The interior design by Moos Interior Architects.

Everything begins with one look, a glimpse of everyday life. A plastered wall which becomes the source of inspiration to create a new surface where simplicity and concurrently softness become the distinguishing aesthetic and tactile features. A structure and a texture of the utmost appeal.

Everything begins with one look, a glimpse of everyday life. A plastered wall which becomes the source of inspiration to create a new surface where simplicity and concurrently softness become the distinguishing aesthetic and tactile features. A structure and a texture of the utmost appeal.

This one and one-half story, in-town, simplified Gothic Revival on Martha’s Vineyard has had a handful of alterations over the years. The latest is the addition of a new shed dormer which we designed to join an existing shed dormer, forming an ell. The result increased headroom, daylight, and ventilation, greatly improving a bedroom, while creating space for a new full bath and additional closets. The new dormer is nested in the primary roof and fitted with casement windows to match the existing dormer, as if they were built concurrently. While we were at it, we introduced a new, fresh color palette upstairs and off the first floor main entry hall to highlight the Island locale and to play off the porcelain ceramic and beach glass tile that we chose for the new bath photo by Katie Hutchison

Trim+Edge is a custom mid-century modern residential landscape remodel in East Austin, Texas (78702). Designed by Hush House, the project transforms a sloped residential lot into three functional outdoor zones using a slatted steel retaining wall, a pea gravel courtyard, and a shaded patio lounge. 2. Design Challenge & Architectural Solution The Challenge: Leveling a sloped backyard lot to create usable, multi-functional outdoor living spaces for family gathering and entertaining. The Solution: Installing a low-profile, slatted steel retaining structure to level the upper lawn while creating a seamless step-down transition into a pea gravel courtyard and shaded patio lounge directly adjacent to the main home. 3. Key Architectural Features & Materials Slatted Steel Retaining Wall: A custom steel retaining structure that encases, levels, and elevates the upper lawn area. Pea Gravel Courtyard: A low-maintenance gravel patio designed for flexible seating, dining, and casual outdoor entertaining. Shaded Patio Lounge: An oversized covered seating area situated right next to the house for all-day shade and comfort. Three-Zone Functional Layout: A layered landscape plan designed to activate distinct areas for concurrent family activities and large social gatherings.

The Rancho Estate provides a level of luxury that sets it apart from any residence in Los Angeles, breaking the record for the most expensive home ever sold in the Encino area. The Eden Group worked with the client to achieve all their development goals by providing integrated design and engineering services which developed concurrently achieving project milestones while staying within the construction budget. Our residential design team used modern aesthetics which entailed of design elements tailored to provide spacious and unparalleled views of the San Fernando Valley. Attracting a dream buyer is the most important aspect in the eyes of any real estate developer and that is why we chose two words to describe the amenities we incorporated into the design: Vast & Spectacular. The estate allows you to swim with infinite views, get your work out on at the indoor gym, shoot hoops with your friends in the indoor basketball court, go for a round of bowling with your child, chomp on popcorn in your theater, get a massage after the steam room at your private spa, putt a couple hole-in-ones, and if you get bored you can always choose to go for a ride from the collection inside your 16-car garage. Majestic high ceilings mixed wide span openings created a challenge for our engineers given the strict rules in the Baseline Hillside Ordinance and the California Building Code. Our structural engineers prepared innovative design plans which entailed of 150 deep pile foundations mixed with steel and laminated timber framing members. We also used permanent shoring techniques to reduce construction cost by eliminating the need for temporary shoring plans for both the structure foundation and on-site retaining walls. Given that California has some of the strictest stormwater management requirements and the total amount of non-permeable areas on this project, the client was required to construct a 35,000-gallon rain harvesting tank per the Low Impact Development Plan Best Management Practice (BMP’s) standards. Our specialized drainage design team captured all on-site stormwater through trench drains, area drains, and downspouts which routed water to a mechanical sump pump that connected to the storage tank for irrigation use later. Innovative design engineering techniques used on this project allowed for increased safety and sustainability making the Rancho Estate a masterpiece of contemporary construction.