Klopf Architecture and Outer space Landscape Architects designed a new warm, modern, open, indoor-outdoor home in Los Altos, California. Inspired by mid-century modern homes but looking for something completely new and custom, the owners, a couple with two children, bought an older ranch style home with the intention of replacing it. Created on a grid, the house is designed to be at rest with differentiated spaces for activities; living, playing, cooking, dining and a piano space. The low-sloping gable roof over the great room brings a grand feeling to the space. The clerestory windows at the high sloping roof make the grand space light and airy. Upon entering the house, an open atrium entry in the middle of the house provides light and nature to the great room. The Heath tile wall at the back of the atrium blocks direct view of the rear yard from the entry door for privacy. The bedrooms, bathrooms, play room and the sitting room are under flat wing-like roofs that balance on either side of the low sloping gable roof of the main space. Large sliding glass panels and pocketing glass doors foster openness to the front and back yards. In the front there is a fenced-in play space connected to the play room, creating an indoor-outdoor play space that could change in use over the years. The play room can also be closed off from the great room with a large pocketing door. In the rear, everything opens up to a deck overlooking a pool where the family can come together outdoors. Wood siding travels from exterior to interior, accentuating the indoor-outdoor nature of the house. Where the exterior siding doesn’t come inside, a palette of white oak floors, white walls, walnut cabinetry, and dark window frames ties all the spaces together to create a uniform feeling and flow throughout the house. The custom cabinetry matches the minimal joinery of the rest of the house, a trim-less, minimal appearance. Wood siding was mitered in the corners, including where siding meets the interior drywall. Wall materials were held up off the floor with a minimal reveal. This tight detailing gives a sense of cleanliness to the house. The garage door of the house is completely flush and of the same material as the garage wall, de-emphasizing the garage door and making the street presentation of the house kinder to the neighborhood. The house is akin to a custom, modern-day Eichler home in many ways. Inspired by mid-century modern homes with today’s materials, approaches, standards, and technologies. The goals were to create an indoor-outdoor home that was energy-efficient, light and flexible for young children to grow. This 3,000 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom new house is located in Los Altos in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, and Chuang-Ming Liu 
Landscape Architect: Outer space Landscape Architects 
Structural Engineer: ZFA Structural Engineers 
Staging: Da Lusso Design 
Photography ©2018 Mariko Reed 
Location: Los Altos, CA
 Year completed: 2017

Close up of same front yard bed - different year when a Oakleaf Hydrangea starts to dominate (relocated it in 2014). Catnip and Liriope line the front and have no problem with road salt and dog urine. The Catnip blooms from June to November since this bed becomes full sun as the season turns to winter.

Photography by Stephen Brousseau.
Inspiration for a contemporary brown one-story wood house exterior remodel in Seattle with a shed roof

Photo by Jay Sifford.

Photo: Lauren Dunec Hoang © 2017 Houzz

Pool of the Kim Residence. Architect - Tate Studio Architects Interior- Tate Studio Architects Builder- Phil Nichols Custom Homes Photo - @eif_images

Example of a trendy patio design in San Francisco

Tropical Gardenia fragrance on a cold hardy, easy care plant. Jubilation flowers from spring through fall with masses of white blooms. Plant near patios, porches, decks, and other outdoor living areas where the fragrance can be enjoyed. Features Feature/Bloom White flowers in spring, reblooming summer to fall Evergreen or Deciduous evergreen USDA Zones Hardy to 0°F USDA 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 Sunset Zones 7-9, 12-16, 18-24 Special Features Fall blooming, reblooming, dwarf, attracts birds/butterflies, aromatic Landscape Use Accent, container, mass planting, slope, hedge Exposure Full sun to part shade Bloom Season Spring, summer, fall Dimension 3-4 ft H x 3-4 ft W Growth Rate Moderate to fast Plant Type evergreen About the Collection Brought to you by the authority on Western gardening, the Sunset Western Garden Collection is an exclusive plant collection of top performing plants for the Western Gardener.

Royal Palms and Queen Emmas Landscape designed and installed by Construction Landscape, Jennifer Bevins 772-492-8382
Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional partial sun front yard formal garden in Orlando.

Phacelia parryi / Parry's phacelia Photo: National Park Service: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-2.0 Generic

The owners requested that their home harmonize with the spirit of the surrounding Colorado mountain setting and enhance their outdoor recreational lifestyle - while reflecting their contemporary architectural tastes. The site was burdened with a myriad of strict design criteria enforced by the neighborhood covenants and architectural review board. Creating a distinct design challenge, the covenants included a narrow interpretation of a “mountain style” home which established predetermined roof pitches, glazing percentages and material palettes - at direct odds with the client‘s vision of a flat-roofed, glass, “contemporary” home. Our solution finds inspiration and opportunities within the site covenant’s strict definitions. It promotes and celebrates the client’s outdoor lifestyle and resolves the definition of a contemporary “mountain style” home by reducing the architecture to its most basic vernacular forms and relying upon local materials. The home utilizes a simple base, middle and top that echoes the surrounding mountains and vegetation. The massing takes its cues from the prevalent lodgepole pine trees that grow at the mountain’s high altitudes. These pine trees have a distinct growth pattern, highlighted by a single vertical trunk and a peaked, densely foliated growth zone above a sparse base. This growth pattern is referenced by placing the wood-clad body of the home at the second story above an open base composed of wood posts and glass. A simple peaked roof rests lightly atop the home - visually floating above a triangular glass transom. The home itself is neatly inserted amongst an existing grove of lodgepole pines and oriented to take advantage of panoramic views of the adjacent meadow and Continental Divide beyond. The main functions of the house are arranged into public and private areas and this division is made apparent on the home’s exterior. Two large roof forms, clad in pre-patinated zinc, are separated by a sheltering central deck - which signals the main entry to the home. At this connection, the roof deck is opened to allow a cluster of aspen trees to grow – further reinforcing nature as an integral part of arrival. Outdoor living spaces are provided on all levels of the house and are positioned to take advantage of sunrise and sunset moments. The distinction between interior and exterior space is blurred via the use of large expanses of glass. The dry stacked stone base and natural cedar cladding both reappear within the home’s interior spaces. This home offers a unique solution to the client’s requests while satisfying the design requirements of the neighborhood covenants. The house provides a variety of indoor and outdoor living spaces that can be utilized in all seasons. Most importantly, the house takes its cues directly from its natural surroundings and local building traditions to become a prototype solution for the “modern mountain house”. Overview Ranch Creek Ranch Winter Park, Colorado Completion Date October, 2007 Services Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture

Blush Pink nandina is an exciting new version of the old standby Nandina ‘Firepower.’ Stunning pink new growth sets Blush Pink apart from its rivals. The pink color glows throughout the growing season leading up to a spectacular fall and winter display of bright pink and red foliage. A compact growth habit makes it ideal as a mass planting or a border. FEATURES Bloom/Feature Blush-colored young foliage Plant Type Shrubs Evergreen or Deciduous Evergreen USDA Zones 6,7,8,9,10 Zone Detail Hardy to -10 F Key Features Winter/fall foliage color, dwarf, year-round interest, fall blooming Use Accent, container, mass planting, slope Exposure Full sun to part shade Bloom Season None Dimension 2' H x 1.5-2' W Growth Rate Moderate to fast growth CARE Water Water as needed Soil Type Well-drained garden soil Fertilizer Early spring Pruning None PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS water before planting plant in full sun to part shade dig hole 3X the width of pot, backfill and plant 1”-2” above soil level water and add more soil if needed mulch plants; fertilize in early spring

Phlox divaricata / wild blue phlox

The challenge for Costata Landscape Design presented by this project was all about taking the disparate elements of a large and underused property and bringing them together in a cohesive whole. The landscape now flows seamlessly from street front to house, entertaining area, pool, garden and firepit precinct overlooking the local creek. The garden construction elements are softened in shape and form providing counterpoint to the dominant straight lines of the house and pool. Massed plantings below feature trees intertwine, providing contrast of foliage colour, shape and height further blurring the lines between built structure and the landscape. The firepit was located within a precinct cut into the slope of the land and set within large boulders. Placement of the boulders created negative spaces for the garden to flow into and fill. The scale of the surrounding garden anchors the firepit into the vast, open space of the paddock and creates an intimacy, as European Olives and Chinese Junipers grow to bring a sense of seclusion overlooking the creek below towering Blackbutts.

Phlox divaricata / wild blue phlox

The challenge for Costata Landscape Design presented by this project was all about taking the disparate elements of a large and underused property and bringing them together in a cohesive whole. The landscape now flows seamlessly from street front to house, entertaining area, pool, garden and firepit precinct overlooking the local creek. The garden construction elements are softened in shape and form providing counterpoint to the dominant straight lines of the house and pool. Massed plantings below feature trees intertwine, providing contrast of foliage colour, shape and height further blurring the lines between built structure and the landscape. The firepit was located within a precinct cut into the slope of the land and set within large boulders. Placement of the boulders created negative spaces for the garden to flow into and fill. The scale of the surrounding garden anchors the firepit into the vast, open space of the paddock and creates an intimacy, as European Olives and Chinese Junipers grow to bring a sense of seclusion overlooking the creek below towering Blackbutts.

The design brief for this garden was to create an inviting entry with a woodland feel that would complement the home's earthy color scheme and thoughtful architectural details. Majestic Sequoia sempervirens 'Aptos Blue' (Aptos Blue Coastal Redwood), with its pendant deep blue-green branches, shields the expanded porch from the afternoon sun. Selected for its ability to look good in sun or shade, Carex divulsa (Berkeley sedge) makes a lush ground cover, weaving through the trees and along the new slate walk. In fall, muhlenbergia capillaris explodes with feathery pink plumes. Photos by Martin Cox Photography.

Design ideas for a southwestern landscaping in Phoenix.