An allee of lavender flanks the bluestone, gravel and granite walkway to the front door.
Cottage single front door photo in Providence

Klopf Architecture, Arterra Landscape Architects and Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Designed and built a new warm, modern, Eichler-inspired, open, indoor-outdoor home on a deeper-than-usual San Mateo Highlands property where an original Eichler house had burned to the ground. The owners wanted multi-generational living and larger spaces than the original home offered, but all parties agreed that the house should respect the neighborhood and blend in stylistically with the other Eichlers. At first the Klopf team considered re-using what little was left of the original home and expanding on it. But after discussions with the owner and builder, all parties agreed that the last few remaining elements of the house were not practical to re-use, so Klopf Architecture designed a new home that pushes the Eichler approach in new directions. One disadvantage of Eichler production homes is that the house designs were not optimized for each specific lot. A new custom home offered the team a chance to start over. In this case, a longer house that opens up sideways to the south fit the lot better than the original square-ish house that used to open to the rear (west). Accordingly, the Klopf team designed an L-shaped “bar” house with a large glass wall with large sliding glass doors that faces sideways instead of to the rear like a typical Eichler. This glass wall opens to a pool and landscaped yard designed by Arterra Landscape Architects. Driving by the house, one might assume at first glance it is an Eichler because of the horizontality, the overhanging flat roof eaves, the dark gray vertical siding, and orange solid panel front door, but the house is designed for the 21st Century and is not meant to be a “Likeler.” You won't see any posts and beams in this home. Instead, the ceiling decking is a western red cedar that covers over all the beams. Like Eichlers, this cedar runs continuously from inside to out, enhancing the indoor / outdoor feeling of the house, but unlike Eichlers it conceals a cavity for lighting, wiring, and insulation. Ceilings are higher, rooms are larger and more open, the master bathroom is light-filled and more generous, with a separate tub and shower and a separate toilet compartment, and there is plenty of storage. The garage even easily fits two of today's vehicles with room to spare. A massive 49-foot by 12-foot wall of glass and the continuity of materials from inside to outside enhance the inside-outside living concept, so the owners and their guests can flow freely from house to pool deck to BBQ to pool and back. During construction in the rough framing stage, Klopf thought the front of the house appeared too tall even though the house had looked right in the design renderings (probably because the house is uphill from the street). So Klopf Architecture paid the framer to change the roofline from how we had designed it to be lower along the front, allowing the home to blend in better with the neighborhood. One project goal was for people driving up the street to pass the home without immediately noticing there is an "imposter" on this lot, and making that change was essential to achieve that goal. This 2,606 square foot, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom Eichler-inspired new house is located in San Mateo in the heart of the Silicon Valley. Klopf Architecture Project Team: John Klopf, AIA, Klara Kevane Landscape Architect: Arterra Landscape Architects Contractor: Henry Calvert of Calvert Ventures Photography ©2016 Mariko Reed Location: San Mateo, CA Year completed: 2016

Developing a landscape that complements the home style is paramount. This neo-colonial home features plantings, containers and a traditional brick entry that are in harmony with each other and in rhythm with the house. Astilbe, Hosta, and Rhododendron are featured with large beds of Pachysandra, creating a subtle, yet effective presentation.

We can keep your planters filled all year round!
This is an example of a small contemporary full sun side yard formal garden in Chicago for spring.

A view heading into the featured garden space. Curved, flowing paved areas make creative use of this relatively small space in a suburban neighborhood. Columnar Emerald Green Arborvitae and Yoshino Cryptomeria are placed along the property border to enclose the space and create a sense of privacy within the garden. Over time, these evergreens will fill in and create a green screen surrounding the garden. In late summer the mauve umbels of Joe Pye Weed are showy paired with white David Sumer Phlox. This plant combination attracts butterflies which will add movement and animation to the garden. Clumps of tall Dallas Blues Switch grass were used to add texture, movement and winter interest.

Alan & Linda Detrick Photography
Design ideas for a traditional water fountain landscape in New York.

Photo by Ryann Ford
Design ideas for a contemporary landscaping in Austin.

A chicago brick pathway guides us towards the backyard is aligned by the lush tropical landscape filled with ferns, orchids, large leaf Alocasia, foxtail palms, yellow allamanda, and a hardy fukien tea plant

image: Travis Rhoads Photography
Inspiration for a small contemporary shade side yard stone formal garden in San Francisco.

This simultaneously elegant and relaxed Tuscan style home on a secluded redwood-filled property is designed for the easiest of transitions between inside and out. Terraces extend out from the house to the lawn, and gravel walkways meander through the gardens. A light filled entry hall divides the home into public and private areas.

Lagoon-side property in the Bel Marin Keys, Novato, CA. Entertaining and enjoying the views were a primary design goal for this project. The project includes a large camaru deck with built-in seating. The concrete steps and pavers lead down to the water's edge. I included a sunken patio on one side and a beautiful Buddha statue on the other, surrounded by succulents and other low-water, contemporary plantings. I also used Dymondia ground cover to create a natural pathways within the garden. Featured plants: Achillea 'Coronation Gold (Yarrow), Euphorbia 'Blackbird', Lavenders, Lion's Tail and Penstemon heterophyllus. Photo: © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design. Design Eileen Kelly

Design ideas for a large transitional full sun front yard concrete paver driveway in Charlotte.

An IdealMow meadow of hardy Carex pansa fills much of the expansive backyard. It maintains its lush color year round, despite needing only 20 percent of the water needed by the turf grass that once filled the space. A bevy of California native sages and other blooms wraps the meadow, softening the Spanish tile-topped garden wall.

APLD 2021 Silver Award Winning Landscape Design. Painted galvanized troughs used for vegetables in the side yard. An expansive back yard landscape with several mature oak trees and a stunning Golden Locust tree has been transformed into a welcoming outdoor retreat. The renovations include a wraparound deck, an expansive travertine natural stone patio, stairways and pathways along with concrete retaining walls and column accents with dramatic planters. The pathways meander throughout the landscape... some with travertine stepping stones and gravel and those below the majestic oaks left natural with fallen leaves. Raised vegetable beds and fruit trees occupy some of the sunniest areas of the landscape. A variety of low-water and low-maintenance plants for both sunny and shady areas include several succulents, grasses, CA natives and other site-appropriate Mediterranean plants complimented by a variety of boulders. Dramatic white pots provide architectural accents, filled with succulents and citrus trees. Design, Photos, Drawings © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

White lantana filled planting beds
Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional partial sun and drought-tolerant front yard mulch flower bed in San Francisco.

Steep, steep slope below a Sausalito home with dramatic views. New plantings include a combination of CA native trees and shrubs, succulents, euphorbia, new zealand flax, rubus ground cover, native grasses/grass-like plants. Designed to provide erosion control and dramatic plant textures, structure and colors when viewed from the decks above. Photos and Landscape Design © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design. http://www.digyourgarden.com

APLD 2021 Silver Award Winning Landscape Design. Travertine stone for wall and stairway caps and stepping stones. Concrete retaining walls. This expansive back yard landscape with several mature oak trees and a stunning Golden Locust tree has been transformed into a welcoming outdoor retreat. The renovations include a wraparound deck, an expansive natural stone patio, stairways and pathways along with concrete retaining walls and column accents with dramatic planters. The pathways meander throughout the landscape... some with travertine stepping stones and gravel and those below the majestic oaks left natural with fallen leaves. Raised vegetable beds and fruit trees occupy some of the sunniest areas of the landscape. A variety of low-water and low-maintenance plants for both sunny and shady areas include several succulents, grasses, CA natives and other site-appropriate Mediterranean plants complimented by a variety of boulders. Dramatic white pots provide architectural accents, filled with succulents and citrus trees. Design, Photos, Drawings © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design

A gas-powered fire bowl constructed of rusted steel and filled with river rock fire stones.
Design ideas for a mid-sized contemporary side yard stone landscaping in Other with a fire pit.

Lagoon-side property in the Bel Marin Keys, Novato, CA. Entertaining and enjoying the views were a primary design goal for this project. The project includes a large camaru deck with built-in seating. The concrete steps and pavers lead down to the water's edge. I included a sunken patio on one side and a beautiful Buddha statue on the other, surrounded by succulents and other low-water, contemporary plantings. I also used Dymondia ground cover to create a natural pathways within the garden. This project was just completed. More photos will be included in Spring when the plantings fill in. Photos: © Eileen Kelly, Landscape Designer, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design.