The property is located on the hill from where the view stretches over Sečovlje Salina. In the East, South and West it borders with the neighboring properties, meanwhile the Nord side of the garden is open to surrounding landscape. To keep intimacy in the garden the views has been screened towards the neighboring houses, but not to the surrounding cultural landscape. In this way the garden includes the external views into its own scenery. The selection of plants limited just to the native Mediterranean species blurs the border line between the garden and the surrounding landscape. So the garden visually does not stop at its border line, but opens the view until the eyes can reach. There are two weekend houses that has been placed in the property. Each of them has been provided with its own terrace which ensures its own piece of the garden. The vegetation has been placed in a way that helps to subdivide a larger garden space to smaller sub-spaces. The plants also screen the views from one terrace to another to ensure the intimacy of its user. The Garden consists of four subspaces: the parking plot, the entrance garden which connects the main entries to houses, the intimate garden with the terraces and the herb - the vegetable garden. The pool has been placed in the entrance garden. Next to the pool one can find two stone benches and an outdoor shower. The area has been designed as a social space, where the users can meet and gather around. In case when one prefers some private time he can move to the intimate garden.

The Brahmin - in Ridgefield Washington by Cascade West Development Inc. Welcome to the Brahmin Home. A newer style home that lends itself well, to the Friendly, Neighborly, and Conversational couple that likes to entertain! It’s open, warm and easy to feel right at home in this fantastic plan that has a unique twist on where and how you might spend a Sunday afternoon! While this home seems to appear from afar, as a Traditional Northwest Style Home with a layout that features all the bedroom areas on the upper floor it differs from the tradition of your typical Bonus Room / Recreational room over the garage and brings you the “12th Man Room” on the Main floor! This home is built to enjoy your home, your family, your food, your movies or your sports with friends, neighbors, family, or whomever else, the cat may drag in! It is designed to be able to handle a houseful of guests without ever even realizing you have exceeded 50 people or more! Cascade West Facebook: https://goo.gl/MCD2U1 Cascade West Website: https://goo.gl/XHm7Un These photos, like many of ours, were taken by the good people of ExposioHDR - Portland, Or Exposio Facebook: https://goo.gl/SpSvyo Exposio Website: https://goo.gl/Cbm8Ya

The million dollar view. Bringing the inside out to this spacious 200 SF patio deck. Second living room and dining room in one. Best to fill up with as many plants as possible. Add a water feature for white noise from the street below and the neighbors above. A little lattice to add more separation to the adjacent neighbors. The trellis above can hold typical canvas or cloth sails. Be sure to ask the HOA for permission before physically attaching anything to the structure.

This hillside home in Piedmont, CA was remodeled to change the style from a 1940's rancher with eight foot ceilings and dark interiors, into a modern geometric composition with vast white interiors for casual living and generous daylighting for displaying the artist-owner's works. In a city known for rigorous and difficult design review, an addition, two variances, and a full stylistic change were unanimously approved on the first round. All sloped roofs and attics were eliminated and replaced by a series of stacked and overlapping flat roofs. This made the house taller on the inside and shorter on the outside, which helped earn design review cooperation in the community. Windows were concentrated toward the rear yard views or moved up high on the side walls for daylight and privacy, benefitting the owners as well as the neighbors. At the start, the owner husband was so enthusiastic and engaged in transforming his house into something modern that he presented the architect with a scaled foamcore model, rather than the usual magazine clippings and wish list. He participated in the design decisions throughout the process. The owner wife is the artist who did all the artwork in the house. She had been craving a display space with large walls and good natural light. Both of them loved the location and great views. The project was an opportunity to transform the style of an older traditional home into a modern one, while solving numerous problems. By rebuilding the 1800 ft2 top of the 3-story home it was possible to change the style of the whole building, since the lower floors were a neutral base, and also to change the lifestyle of the owners, who wanted to move their master suite upstairs and live primarily on the top floor as empty nesters. Going into the project, the architect knew there were multiple encroachments into the setbacks and potential privacy issues with close by neighbors. He approached this as a complex puzzle made up of architectural and political pieces which all had to fit together elegantly. It took many careful moves, small and large, to arrive at a serene and cohesive result that tied old and new together seamlessly. The design-build contractor worked closely with the owners and handled all of the construction phase documents and design adjustments, adding ideas of their own to make the project really sing. The project was a collaboration in three acts. The owner had a strong design concept from the start. The architect developed it into a realistic project and garnered the design approvals. Then the contractor executed brilliantly.

The sink wall showing the new window, which allows for natural light, but limits the view to the neighbor’s property. Zodiac tops and an Elkay stainless steel under mount sink with a period piece light fixture above complete the look.

Bye Bye neighbors, you know what they say palm trees can make the best neighbors. Using Dwarf date palm and a silver fountain palm as the center piece makes for a lovely tropical buffer. Landscape designed and installed by Construction Landscape With Designs by Jennifer Bevins. Servicing The Treasure and Space Coast 772-492-8382.

The property is located on the hill from where the view stretches over Sečovlje Salina. In the East, South and West it borders with the neighboring properties, meanwhile the Nord side of the garden is open to surrounding landscape. To keep intimacy in the garden the views has been screened towards the neighboring houses, but not to the surrounding cultural landscape. In this way the garden includes the external views into its own scenery. The selection of plants limited just to the native Mediterranean species blurs the border line between the garden and the surrounding landscape. So the garden visually does not stop at its border line, but opens the view until the eyes can reach. There are two weekend houses that has been placed in the property. Each of them has been provided with its own terrace which ensures its own piece of the garden. The vegetation has been placed in a way that helps to subdivide a larger garden space to smaller sub-spaces. The plants also screen the views from one terrace to another to ensure the intimacy of its user. The Garden consists of four subspaces: the parking plot, the entrance garden which connects the main entries to houses, the intimate garden with the terraces and the herb - the vegetable garden. The pool has been placed in the entrance garden. Next to the pool one can find two stone benches and an outdoor shower. The area has been designed as a social space, where the users can meet and gather around. In case when one prefers some private time he can move to the intimate garden.

Images provided by 'Ancient Surfaces' Product name: Antique Biblical Stone Fountain Contacts: (212) 461-0245 Email: Sales@ancientsurfaces.com Website: www.AncientSurfaces.com Do you want to add the crown jewel to your backyard? Or maybe you want to finish of your swimming pool with a hand carved stone art piece instead of that stacked, bricked or stuccoed wall that you currently have? What about that kitchen window that leads to your neighbor’s wall or catwalk? Well you guessed it if you were thinking about adding a unique water feature that will transform that dull space into a lush oasis of limestone, water and greenery... An antique water fountain will not only transform your backyard it will change your mood every time you look at it of walk pass by it...

Eagleston Hollies planted for privacy between front yard. Planted and provided by Treeland Nursery.
Inspiration for a transitional landscaping in Dallas.

This project is a story of how buildings and relationships evolve over time, and how the two are intertwined in the making of architecture. The client, a single man, had just purchased a classic Edwardian flat on San Francisco’s Liberty Street, known for its historic homes and famous neighbors like Tracy Chapman, when his realtor connected him with LLA. The initial brief was to integrate a modern, minimalist kitchen and bathroom with the apartment's traditional aesthetic. The existing condition was a series of cramped rooms and a long hallway that divided the apartment into many separate spaces, some without natural light. The solution was to remove most of the walls in the middle of the flat, with extensive structural work hidden from view. This created an open connection between the living, dining and kitchen areas that flooded the formerly dark core of the apartment with light. Midway through the design process, the client and his partner, and avid cook, decided it was time to move in together. The project evolved further and LLA found inventive ways to pack more features and amenities into a design that was fundamentally about simplicity. The result of this creative tension is a large open kitchen with deceptively simple forms- a long back counter with three rows of drawers below, an island with a central cooktop and double cantilevers for seating, and a slightly mysterious wood box at the back. The box conceals the refrigerator, storage, linens, and laundry, and through a secret door, a large walk-in pantry. The bathroom evolved into a mini-spa, with a walk-through shower and Japanese-style soaking tub. The space shares light with the kitchen through a floor-to-ceiling translucent glass panel. Each client has a large dog, and so a small sliver of space under the upstairs neighbor's stair was turned into the perfect doggie den, complete with period correct doorway. The newly blended family moved in together when the project was completed. A poignant footnote, Maverick, the blonder, fluffier dog in the photos, was very old and sadly passed away shortly after they moved in. It made the photoshoot feel like a special event that honored and preserved his memory in pictures. Like all families, theirs continues to evolve and change, just as their home has over its 90 year life.

Holly comments: “What I noticed right away about the visit to Celebrity IOU/ Jeremy Renner was the coordination that was taking place. There were a lot of workers, a lot of cars and trucks meaning the logistics in a tight side street is tricky. They keep everyone moving. No Stopping could be the motto. Once we went in, we signed documents, they took our pictures – my joke was that they did it so they would know who to cut from the show…my joke turned into foreshadowing, unfortunately. Inside the house, it was similar to the outside, lots of people, lots of movement. You had to find an area and not get in the way. Once the taping was about to start, the camera operators were in place, the mics were tested and they yelled: “Quiet on the set”. It felt very official. I enjoyed seeing Jonathan in action because I could see how natural he is in front of the camera. There were not many retakes if any. He really enjoys both the personal conversations as well as the materials and installation conversations. Outside, the neighbors were stopping by and Jonathan could not have been more gracious. He took pics with the neighbors, joked around, and gave hugs. At the end of a hot, sticky day, he jumped into his black limo and was wisked away. We stayed to figure out the installation.”

A complete metamorphosis was needed to bring out the buried treasure hidden beneath this yard, and a family of five rattlesnakes had to find a new home! Here’s the short list of the awkward elements that had to be remedied: First, the neighbors’ living room window peered perpetually (like, all the time) and directly into the yard with no privacy whatsoever. None. Second, the vast deep end swallowed up the patio and provided no place for furniture, or walking. Only tripping and treading water was allowed. Third, the sunken lawn must have been an arena of some sort! Intentionally excavated from natural grade a full -42″ from the patio, for no good reason. Fourth, the not-worth-a-visit ramada was the focal point for the entire yard. See it up close! It’s gone. Fifth, the spa was shoved against the farthest wall and provided no invitation. It was so bad, it never had a photo taken! See the statue peeing between the two short columns? It’s over there. Peeing in the corner as all little boys are want to do. Sixth, the bbq and fire place were non-functional and equally uninviting, and here’s a better view of just how crowded the furniture is. Don’t fall in! Last, we will not mention the boulder pile droppings distributed around the yard. Oops! Sorry. The first order of business was to spend several weeks tearing out everything but the pool shell. Then another few weeks were spent wheelbarrowing in a few hundred yards of top soil (there was no access) to fill the matador pit flush to a more relatable -18″. The large gaping trough was then discretely hidden with large removable stones, so it was out of sight but still serviceable. Second, the neighbor was screened instantly with a row of mature Texas Ebony trees in a raised planter, that also housed a sculptural ironwood tree as the focal point of the property, soon to be reflected in the pool’s richer Midnight Blue pebble tec finish. A hundred or so yards of shotcrete filled not only the reclaimed deep end, but also created a sun shelf and spa ledge, now the focal jewel in the foreground as a 360 overflow vanishing edge spa clad in Pewter glass tile from Oceanside Glass, and viewed from all the interior living spaces. The BBQ was tucked around the corner out of sight but still easy access. The fireplace for two gave way to a large inviting built in banco, with a splashes of colorful fabrics to draw one out. The fire pit serves about 10 people easily, for hours at a time. Last but not least, the foreground of the pool became a sweeping entry shelf extending the full length of the pool, bedecked with fiberoptic starlights and six glowing bubblers set low, to just barely break the surface of the water, giving a lovely and tranquil sound while sleeping away with all retractable doors wide open. Simple. Serene. Self-evident. That is the remedy. If your project needs a similar touch, more or less, drop me a line and we’ll figure out a plan.

We love our neighbors on Main St in Downtown Rowlett. We're at home with this community over here. Our neighbors and friends at the Village of Rowlett Apartments invited us to design one of their model apartments and we couldn't have been more excited for the opportunity. Here's a peak at the space.

Residential design; family centered garden providing buffering from neighboring properties. This photo shows garden immediately after planting, including the neighboring eyesore the client sought to disguise. (Photo: Cynthia Blanchard)

Located on a steep hill above downtown Ventura, this modern Spanish house features panoramic views of town with the ocean and Channel Islands beyond. While the views are amazing from a large front deck, the steep slope presented some constraints on the landscape design. Although the property is about a third-of-an-acre, the only useable and open garden space is a small (about 500 square feet) area to the West of the house. The house sits at the back of the property, and another steep hill on the neighboring property behind is held back by a tall retaining wall, leaving just enough room for a narrow, hardscaped patio in the back yard. Bright plantings along the back of the property delineate the home from the neighboring property, and we chose plantings to help stabilize the soil and further develop the Spanish garden look while creating a lush, inviting feel. Additionally, we added 52 pieces of pottery to soften and add interest to the back garden and patio areas. Succulents, herbs, and California natives fill the pottery along with bright, sweet-smelling, tropical-looking, and climate-appropriate plants. Slope stabilization was paramount for the front hill. Beyond that, finding plants that would thrive on the steep slope was the next obstacle. Finally, the aesthetics could be addressed, and we worked to find plants that meshed with the architecture—blending plants with white and orange to play off the red-tiled roofs and white-plastered walls that are emblematic of the Spanish style of this house as well as the predominate style of the neighborhood. The flattish area to the West was designed with the idea of creating a contemporary take on the parterre garden. Reminiscent of Mediterranean gardens, this vegetable and herb garden substitutes formal hedges with formal Corten steel planters to honor the modern Spanish architecture of the house. The citrus, herbs, and vegetables serve the foodie clients well.

The #LakesideLeisure Project was a comprehensive redesign of a lakefront property that transformed various challenges into stunning solutions. Initially, the property featured a small, high-maintenance cedar deck with minimal lake views, poorly placed stairs, limited flat yard space due to extensive tiered landscaping and excessive plantings, obstructed lake views, and privacy concerns from a neighboring home. The client’s vision was clear: they wanted a large, flat yard for family activities and hosting, enhanced outdoor living spaces for dining and lounging, increased privacy from neighbors, more shaded hangout areas, improved “curb appeal” from the lake, and reduced maintenance.

The million dollar view. Bringing the inside out to this spacious 200 SF patio deck. Second living room and dining room in one. Best to fill up with as many plants as possible. Add a water feature for white noise from the street below and the neighbors above. A little lattice to add more separation to the adjacent neighbors. The trellis above can hold typical canvas or cloth sails. Be sure to ask the HOA for permission before physically attaching anything to the structure.

The pool area is now a colorful focal point of this secluded property, transforming the site into a lush garden room and private oasis screening neighbor views. The pool area is now a focal point of this secluded property, transforming the site into a lush garden room and private oasis screening neighbor views. -Plantings include a mix of Trees, Shrubs and drifts of Perennials and Ornamental Grasses

Images provided by 'Ancient Surfaces' Product name: Antique Biblical Stone Fountain Contacts: (212) 461-0245 Email: Sales@ancientsurfaces.com Website: www.AncientSurfaces.com Do you want to add the crown jewel to your backyard? Or maybe you want to finish of your swimming pool with a hand carved stone art piece instead of that stacked, bricked or stuccoed wall that you currently have? What about that kitchen window that leads to your neighbor’s wall or catwalk? Well you guessed it if you were thinking about adding a unique water feature that will transform that dull space into a lush oasis of limestone, water and greenery... An antique water fountain will not only transform your backyard it will change your mood every time you look at it of walk pass by it...