Reverse Shed Eichler This project is part tear-down, part remodel. The original L-shaped plan allowed the living/ dining/ kitchen wing to be completely re-built while retaining the shell of the bedroom wing virtually intact. The rebuilt entertainment wing was enlarged 50% and covered with a low-slope reverse-shed roof sloping from eleven to thirteen feet. The shed roof floats on a continuous glass clerestory with eight foot transom. Cantilevered steel frames support wood roof beams with eaves of up to ten feet. An interior glass clerestory separates the kitchen and livingroom for sound control. A wall-to-wall skylight illuminates the north wall of the kitchen/family room. New additions at the back of the house add several “sliding” wall planes, where interior walls continue past full-height windows to the exterior, complimenting the typical Eichler indoor-outdoor ceiling and floor planes. The existing bedroom wing has been re-configured on the interior, changing three small bedrooms into two larger ones, and adding a guest suite in part of the original garage. A previous den addition provided the perfect spot for a large master ensuite bath and walk-in closet. Natural materials predominate, with fir ceilings, limestone veneer fireplace walls, anigre veneer cabinets, fir sliding windows and interior doors, bamboo floors, and concrete patios and walks. Landscape design by Bernard Trainor: www.bernardtrainor.com (see “Concrete Jungle” in April 2014 edition of Dwell magazine). Microsoft Media Center installation of the Year, 2008: www.cybermanor.com/ultimate_install.html (automated shades, radiant heating system, and lights, as well as security & sound).

Natural landscaping.
Inspiration for a large rustic partial sun hillside mulch formal garden.

This new construction home was in need of a complete landscape design and installation. All details were considered to create intimate spaces as well as a sweeping backyard landscape to compliment the views from the home. The home sits on two lots which allowed it to be built at the desired size. The front yard includes a modern entry courtyard featuring bluestone, decorative gravel and granite sculpture - as well as decorative concrete planters. The backyard has several levels. The upper level is an expanse of lawn with hedging. The middle tier planting softens the poured concrete wall. A steep slope descends to the street below. The homeowners wanted to create access from parking below to the home above, so a series of pavers and granite risers was designed to create a comfortable pathway that also forms the focal point of the backyard. Ecoturf lawn was installed on the slope to minimize the need for water and mowing. Concrete edging deliniates the lawn from the beds where a mixture of evergreen and deciduous plants create year-round interest. The overall result includes modern details and some sweeping curves that draw the eye up to the home from the street below Wiilam Wright Photography

The severe down slope required the construction of the concrete steps and the metal terraced garden.
Design ideas for a small modern partial sun side yard retaining wall landscape in San Francisco for summer.

Example of a large classic beige three-story mixed siding exterior home design in Salt Lake City with a clipped gable roof

The bedroom being not a perfect square, feels warm and cozy. The secret garden wallpaper is to mimic the home's exterior but with a whimsical pattern to feel age appropriate. The rich custom window treatments are reminiscent of a simple flower that feels modern with a traditional touch. Crisp and clean sheets with a blush fringe detail pick up the colors on the wallpaper and tie in with the fringe detail on the bedskirt. White Bedding allows for the wallpaper and fabrics to stand out but placing a kantha throw at the foot of the bed creates contrast and brings in an additional complementary pattern. A flokati rug adds softness and texture. A round robin's egg colored table brings in a different shape to offset the straighter lines of the dresser and bookcase, while mimicking the scrolls of the headboard. Photo Credit: Amy Bartlam

Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional partial sun hillside stone garden path in Omaha.

Design ideas for a large transitional backyard stone retaining wall landscape in New York.

Natural cedar deck with built-in bench and cabinets makes full use of this steeply sloped backyard retreat.
This is an example of a mid-sized modern partial sun backyard landscaping in Portland with decking.

Terraced lake approach using Goshen Stone steps and sloped garden surround.
Inspiration for a large rustic full sun hillside stone garden path in Bridgeport.

This vibrant low-water plant grouping consists of Euphorbia characias with its chartruese flowers, Leucadendron Summer Red (Cone Flower) and a variegated Phormium. This colorful grouping hugs the sloped area alongside the lower patio area in this Northern California hillside landscape sanctuary. Sonoma fieldstone retaining walls are planted with succulents and a row of Bamboo creates a screen above. Design and Photo: © Eileen Kelly, Dig Your Garden Landscape Design http://www.digyourgarden.com

Natural cedar deck with built-in bench and cabinets makes full use of this steeply sloped backyard retreat.
Design ideas for a mid-sized modern partial sun backyard landscaping in Portland with decking.

Example of a tuscan home design design in New York

This residence was a complete gut renovation of a 4-story row house in Park Slope, and included a new rear extension and penthouse addition. The owners wished to create a warm, family home using a modern language that would act as a clean canvas to feature rich textiles and items from their world travels. As with most Brooklyn row houses, the existing house suffered from a lack of natural light and connection to exterior spaces, an issue that Principal Brendan Coburn is acutely aware of from his experience re-imagining historic structures in the New York area. The resulting architecture is designed around moments featuring natural light and views to the exterior, of both the private garden and the sky, throughout the house, and a stripped-down language of detailing and finishes allows for the concept of the modern-natural to shine. Upon entering the home, the kitchen and dining space draw you in with views beyond through the large glazed opening at the rear of the house. An extension was built to allow for a large sunken living room that provides a family gathering space connected to the kitchen and dining room, but remains distinctly separate, with a strong visual connection to the rear garden. The open sculptural stair tower was designed to function like that of a traditional row house stair, but with a smaller footprint. By extending it up past the original roof level into the new penthouse, the stair becomes an atmospheric shaft for the spaces surrounding the core. All types of weather – sunshine, rain, lightning, can be sensed throughout the home through this unifying vertical environment. The stair space also strives to foster family communication, making open living spaces visible between floors. At the upper-most level, a free-form bench sits suspended over the stair, just by the new roof deck, which provides at-ease entertaining. Oak was used throughout the home as a unifying material element. As one travels upwards within the house, the oak finishes are bleached to further degrees as a nod to how light enters the home. The owners worked with CWB to add their own personality to the project. The meter of a white oak and blackened steel stair screen was designed by the family to read “I love you” in Morse Code, and tile was selected throughout to reference places that hold special significance to the family. To support the owners’ comfort, the architectural design engages passive house technologies to reduce energy use, while increasing air quality within the home – a strategy which aims to respect the environment while providing a refuge from the harsh elements of urban living. This project was published by Wendy Goodman as her Space of the Week, part of New York Magazine’s Design Hunting on The Cut. Photography by Kevin Kunstadt

This is an example of a mediterranean side yard vinyl fence landscaping in Los Angeles.

New stone retaining walls frame the path to the house from the lake. Great care was taken to protect the tree roots near the addition, and native prairie grasses have been planted on the hillside and are burned once a year. Architecture & Interior Design: David Heide Design Studio Photos: Susan Gilmore Photography

Our client in Emerson has a beautiful home, perched on a magnificent mountain slope with incredible views. They asked Dreamscapes to design outdoor living spaces for them in order to fully utilize the property. Their wish list included a water feature, a deck for outdoor living, a patio to take in the distant views of the mountains, a place to garden, and a natural and native planting design to fit into the existing southeastern native woodlands and mountain environment. Living on the side of a mountain means bedrock. The design incorporates the natural slope and stone and works with the terrain. A new deck was constructed to extend out from the house, floating over the bedrock where it meets the new pond. From the top of the hill, a waterfall cascades down through the native plantings into the pond below. Natural boulders were used to build seating along the pond’s edge, where you can watch the fish, tend to the aquatic plants, listen to the frogs, and even take a dip to cool off. Two natural flagstone patios were built at two different elevations to sit and enjoy the views of the landscape and the mountains. Both patios are accessible by cut stone crab orchard steps set into the slope. The space at the end of the driveway was a blank canvas and the perfect place to design and build a garden of raised beds, enclosed in a traditional picket fence. It is now filled with vegetables, herbs, and cutting flowers. The local bees and butterflies love it too. And the beautiful landscape takes on a magical look after sunset. Landscape lighting was expertly placed, using a variety of fixture types to enhance the pond, waterfalls, trees and plants, bringing the spaces to life after dark. The homeowners are both multi-talented and wanted a place to incorporate their skills. They create original art, build detailed wood work and plant edible gardens, just to name a few. This new landscape gives them and their family and friends a place to work and play and relax. It has become a haven for people and wildlife alike. Outdoor living at its finest!

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

Natural Landscape Group
This is an example of a rustic hillside water fountain landscape in Toronto.