The new owners of this West Village Manhattan townhouse knew that gutting an historically significant building would be a complex undertaking. They were admirers of Turett's townhouse renovations elsewhere in the neighborhood and brought his team on board to convert the multi-unit structure into a single family home. Turett's team had extensive experience with Landmarks, and worked closely with preservationists to anticipate the special needs of the protected facade. The TCA team met with the city's Excavation Unit, city-appointed archeologists, preservationists, Community Boards, and neighbors to bring the owner's original vision - a peaceful home on a tree-line street - to life. Turett worked with adjacent homeowners to achieve a planted rear-yard design that satisfied all interested parties, and brought an impressive array of engineers and consultants aboard to help guarantee a safe process. Turett worked with the owners to design a light-filled house, with landscaped yard and terraces, a music parlor, a skylit gym with pool, and every amenity. The final designs include Turett's signature tour-de-force stairs; sectional invention creating overlapping volumes of space; a dramatic triple-height steel-and-glass elevation; extraordinary acoustical and thermal insulation as part of a highly energy efficient envelope.

Paul Dyer
This is an example of a contemporary retaining wall landscape in San Francisco.

Photo of a contemporary backyard landscaping in San Francisco.

Photograph: The Office of Chris Cortazzo
Inspiration for a modern backyard rectangular pool remodel in Los Angeles with decking

Spa positioned to maximize the ocean view. Photography: Matthew Millman, RTD
Example of a beach style rectangular pool design in San Francisco

Custom backyard in Manhattan.
Photo of a mid-sized modern full sun backyard concrete paver landscaping in New York.

A dark backyard was given a new life with dramatic additions of built in planting beds, custom cut salvaged pavers, green screen trellis and a ton of charm. The reclaimed barn doors add a focal point to the east wall while the custom built two-tier planting system allows vines to fill this garden which spans two floors of the client's home.

Mid-sized trendy backyard deck photo in San Francisco with no cover

Often, less is more. Take this landscape design composed of climbing roses, hydrangeas, and lilies surrounding a bluestone terrace. This small, suburban garden feels both expansive and intimate. Japanese forest grass softens the edge of the terrace and adds just enough of a modern look to make the garden’s owners, urban transplants, happy. “My husband and I were looking for an outdoor space that had a secret-garden feeling,” says homeowner Anne Lillis-Ruth. “We’ve had fun adding furniture, antique planters, and a stone fountain to [landscape designer] Robert Welsch’s beautiful landscape. The white and green plantings provide the perfect backdrop to my collection of colorful table linens, glassware, and china. We love our garden!” Dean Fisher loved it, too. “The setting is so lovely and relaxed. It evokes the south of France, with its intimate scale and the integration of house and patio through the use of the vines and other plantings.”

Photo of a mid-sized traditional full sun side yard brick landscaping in Austin for spring.

Photography: © ShadesOfGreen
Photo of a contemporary side yard landscaping in San Francisco.

Since the back yard is at the end of a short alley, the privacy fence is essential to completing the coziness factor. It serves to block the view of the driveway, alley and the neighbor’s yards and vehicles. The homeowners liked the lattice on the old fence so the gate has that carry-over feature which allows them to see through to the driveway plus gives the gate a little character. The top of the fence is meant to mimic the pattern of the top of the windows at the back of the house. The stucco columns in the fence, on either side of the gate and down that side of the yard, tie into the house using the same stucco finish and the Indiana limestone caps on the columns match the caps on top of the upper terrace and the window sills.

Mid-Century Modernism inspired our design for this new house in Noe Valley. The exterior is distinguished by cubic massing, well proportioned forms and use of contrasting but harmonious natural materials. These include clear cedar, stone, aluminum, colored stucco, glass railings, slate and painted wood. At the rear yard, stepped terraces provide scenic views of downtown and the Bay Bridge. Large sunken courts allow generous natural light to reach the below grade guest bedroom and office behind the first floor garage. The upper floors bedrooms and baths are flooded with natural light from carefully arranged windows that open the house to panoramic views. A mostly open plan with 10 foot ceilings and an open stairwell combine with metal railings, dropped ceilings, fin walls, a stone fireplace, stone counters and teak floors to create a unified interior.

The design for this residence combines contemporary and traditional styles, and includes stairs and a curving drive to provide a warm welcome to the home. A comfortable bluestone terrace and patio provide elegant outdoor entertaining spaces. Photo by Greg Premru.

Design ideas for a mid-sized modern rooftop landscaping in Richmond.

Photography by Sean Papich and Monty & Nan Abbott
Beach style stone patio photo in Boston with no cover

Hot tub - large craftsman backyard stone and custom-shaped lap hot tub idea in Austin

Inspiration for a mid-sized timeless white one-story vinyl exterior home remodel in Houston

Aquaview frameless glass pool fencing suits a wide range of applications from private residences to commercial developments. Merging design from the most prestigious world-class resorts and hotels with American ingenuity and dedication for safety, the Aquaview line of products truly represent a new affordable approach to landscape design.