The property is one of the original farm houses located on the main street of a small town. It has been in the family for many years and our client just inherited the property. They were trying to have balance of preserving the old while realizing modern day living has its benefits too. The house had a large addition added using mostly old style materials, but designed with function and modern day luxuries. Our goal was to carry that theme to the outside. Our first problem we had to address was how to transition between the first floor elevation changes. The lower room was the husband’s office. He stated in the future he may have clients over and it would be nice to have an area to sit outside. The wife’s main concern was to renew the four corner garden. She also felt it was very important to be able to see it from the kitchen area. Finally there was an old wishing well stuck right outside the kitchen. They both felt it would be neat to be able to incorporate this in some how. They wanted a patio area with a built in grill to accommodate there family and friends. They also wanted to keep a large play area for the kids. We were able to pull this off successfully. We addressed the first issue by having a small lower level flagstone area. This area is large enough for 1 to 2 people to sit comfortably. It also provides a transition from his office to the larger patio area. We installed a simple small gravel sitting area opposite of the main patio. This provides our client a secluded place to relax or do business. Mrs.... told me she is amazed how much her and her husband enjoys this area. It is so peaceful looking at the small creek over a glass of wine. We built a natural limestone retaining wall to create the patio terrace. The stone was chosen to extend the houses architectural elements into the landscape. Irregular broken flagstone was used to give it a more casual feel. We installed three Serviceberries into the patio terrace to replace some trees that were taken down during the remodeling. She was very concern that they would block the view of the four corner garden. We new they were crucial to nestle in the terrace, so we placed them for a couple days for her to decide. Fortunately she agreed they not only kept the view open, but helped frame the garden. The four corner garden was designed to be viewed from afar and experienced up close. We wanted the space to have some formal structure while keeping with the casual farm house feel. Another natural limestone retaining wall was created. This leveled the garden terrace and helped associate it with the rest of the property. The four corner garden is nestled into the existing woods edge. This provides three distinct experiences to entering the garden; a more formal from the driveway, an open feel from the lower lawn, and a more natural / casual experience from the wooded area. The Plymouth brown gravel was used for the center of the garden. This helped highlight the stone post that was found during construction. The gravel also brings the sense of sound into the garden space. Lamb’s ear was chosen as a fun way to get kids interest in horticulture. The balance of using the new to create the old feel is what makes this project a success. The property has already hosted a local historical society event and won an award for its preservation efforts. When Mrs.... can’t find her husband, she knows he is either reading the newspaper by the grill or resting in the hammock along the wood’s path.

Dave Carter/Carter Photography
This is an example of a southwestern drought-tolerant backyard brick landscaping in Phoenix.

These two adjoining girls' rooms — a show-stopping nursery and a dreamy toddler bedroom — are among the most enchanting children's spaces imaginable. Each room has its own distinct personality while sharing a thread of botanical wonder, soft femininity, and elevated design that refuses to talk down to its young inhabitants. These are spaces designed not just for children, but with genuine artistry — rooms that will inspire wonder for years to come. The Nursery Step into this nursery and feel immediately transported into a secret garden at dusk. The design decision that sets the entire room apart is breathtakingly bold: a large-scale dark floral wallpaper — blooming with oversized peonies, roses, and wildflowers in dusty pink, peach, sage, and cream against a deep slate blue ground — wraps every wall from chair rail to ceiling, creating an immersive, almost painterly environment that feels simultaneously dramatic and deeply soft. The ceiling is painted a warm, powdery pink that picks up the blush tones within the wallpaper perfectly — a "fifth wall" design moment that makes the room feel like a complete, considered installation rather than a decorated room. The transition from wallpapered walls to pink ceiling at the crown molding line is seamless and intentional, wrapping the baby in a floral garden overhead and all around. Anchoring the room with genuine design authority is a spectacular gold and crystal chandelier — its circular brass frame hung with vertical crystal rods that catch and scatter light like a garden in rain — elevating the nursery from charming to genuinely luxurious. Beneath it, a natural oak arched spindle crib sits against the wallpapered feature wall, its warm honey wood grain providing organic contrast to the moody floral backdrop. Pink velvet pillows and a soft crib mobile of plush clouds and moons complete the crib vignette with gentle whimsy. A boucle glider chair and matching stacked ottoman in cream provide the nursing corner, paired with a small brass side table for midnight essentials. A soft blush pink area rug anchors the seating area and echoes the ceiling color. Linen drapery panels in soft ivory frame the windows without competing with the wallpaper, their pinch-pleat heading adding a refined tailoring detail. The Toddler Bedroom The connecting bedroom takes the botanical theme in a softer, sunnier direction — all blush pink walls (matching ceiling and walls in the same warm rose tone for a cocooning effect), botanical print drapery in cream with red and green wildflowers, and brass curtain hardware that ties to the nursery's gold palette. A gold spindle crib — the metallic version of the nursery's wooden one — grounds the room with warmth, while a sage green upholstered glider provides a reading corner. A white dresser with brass hardware doubles as a changing table, topped with art prints and a Matisse-inspired framed poster in a gold frame that adds a touch of grown-up gallery sensibility. Floating acrylic shelves hold a curated collection of board books at child-height — a detail that communicates that this room was designed for a child who will love and use it, not just admire it. A whimsical wicker llama toy basket, an indoor olive tree, and a fluffy white boucle child's armchair complete a room that balances magic with livability.

These two adjoining girls' rooms — a show-stopping nursery and a dreamy toddler bedroom — are among the most enchanting children's spaces imaginable. Each room has its own distinct personality while sharing a thread of botanical wonder, soft femininity, and elevated design that refuses to talk down to its young inhabitants. These are spaces designed not just for children, but with genuine artistry — rooms that will inspire wonder for years to come. The Nursery Step into this nursery and feel immediately transported into a secret garden at dusk. The design decision that sets the entire room apart is breathtakingly bold: a large-scale dark floral wallpaper — blooming with oversized peonies, roses, and wildflowers in dusty pink, peach, sage, and cream against a deep slate blue ground — wraps every wall from chair rail to ceiling, creating an immersive, almost painterly environment that feels simultaneously dramatic and deeply soft. The ceiling is painted a warm, powdery pink that picks up the blush tones within the wallpaper perfectly — a "fifth wall" design moment that makes the room feel like a complete, considered installation rather than a decorated room. The transition from wallpapered walls to pink ceiling at the crown molding line is seamless and intentional, wrapping the baby in a floral garden overhead and all around. Anchoring the room with genuine design authority is a spectacular gold and crystal chandelier — its circular brass frame hung with vertical crystal rods that catch and scatter light like a garden in rain — elevating the nursery from charming to genuinely luxurious. Beneath it, a natural oak arched spindle crib sits against the wallpapered feature wall, its warm honey wood grain providing organic contrast to the moody floral backdrop. Pink velvet pillows and a soft crib mobile of plush clouds and moons complete the crib vignette with gentle whimsy. A boucle glider chair and matching stacked ottoman in cream provide the nursing corner, paired with a small brass side table for midnight essentials. A soft blush pink area rug anchors the seating area and echoes the ceiling color. Linen drapery panels in soft ivory frame the windows without competing with the wallpaper, their pinch-pleat heading adding a refined tailoring detail. The Toddler Bedroom The connecting bedroom takes the botanical theme in a softer, sunnier direction — all blush pink walls (matching ceiling and walls in the same warm rose tone for a cocooning effect), botanical print drapery in cream with red and green wildflowers, and brass curtain hardware that ties to the nursery's gold palette. A gold spindle crib — the metallic version of the nursery's wooden one — grounds the room with warmth, while a sage green upholstered glider provides a reading corner. A white dresser with brass hardware doubles as a changing table, topped with art prints and a Matisse-inspired framed poster in a gold frame that adds a touch of grown-up gallery sensibility. Floating acrylic shelves hold a curated collection of board books at child-height — a detail that communicates that this room was designed for a child who will love and use it, not just admire it. A whimsical wicker llama toy basket, an indoor olive tree, and a fluffy white boucle child's armchair complete a room that balances magic with livability.

Example of a large minimalist enclosed carpeted home theater design in San Diego with blue walls and a projector screen

Japanese Black Pine, Pinus thunbergii 'Banshosho', Photo Credit: Bushnell Gardens Nursery, Granite Bay, CA
This is an example of a large asian partial sun backyard landscaping in Sacramento for summer.

Vanderwolf's Pyramid Pine, Pinus strobus 'Vanderwolf's Pyramid, 'Photo Credit: Bushnell Gardens Nursery, Granite Bay, CA
This is an example of a large eclectic partial sun backyard landscaping in Sacramento for summer.

Globe Blue Spruce, Picea pungens 'Glauca Globosa', Photo Credit: Bushnell Gardens Nursery, Granite Bay, CA
Design ideas for a large traditional partial sun backyard landscaping in Sacramento for summer.

Japanese Black Pine, Pinus thunbergii 'Thunderhead', Photo Credit: Bushnell Gardens Nursery, Granite Bay, CA
Photo of a large eclectic partial sun backyard landscaping in Sacramento for summer.

Tanyosho Japanese Red Pine, Pinus densiflora 'Umbraculifera' Photo Credit: Bushnell Gardens Nursery, Granite Bay, CA
Photo of a large traditional partial sun backyard landscaping in Sacramento for summer.

Japanese Red Pine, Pinus densiflora 'Low Glow', Photo Credit: Bushnell Gardens Nursery, Granite Bay, CA
Photo of a large asian partial sun backyard landscaping in Sacramento for summer.

Cascade Falls Bald Cypress, Taxodium distichum 'Cascade Falls', Photo Credit: Bushnell Gardens Nursery, Granite Bay, CA
Inspiration for a large traditional partial sun backyard landscaping in Sacramento for summer.

Dwarf Eastern White Pine, Pinus strobus 'Nana', Photo Credit: Bushnell Gardens Nursery, Granite Bay, CA
Photo of a large asian partial sun backyard landscaping in Sacramento for summer.

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

The property is one of the original farm houses located on the main street of a small town. It has been in the family for many years and our client just inherited the property. They were trying to have balance of preserving the old while realizing modern day living has its benefits too. The house had a large addition added using mostly old style materials, but designed with function and modern day luxuries. Our goal was to carry that theme to the outside. Our first problem we had to address was how to transition between the first floor elevation changes. The lower room was the husband’s office. He stated in the future he may have clients over and it would be nice to have an area to sit outside. The wife’s main concern was to renew the four corner garden. She also felt it was very important to be able to see it from the kitchen area. Finally there was an old wishing well stuck right outside the kitchen. They both felt it would be neat to be able to incorporate this in some how. They wanted a patio area with a built in grill to accommodate there family and friends. They also wanted to keep a large play area for the kids. We were able to pull this off successfully. We addressed the first issue by having a small lower level flagstone area. This area is large enough for 1 to 2 people to sit comfortably. It also provides a transition from his office to the larger patio area. We installed a simple small gravel sitting area opposite of the main patio. This provides our client a secluded place to relax or do business. Mrs.... told me she is amazed how much her and her husband enjoys this area. It is so peaceful looking at the small creek over a glass of wine. We built a natural limestone retaining wall to create the patio terrace. The stone was chosen to extend the houses architectural elements into the landscape. Irregular broken flagstone was used to give it a more casual feel. We installed three Serviceberries into the patio terrace to replace some trees that were taken down during the remodeling. She was very concern that they would block the view of the four corner garden. We new they were crucial to nestle in the terrace, so we placed them for a couple days for her to decide. Fortunately she agreed they not only kept the view open, but helped frame the garden. The four corner garden was designed to be viewed from afar and experienced up close. We wanted the space to have some formal structure while keeping with the casual farm house feel. Another natural limestone retaining wall was created. This leveled the garden terrace and helped associate it with the rest of the property. The four corner garden is nestled into the existing woods edge. This provides three distinct experiences to entering the garden; a more formal from the driveway, an open feel from the lower lawn, and a more natural / casual experience from the wooded area. The Plymouth brown gravel was used for the center of the garden. This helped highlight the stone post that was found during construction. The gravel also brings the sense of sound into the garden space. Lamb’s ear was chosen as a fun way to get kids interest in horticulture. The balance of using the new to create the old feel is what makes this project a success. The property has already hosted a local historical society event and won an award for its preservation efforts. When Mrs.... can’t find her husband, she knows he is either reading the newspaper by the grill or resting in the hammock along the wood’s path.

Example of a mid-sized cottage chic detached guesthouse design in San Luis Obispo

Photo by Evelyn Hadden
This is an example of an eclectic landscaping in Charlotte.

Sean Klingelhoefer
1960s deck photo in Los Angeles

My daughter wanted to build a fairy garden so we converted an old end table into a planter and used a mix of sedums and other groundcovers. This photo is from the day it was planted so it should get even better as things fill in.