Originally a nearly three-story tall 1920’s European-styled home was turned into a modern villa for work and home. A series of low concrete retaining wall planters and steps gradually takes you up to the second level entry, grounding or anchoring the house into the site, as does a new wrap around veranda and trellis. Large eave overhangs on the upper roof were designed to give the home presence and were accented with a Mid-century orange color. The new master bedroom addition white box creates a better sense of entry and opens to the wrap around veranda at the opposite side. Inside the owners live on the lower floor and work on the upper floor with the garage basement for storage, archives and a ceramics studio. New windows and open spaces were created for the graphic designer owners; displaying their mid-century modern furnishings collection. A lot of effort went into attempting to lower the house visually by bringing the ground plane higher with the concrete retaining wall planters, steps, wrap around veranda and trellis, and the prominent roof with exaggerated overhangs. That the eaves were painted orange is a cool reflection of the owner’s Dutch heritage. Budget was a driver for the project and it was determined that the footprint of the home should have minimal extensions and that the new windows remain in the same relative locations as the old ones. Wall removal was utilized versus moving and building new walls where possible. Photo Credit: John Sutton Photography.

Originally a nearly three-story tall 1920’s European-styled home was turned into a modern villa for work and home. A series of low concrete retaining wall planters and steps gradually takes you up to the second level entry, grounding or anchoring the house into the site, as does a new wrap around veranda and trellis. Large eave overhangs on the upper roof were designed to give the home presence and were accented with a Mid-century orange color. The new master bedroom addition white box creates a better sense of entry and opens to the wrap around veranda at the opposite side. Inside the owners live on the lower floor and work on the upper floor with the garage basement for storage, archives and a ceramics studio. New windows and open spaces were created for the graphic designer owners; displaying their mid-century modern furnishings collection. A lot of effort went into attempting to lower the house visually by bringing the ground plane higher with the concrete retaining wall planters, steps, wrap around veranda and trellis, and the prominent roof with exaggerated overhangs. That the eaves were painted orange is a cool reflection of the owner’s Dutch heritage. Budget was a driver for the project and it was determined that the footprint of the home should have minimal extensions and that the new windows remain in the same relative locations as the old ones. Wall removal was utilized versus moving and building new walls where possible. Photo Credit: John Sutton Photography.

Modern geometry meets natural texture in this curated landscape architecture detail. We utilized custom concrete planters with a clean, tapered profile to house structural evergreens, adding vertical interest to the pool’s perimeter. The use of dark river stone as a top-dressing provides a polished, low-maintenance finish that complements the surrounding hardscape. These small but intentional choices are part of a larger master plan designed to provide year-round greenery and architectural rhythm to the backyard retreat.

This outdoor living area utilizes a colored concrete patio to provide a dining area, casual seating, a fire pit, and an outdoor kitchen. Photo by Roger Haywood

This wine cellar utilizes exposed concrete foundation to cool the space. The windows and door are storefront materials used for commercial projects. Jon Jensen

Cleanliness and organization are top priority for this large family laundry room/mudroom. Concrete floors can handle the worst the kids throw at it, while baskets allow separation of clothing depending on color and dirt level!

As a first step in this project, we completely demolished the existing, very overgrown, and outdated landscape. The owner desired a custom-designed fire pit and patio, oriented toward their primary view corridor. The need to connect a secondary access off the back of their home to the primary access off their family room led us to create a sand-finish concrete walkway that connected the former to their new sand-finish concrete dining patio. In the process, we created a very nice planting area to soften up and beautify the back of the house. We utilized a segmental wall block system to create a seat wall around the patio, helping to create a sense of containment in the space and providing extra seating for larger gatherings. Concealed wall lights helped lend a feeling of welcome to the space’s after-dark use. A set of offset cedar screens offers a creative way to hide a utility area without a gate. We used a complementary-colored concrete mow curb as a bed divider and planted a Japanese Golden Rain Tree to provide future shade for our client. We filled out the rest of the landscaping with Arctic Fire Dogwood, Winter Gem Boxwood, Blue Avena Grass, Stella d’Oro Day Lily, and a specimen Burning Bush.

As a first step in this project, we completely demolished the existing, very overgrown, and outdated landscape. The owner desired a custom-designed fire pit and patio, oriented toward their primary view corridor. The need to connect a secondary access off the back of their home to the primary access off their family room led us to create a sand-finish concrete walkway that connected the former to their new sand-finish concrete dining patio. In the process, we created a very nice planting area to soften up and beautify the back of the house. We utilized a segmental wall block system to create a seat wall around the patio, helping to create a sense of containment in the space and providing extra seating for larger gatherings. Concealed wall lights helped lend a feeling of welcome to the space’s after-dark use. A set of offset cedar screens offers a creative way to hide a utility area without a gate. We used a complementary-colored concrete mow curb as a bed divider and planted a Japanese Golden Rain Tree to provide future shade for our client. We filled out the rest of the landscaping with Arctic Fire Dogwood, Winter Gem Boxwood, Blue Avena Grass, Stella d’Oro Day Lily, and a specimen Burning Bush.

As a first step in this project, we completely demolished the existing, very overgrown, and outdated landscape. The owner desired a custom-designed fire pit and patio, oriented toward their primary view corridor. The need to connect a secondary access off the back of their home to the primary access off their family room led us to create a sand-finish concrete walkway that connected the former to their new sand-finish concrete dining patio. In the process, we created a very nice planting area to soften up and beautify the back of the house. We utilized a segmental wall block system to create a seat wall around the patio, helping to create a sense of containment in the space and providing extra seating for larger gatherings. Concealed wall lights helped lend a feeling of welcome to the space’s after-dark use. A set of offset cedar screens offers a creative way to hide a utility area without a gate. We used a complementary-colored concrete mow curb as a bed divider and planted a Japanese Golden Rain Tree to provide future shade for our client. We filled out the rest of the landscaping with Arctic Fire Dogwood, Winter Gem Boxwood, Blue Avena Grass, Stella d’Oro Day Lily, and a specimen Burning Bush.

As a first step in this project, we completely demolished the existing, very overgrown, and outdated landscape. The owner desired a custom-designed fire pit and patio, oriented toward their primary view corridor. The need to connect a secondary access off the back of their home to the primary access off their family room led us to create a sand-finish concrete walkway that connected the former to their new sand-finish concrete dining patio. In the process, we created a very nice planting area to soften up and beautify the back of the house. We utilized a segmental wall block system to create a seat wall around the patio, helping to create a sense of containment in the space and providing extra seating for larger gatherings. Concealed wall lights helped lend a feeling of welcome to the space’s after-dark use. A set of offset cedar screens offers a creative way to hide a utility area without a gate. We used a complementary-colored concrete mow curb as a bed divider and planted a Japanese Golden Rain Tree to provide future shade for our client. We filled out the rest of the landscaping with Arctic Fire Dogwood, Winter Gem Boxwood, Blue Avena Grass, Stella d’Oro Day Lily, and a specimen Burning Bush.

As a first step in this project, we completely demolished the existing, very overgrown, and outdated landscape. The owner desired a custom-designed fire pit and patio, oriented toward their primary view corridor. The need to connect a secondary access off the back of their home to the primary access off their family room led us to create a sand-finish concrete walkway that connected the former to their new sand-finish concrete dining patio. In the process, we created a very nice planting area to soften up and beautify the back of the house. We utilized a segmental wall block system to create a seat wall around the patio, helping to create a sense of containment in the space and providing extra seating for larger gatherings. Concealed wall lights helped lend a feeling of welcome to the space’s after-dark use. A set of offset cedar screens offers a creative way to hide a utility area without a gate. We used a complementary-colored concrete mow curb as a bed divider and planted a Japanese Golden Rain Tree to provide future shade for our client. We filled out the rest of the landscaping with Arctic Fire Dogwood, Winter Gem Boxwood, Blue Avena Grass, Stella d’Oro Day Lily, and a specimen Burning Bush.

Our client had already used Twisted Rock previously for a different project and we were blessed enough to have them utilize our services again!! They wanted another clean-looking, low maintenance yard that was functional with great curb appeal that would not take a bunch of time to maintain. We utilized natural rock, concrete edging, and aggregate as well as created a fire pit patio for cozy family nights under the stars....

As a first step in this project, we completely demolished the existing, very overgrown, and outdated landscape. The owner desired a custom-designed fire pit and patio, oriented toward their primary view corridor. The need to connect a secondary access off the back of their home to the primary access off their family room led us to create a sand-finish concrete walkway that connected the former to their new sand-finish concrete dining patio. In the process, we created a very nice planting area to soften up and beautify the back of the house. We utilized a segmental wall block system to create a seat wall around the patio, helping to create a sense of containment in the space and providing extra seating for larger gatherings. Concealed wall lights helped lend a feeling of welcome to the space’s after-dark use. A set of offset cedar screens offers a creative way to hide a utility area without a gate. We used a complementary-colored concrete mow curb as a bed divider and planted a Japanese Golden Rain Tree to provide future shade for our client. We filled out the rest of the landscaping with Arctic Fire Dogwood, Winter Gem Boxwood, Blue Avena Grass, Stella d’Oro Day Lily, and a specimen Burning Bush.

As a first step in this project, we completely demolished the existing, very overgrown, and outdated landscape. The owner desired a custom-designed fire pit and patio, oriented toward their primary view corridor. The need to connect a secondary access off the back of their home to the primary access off their family room led us to create a sand-finish concrete walkway that connected the former to their new sand-finish concrete dining patio. In the process, we created a very nice planting area to soften up and beautify the back of the house. We utilized a segmental wall block system to create a seat wall around the patio, helping to create a sense of containment in the space and providing extra seating for larger gatherings. Concealed wall lights helped lend a feeling of welcome to the space’s after-dark use. A set of offset cedar screens offers a creative way to hide a utility area without a gate. We used a complementary-colored concrete mow curb as a bed divider and planted a Japanese Golden Rain Tree to provide future shade for our client. We filled out the rest of the landscaping with Arctic Fire Dogwood, Winter Gem Boxwood, Blue Avena Grass, Stella d’Oro Day Lily, and a specimen Burning Bush.

Atherton has many large substantial homes - our clients purchased an existing home on a one acre flag-shaped lot and asked us to design a new dream home for them. The result is a new 7,000 square foot four-building complex consisting of the main house, six-car garage with two car lifts, pool house with a full one bedroom residence inside, and a separate home office /work out gym studio building. A fifty-foot swimming pool was also created with fully landscaped yards. Given the rectangular shape of the lot, it was decided to angle the house to incoming visitors slightly so as to more dramatically present itself. The house became a classic u-shaped home but Feng Shui design principals were employed directing the placement of the pool house to better contain the energy flow on the site. The main house entry door is then aligned with a special Japanese red maple at the end of a long visual axis at the rear of the site. These angles and alignments set up everything else about the house design and layout, and views from various rooms allow you to see into virtually every space tracking movements of others in the home. The residence is simply divided into two wings of public use, kitchen and family room, and the other wing of bedrooms, connected by the living and dining great room. Function drove the exterior form of windows and solid walls with a line of clerestory windows which bring light into the middle of the large home. Extensive sun shadow studies with 3D tree modeling led to the unorthodox placement of the pool to the north of the home, but tree shadow tracking showed this to be the sunniest area during the entire year. Sustainable measures included a full 7.1kW solar photovoltaic array technically making the house off the grid, and arranged so that no panels are visible from the property. A large 16,000 gallon rainwater catchment system consisting of tanks buried below grade was installed. The home is California GreenPoint rated and also features sealed roof soffits and a sealed crawlspace without the usual venting. A whole house computer automation system with server room was installed as well. Heating and cooling utilize hot water radiant heated concrete and wood floors supplemented by heat pump generated heating and cooling. A compound of buildings created to form balanced relationships between each other, this home is about circulation, light and a balance of form and function. Photo by John Sutton Photography.

Atherton has many large substantial homes - our clients purchased an existing home on a one acre flag-shaped lot and asked us to design a new dream home for them. The result is a new 7,000 square foot four-building complex consisting of the main house, six-car garage with two car lifts, pool house with a full one bedroom residence inside, and a separate home office /work out gym studio building. A fifty-foot swimming pool was also created with fully landscaped yards. Given the rectangular shape of the lot, it was decided to angle the house to incoming visitors slightly so as to more dramatically present itself. The house became a classic u-shaped home but Feng Shui design principals were employed directing the placement of the pool house to better contain the energy flow on the site. The main house entry door is then aligned with a special Japanese red maple at the end of a long visual axis at the rear of the site. These angles and alignments set up everything else about the house design and layout, and views from various rooms allow you to see into virtually every space tracking movements of others in the home. The residence is simply divided into two wings of public use, kitchen and family room, and the other wing of bedrooms, connected by the living and dining great room. Function drove the exterior form of windows and solid walls with a line of clerestory windows which bring light into the middle of the large home. Extensive sun shadow studies with 3D tree modeling led to the unorthodox placement of the pool to the north of the home, but tree shadow tracking showed this to be the sunniest area during the entire year. Sustainable measures included a full 7.1kW solar photovoltaic array technically making the house off the grid, and arranged so that no panels are visible from the property. A large 16,000 gallon rainwater catchment system consisting of tanks buried below grade was installed. The home is California GreenPoint rated and also features sealed roof soffits and a sealed crawlspace without the usual venting. A whole house computer automation system with server room was installed as well. Heating and cooling utilize hot water radiant heated concrete and wood floors supplemented by heat pump generated heating and cooling. A compound of buildings created to form balanced relationships between each other, this home is about circulation, light and a balance of form and function. Photo by John Sutton Photography.

The large pool deck in premium acid washed concrete has the look of limestone. Extra thick natural limestone bullnose coping suits the large pool. Classic diagonal grass inserts utilize artificial turf to ensure a continuous manicured look. (19 x 49, custom rectangular)

Darren Jones Photography
Trendy dark wood floor dining room photo in New York with white walls

The front of the home is terraced by the use of steel retainers, and an Ipe boardwalk complements the entry transitioning two sets of cantilevered concrete steps. A river birch tree perches at its terminus. Ascending the front walkway, visitors are greeted by textural plantings that interplay with sunlight harmonizing the natural materials utilized on the home’s exterior.