We love the night and day transformation this garden took on when our client requested a zen garden for her backyard in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. It’s always fun to be asked to design a garden with so many charming creative elements. Our re-design included brown bamboo fencing to cover a very bright white vinyl fence, a fountain, loose grey stones, dark brown deck tiles, contemporary furnishings, a stone Japanese lantern statue, and white fiberglass planters. The plantings include cherry laurels, bamboo, a red weeping maple, moss, grasses, and variegated euonymus. Overhead globe lights add a cheerful nighttime touch. See more of our projects at www.amberfreda.com.

Meg Messina Photography
Mid-sized minimalist backyard concrete paver full sun patio photo in San Francisco with a fire pit

Doorless shower - large transitional master double-sink doorless shower idea in Sacramento with gray cabinets and white countertops

Inspiration for a transitional bathroom remodel in DC Metro

Cozy family room that features beautiful ceiling and wall design.
Example of a large minimalist open concept light wood floor family room design in Miami with white walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace and a wall-mounted tv

Tamara Alvarez
Design ideas for a large tropical partial sun side yard water fountain landscape in Miami.

Photo by Mary Costa
Inspiration for a contemporary dining room remodel in Los Angeles

Design ideas for a contemporary landscaping in DC Metro.

Photo: Lucy Call © 2015 Houzz
Trendy bedroom photo in Salt Lake City

Meg Messina Photography
Inspiration for a mid-sized contemporary full sun backyard concrete paver landscaping in San Francisco.

View from the courtyard, through the arbor with climbing roses, back to the side entrance.
Design ideas for a mid-sized traditional full sun courtyard brick formal garden in Boston.

Pollinator-friendly low-water easy-care plants enliven this sidewalk and street bordering the Gardens on Spring Creek, in the heart of Fort Collins near Colorado State University. photo by Lauren Springer Ogden

A modern plant selection, contrasting reddish wood chips, and a well laid mowstrip complete this planter bed area. TRU Landscape Services
Photo of a mid-sized modern partial sun side yard brick retaining wall landscape in Orange County for fall.

Pamela Crawford created a tropical landscape in this residence in the Les Jardin neighborhood in Boca Raton. Discover thousands of ideas for Palm Beach County landscapes on Pamela's web site, pamela-crawford.com. Pamela designs landscapes, container gardens, and outdoor living areas throughout Palm Beach County, FL, including Boca Raton, Delray Beach, the town of Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, and Wellington. She provides beautiful, custom designs that include professional installation of beautiful plant material, planters, and outdoor furniture and accessories.

Japanese Maple 'Higasa Yama'. Photo by Jay Sifford.
Example of an eclectic home design design in Charlotte

Acer palmatum 'Hana Matoi'. Photo by Jay Sifford.
Home design - eclectic home design idea in Charlotte

The Mazama house is located in the Methow Valley of Washington State, a secluded mountain valley on the eastern edge of the North Cascades, about 200 miles northeast of Seattle. The house has been carefully placed in a copse of trees at the easterly end of a large meadow. Two major building volumes indicate the house organization. A grounded 2-story bedroom wing anchors a raised living pavilion that is lifted off the ground by a series of exposed steel columns. Seen from the access road, the large meadow in front of the house continues right under the main living space, making the living pavilion into a kind of bridge structure spanning over the meadow grass, with the house touching the ground lightly on six steel columns. The raised floor level provides enhanced views as well as keeping the main living level well above the 3-4 feet of winter snow accumulation that is typical for the upper Methow Valley. To further emphasize the idea of lightness, the exposed wood structure of the living pavilion roof changes pitch along its length, so the roof warps upward at each end. The interior exposed wood beams appear like an unfolding fan as the roof pitch changes. The main interior bearing columns are steel with a tapered “V”-shape, recalling the lightness of a dancer. The house reflects the continuing FINNE investigation into the idea of crafted modernism, with cast bronze inserts at the front door, variegated laser-cut steel railing panels, a curvilinear cast-glass kitchen counter, waterjet-cut aluminum light fixtures, and many custom furniture pieces. The house interior has been designed to be completely integral with the exterior. The living pavilion contains more than twelve pieces of custom furniture and lighting, creating a totality of the designed environment that recalls the idea of Gesamtkunstverk, as seen in the work of Josef Hoffman and the Viennese Secessionist movement in the early 20th century. The house has been designed from the start as a sustainable structure, with 40% higher insulation values than required by code, radiant concrete slab heating, efficient natural ventilation, large amounts of natural lighting, water-conserving plumbing fixtures, and locally sourced materials. Windows have high-performance LowE insulated glazing and are equipped with concealed shades. A radiant hydronic heat system with exposed concrete floors allows lower operating temperatures and higher occupant comfort levels. The concrete slabs conserve heat and provide great warmth and comfort for the feet. Deep roof overhangs, built-in shades and high operating clerestory windows are used to reduce heat gain in summer months. During the winter, the lower sun angle is able to penetrate into living spaces and passively warm the exposed concrete floor. Low VOC paints and stains have been used throughout the house. The high level of craft evident in the house reflects another key principle of sustainable design: build it well and make it last for many years! Photo by Benjamin Benschneider

One side of the property was densely planted with large Spruce, Juniper and Birch on top of a 7' berm to provide instant privacy. Hokonechloa grass weaves its way around Annabelle Hydrangeas and Flower Carpet Roses

Autumn fern, (Dryopteris erythrosora) in a shde container Le jardinet
Inspiration for a traditional landscaping in Seattle.