Every element of a design matters. It’s that simple. It is important to cultivate an eye for site specific, distinctive detailing.
A beautiful garden starts and finishes with the elements of the design and the elements details. These are not the same, but closely related. The individual voice and personality of the garden is its style. The style is in the elements – great details create a help garden that holds you, makes you feel at home and explains itself.
The best gardens all start with an internal and external focus. This is what creates the ease, the dignity and the elegance of a design layout.
Droplets spill over the fountain’s edge.
The raven gate in soft grey at the beach, the raven gate is a reference to the owner’s interest in Edgar Allan Poe.
Early morning light creates reflections on a glass rail. White planters and furniture are echoes of the white flowering gardens.
The straight and curved elements of the garden are reflected in the furniture patterns.
Rock like sculptures hold the foreground of a sweeping grass field.
The textures of the stone wall and rabbit are framed by upright Agastache blooms.
A stone Buddha floats above rounded evergreen tips.
Bands of stone add geometry and create a terrace in a grassy field.
An old fashioned pattern, ‘Hairpin’ and ‘Picket’ is an intricate detail in a traditional garden.
The inspiration for the garden comes from the site, the architecture and the client – all of these pieces must be considered carefully when planning a design. I want people outdoors, in the natural environment. I want to make the magic that draws them out and keeps them there, happier outside than anywhere else. The secret is to discover the essence of the garden the client wants to create as well as the true character of the site. This understanding should then physically, intellectually, spiritually and emotionally infuse every aspect of the garden design and style. Every element can then be designed with a focused simplicity.
A curved, sunken seating area invites without interrupting the water views.
A fish leaps towards the water to a pool banded in checked black and white tiles.
A star gate in the garden is aligned to the pool area beyond.
Steel hooks in a fieldstone wall hold towels and hats.
The veining of the granite stones is crisscrossed with crisp jointing and pattern.
A mix of natural stone color and textures creates a terrace carpet.
Limestone curved bands flow through the grass seating areas.
In all aspects of our design work, we are working with nature to create an enhanced landscape that has true value for our client’s intimate domestic lives as well as for the environment. It is a balancing act, and we consider this aspect and the future of the landscape very carefully. The landscape is not static and nature is constantly offering opportunities and challenges. Gaining an understanding of how much value is created by carefully selecting each plant and material in your garden will balance the quick initial beauty with longer term satisfying effects brought by growth and establishment. It is key that we are creating points of interest and beauty that shine through in every season. Interesting paving patterns and textured stone, materials with dimensionality, are ideal ways to achieve this goal. Not to be overshadowed by the hardscape, a well thought out planting plan can easily breath life and color into the landscape, even during the “dead” of winter.
A mix of natural materials and furnishings create an outdoor living room.
Manmade elements in natural materials join the rolling fields.
Bright blue cushions add color and reflect the sky and pool.
Pebbles create a pattern in a stone terrace styled and furnished in a contemporary manner.
Fabricated concrete piers hold iron railings on a historic house terrace.
A crisp table and umbrella are softened in a watery reflection.
Flowering thyme carpets and softens an antique garden landing.
The strong textures of native stone are complemented by the rustic wood logs.
A brick garden ‘fan’ is a respectful nod to Mein Ruys Tuinen, the legendary Dutch garden designer.
Vines clamber and soften a pergola with a curved terminus.
Granite slab steps are softened with planting pockets of sedums.
Warm terra cotta pots are a welcome addition in the garden.
A sleek Vignelli bench is a quiet accent on a patterned terrace.
Nature creates the magical elements in every garden.
Golden Hakonechloa glows in the morning light under a planting of Magnolia trees.
Dwarf Juniper edges on to a stone wall cap beneath a Cutleaf Maple.
Patterns of grass and stone jointing are reflected in a glass door.
Finely detailed carving on a pergola creates dimensionality and curved shadow lines.
Russian Cypress grows below a Weeping Japanese Maple next to a rustic stone retaining wall with a Weeping Purple Beech above.
A hammock is a requirement for outdoor naps.
Monolithic stone slab steps add strength to the landscape.
A simple path light disappears into the planting during the day.
Rounded boxwood roll down the slope and echo the rounded gate top.
Carved fence post caps curve through the landscape.
A stone rosette adds interest to a tall rustic stone wall.
A gas lantern by Berolo adds a historic and beautiful accent – day and night.
A steel cable rail is the backdrop for the geometric furniture.
A carpet of thyme saturates a garden path with color and aroma.
The “good bones” of a great garden are always there if you look for them. The elemental right choices are made and the garden vision takes hold, the garden and the home will be in tune with each other and a meaningful relationship will start to develop.
Rock faced bluestone wall caps added interest and depth to a stone wall.
Tailored fabric cushions on comfortable furniture are bathed in morning light.
A custom made unicorn covered in moss and ivy lives under a wide and low branched tree.
Fieldstone planters add color as a counterpoint to the grass jointed pavers and lawn.
Antique stone accents create a sense of place.
A pool with double copings reflects the pool house beyond.
The entrance to a pool is marked by iron fixtures once used as street lamps.
Chairs can add everything – and show the power of the simple element.
