This compact, urban backyard was in desperate need of privacy. We created a series of outdoor rooms, privacy screens, and lush plantings all with an Asian-inspired design sense. Elements include a covered outdoor lounge room, sun decks, rock gardens, shade garden, evergreen plant screens, and raised boardwalk to connect the various outdoor spaces. The finished space feels like a true backyard oasis.

A mixture of hard edges with the river rock and soft accents with the greenery and mulch makes this landscape the best of both worlds.
Inspiration for a large traditional backyard full sun xeriscape in Columbus with with lawn edging and river rock.

This garden house was designed by owner and architect, Shirat Mavligit. The wooden section of outer wall is actually the outer section of a central volume that creates an enlarged open space bisecting the home interior. The windows create a view corridor within the home that allows visitors to see all the way through to the back yard. Occupants of the home looking out through these windows feel as if they are sitting in the middle of a garden. This architectural theme of volume and line of site is so powerful that it became the inspiration for the modern landscape design we developed in the front, back, and side yards of the property. We began by addressing the issue of too much open space in the front yard. It has no surrounding fence, and it faces a very busy street in Houston’s Rice Village Area. After careful study of the home façade, our team determined that the best way to set aside a large portion of private space in front of the home was to construct a landscape berm. This land art form adds a sense of dimension and psychological boundary to the scene. It is built of core 10 steel and stands 16 inches tall. This is just high enough for guests to sit on, and it provides an ideal sunbathing area for summer days. The sweeping contour of the berm offsets the rigid linearity of the home with a softer architectural detail. Its linear progression gives the modern landscape design a dynamic sense of movement. Moving to the back yard, we reinforced the home’s central volume and view corridor by laying a rectilinear line of gravel parallel to an equivalent section of grass. Near the corner of the house, we created a series of gravel stepping pads that lead guests from the gravel run, through the grass, and into a vegetable garden. The heavy use of gravel does several things. It communicates a sense of control by containing the vitality of the lawn within an inorganic, mathematically precise space. This feeling of contained life force is common in modern landscape design. This also adds the functional advantage of a low-maintenance space where only minimal lawn care is needed. Gravel also has its own unique aesthetic appeal. Its dark color compliments both the grass and the house, providing an ideal lead-in to the space of the vegetable garden. This same rectilinear geometry was applied to the side yard, but the materials were reversed to add dramatic effect. Here, the field is gravel, and the stepping pads are made from grass. Heavy gauge steel planters were set into the gravel to house separate plantings of Zoysia. The pads run from the library to the kitchen, allowing visitors to travel between the two as if they are walking on a floor decorated with grass. The lawn in all three yards is planted with Zoysia grass. This species of grass is frequently used in modern landscape design because it requires only moderate amounts of water to retain its exceptionally fine texture. When mowed, it presents a clean, well-manicured lawn that compliments the conservatism of the home.

Sara Bendrick
Inspiration for a mid-sized modern backyard full sun garden in San Diego.

Photos by Linda Oyama Bryan
Design ideas for a small eclectic front yard garden in Chicago with a retaining wall and natural stone pavers.

Mid-sized traditional front yard full sun formal garden in New York with natural stone pavers and with flowerbed for summer.

Contemporary townhouse wildlife garden, with meandering gravel paths through dynamic herbaceous planting with corten water features.
Photo of a mid-sized contemporary backyard full sun formal garden in West Midlands with with flowerbed and river rock.

Aménagement d'un jardin avec terrasse. Surface totalement gazonnée. Conception d'un mini golf pour compléter le jardin. Positionnement des grands pots .

Backyard Renovation for family looking to share time with friends and dogs.
This is an example of a mid-sized midcentury backyard partial sun formal garden for summer in Charlotte with a fire feature, natural stone pavers and a wood fence.

Verbena bonariensis arching over Convovulous centrum.
Design ideas for a mediterranean garden in London.

Photo of a large contemporary front yard partial sun formal garden for summer in Essen with with raised garden bed and concrete pavers.

Extraordinary greenery defines this ultra-modern landscape build. Edible beds show off bright greens, contrasting with the grey of the concrete walls. Ornamental grasses and stunning rock accents add a pop of earthy brightness.

basalt water feature adds sound and interest to the garden. Its a wildlife magnet.
Inspiration for a mid-sized transitional backyard garden in Seattle.

You can read more about the project through this Houzz Feature link: https://www.houzz.com/magazine/hillside-yard-offers-scenic-views-and-space-for-contemplation-stsetivw-vs~131483772

One of the key elements of this design was the privacy the couple was hoping to achieve with plantings. I used many large, evergreen shrubs that should give complete privacy within a couple of years. Podocarpus, Prunus caroliniana, Podocarpus 'Icee Blue' Blue Spruce

Photo by Pete Cadieux
Inspiration for a mid-sized traditional side yard shaded garden in Boston with natural stone pavers.

Hear what our clients, Lisa & Rick, have to say about their project by clicking on the Facebook link and then the Videos tab. Hannah Goering Photography

Raised planter boxes arranged to maximize light and micro climate conditions
Photo of a large country backyard full sun formal garden in Vancouver with a vegetable garden and gravel.

Large traditional backyard full sun formal garden in Other with gravel for summer.