Charming Weekend Cottage Renovation in Marin
A Bay Area landscape designer works her yard like a jigsaw puzzle, packing a bevy of distinctive destinations into a steep and diminutive plot.
Text by
Photos by
Until a few years ago, Loretta Gargan had spent her entire career as a landscape designer creating outdoor havens for other people, without a proper yard to call her own. But don’t feel sorry for her: She never felt deprived. "I’ve always interpreted a feeling of nature wherever I am, no matter the context," she says. "Even putting big branches in a vase or arranging rocks—that’s enough to make me happy. It’s not about the space; it’s about envisioning what you can do with what you have."
Try Dwell+ to Continue
Subscribe to Dwell+ to get unlimited access to the very best of Dwell, including a steady stream of subscriber exclusives, ad-free browsing, and more.
Subscribe to Dwell+
You can cancel at any time. Already a Dwell+ subscriber? Sign In
Jaime Gillin
When not writing, editing, or combing design magazines and blogs for inspiration, Jaime Gillin is experimenting with new recipes, traveling as much as possible, and tackling minor home-improvement projects that inevitably turn...
Published
Last Updated