A Low-Key Landscape Gives a Vancouver Family a New Lease on Outdoor Living

With its sleek linear form surrounded by massive vine maple trees, Sharen McLean and Mark Derraugh’s house on a quiet street in Vancouver feels like a faraway escape in the heart of the city. Yet until recently, the landscaping was "lackluster" and didn’t fall in line with the modernity of the house, says Sharen’s daughter, Andrea McLean, an architectural designer with her own practice who is working toward becoming registered. "The front yard was literally just a way to get from their cars to the front door," she explains. "And the backyard was in such bad condition, they didn’t want the grandkids playing out there."