Contemporary Outdoor Spaces

A two element seat wall brings the ipe used elsewhere into a new space, and breaks up the linearity of the wall. Bronze path lights echo the color of the wood. The plants behind - variegated flax lilies and a South African rush - cast shadows on the adjacent neighbor's wall.

The wall to the left is part of a charcoal heated cooking device. The other is a seat wall so everyone can gather around the fire and chat while meals are prepared. Paving is crushed rock over a cellular containment grid to keep the surface firm yet allow water to flow into the soil.

This mid-century modern home received a face lift along with the new landscape. Two similar tones of paint subtly separate planes of the house. A new entry door with an intercom system controls access to the patio, improving privacy and security. Lighting built into the entry path guides visitors to the entry at night - along with lights mounted on the wall. The gravel strip at bottom left is part of an underground sump that takes drainage from the patio and gets it into the soil instead of dumping it in the gutter. Behind, a steel structure covers an outdoor kitchen and small patio ornamented with a kinetic sculpture.

Detail of galvanized structure and shadow panels. The warm color comes from the outdoor fireplace's flames reflecting on the metal. It shimmers with the flames, putting the structure and fire in harmony.

There's an olive grove to the left for playing pétanque. The raised beds are both dividers and seat walls. The pool and lawn area for play are the only moderate water use areas on the site, and the pool has an automatic cover to limit evaporation. The rest of the garden uses California native plants mixed with water-saving Mediterranean species to keep the water bill reasonable. Contained hedge bamboo rises behind the pool to create a privacy screen and block views to adjacent homes.

Shimmer and rust. The shade structure was galvanized off site and assembled here over the patio. A sister structure covers a dining patio toward the rear of the garden. Laser-cut panels leave circles of light on the ground and adjacent walls. The fire feature is a linear burner faced with corten steel. The upright steel reflects heat back on to guests seated in an outdoor lounge. Planting is minimalist: sedges and rushes, and whatever else can resist the dogs.

The client wanted an industrial chic look, so we used gabion walls to separate spaces. Plantings soften the walls in places, but in others the look is reinforced with corten and galvanized steel.

This sloping site needed a level patio space, but we didn't want to add retaining walls everywhere. A low wall to the left retains the left side; planted areas behind and to the right allow adjustments on the far side, backed up with mixed material seat walls. The wall to the right is a neighbor's house and could not be touched (or painted). The solution: "paint" plant shadows using the lighting system so the wall would not look so blank, at least not at night. The lawn in the gaps between the pavers is synthetic and works as part of a drainage system.