green

The Village features gardens and orchards created by Tim Goss, Kia Micaud, and HomeGrown Organics. No roads run within the community, so it’s completely car-free (a parking lot sits at the far end of the site). An abundance of bicycles has meant a shortage of bike parking, an element of the plan the Grow team acknowledges they could have done differently.

The house's gabled roof peeks over a screen of acacia trees in the front yard. "Although we love being in a walkable, 'semi-urban' neighborhood, we wanted to create a haven for our family,

“They are quite cute and very wild,” Leah says of her three kids. The hot tub and surrounding deck were the starting points for the exterior remodel, with the transformed outdoor space incorporating numerous areas for the children to play and explore.

Windows frame spectacular views of the landscape.

#WalkerWorkshop #exterior #outside #outdoor #landscape #fireplace #concrete

Louvers protecting from the burning sun.

A single crepe myrtle, which sports red blossoms in summer, defines the courtyard.

Reclaimed-wood staircases and boardwalks, lowered by a crane that was designed into the structure of the building and deck, and a copper-clad natural spring crisscross the multilevel yard, which Wilson considers a diverse geographic universe in miniature.

The Opdahl House, designed by Edward Killingsworth for Richard and Joyce Opdahl, is located on the island of Naples, in Long Beach, California, and the design responds to the constraints imposed by the compact site.Unlike the neighbors, whose homes unflinchingly abut their property lines, Killingsworth set the Opdahl House 42 feet back from the street, dedicating half of the lot to a dramatic entryway that includes a carport, garden, and reflecting pool. The effect is one of entering a private sanctuary.

facade closeup

Known for furniture and interior design, Ezequiel Farca transformed a 1970s-style concrete home in Mexico City into a tranquil sanctuary. The temple-like retreat blends into the hilly Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood with its pale gray-green hue and strategic plantings, which soften the boundaries between house, garden, and street. The Recinto lava stone patio accessed through the living room holds teak outdoor furniture designed by Farca himself.

You don’t need to have a complicated harvesting tank built if you want to conserve water. A simpler way is to place a rain barrel—found at your local home and garden supply store—under the downspout on your roof to collect rainwater for gardening. Invest in a good water filtration or treatment system, and you can even use your rainwater for bathing, laundry, cooking, and drinking.