yard

In the remote mountains of Palmichal de Acosta, Costa Rica, local architect María de la Paz Alice, founder of Mazpazz Arquitectura, designed a 100 percent autonomous and self-sustaining home that frames its lush surroundings with a series of geometric openings. The home’s entrance, which the architect refers to as “the vortex,” takes the form of a poured-concrete cube with two prominent circular cutouts. Crystals encrusted in the floor capture and reflect light that passes from the sun and moon through the overhead oculus.

“Round windows felt like the most obvious choice. They don’t need any kind of lintel—they just work with gravity. The idea of this home as ‘a burrow’ called for a little rounded space to bring the outside in. The architecture enhances the garden, completing it rather than imposing on it.”

Architect Paul Elliott erected a new, cork- and timber-clad house on the adjoining plot to his family home, which his late architect father designed and built in Cape Town, South Africa. The new residence implements sustainable materials such as cork and timber. It also incorporates Japanese architectural styles, including circular windows and doorways.

The backyard—formerly full of unkept grass and invasive scrub—now features a flagstone patio with a portable fire feature. Here, the homeowner likes to gather with her family on warm summer evenings. A new fence provides privacy without impeding lake views.

Dubbed the Little Shingle for its unique exterior cladding—inspired by the homeowner’s college years spent in New England—the house is finished with Benjamin Moore’s Arborcoat stain in Decorator’s White. The awnings at both entrances are through Seattle Metal Products, powder-coated in pastel blue. A matching planter near the front door doubles as a handrail.

Sitting jauntily on its block, this renovated residence in Seattle’s Mount Baker neighborhood retained the original home’s footprint. The architect (and daughter of the homeowner) opened up the living spaces inside and overhauled the exterior and landscaping to give it a more contemporary presence. Cambium Landscape created the outdoor spaces which perfectly balance hardscape with greenery.

Large wood beams frame the sauna’s deck and outdoor shower area.

Architect Tom Kundig set the living/dining room in a pavilion that opens to the garden on three sides. “This house is in a highly developed neighborhood, yet when you walk in, you forget that,” he says. “Indoors and outdoors aren’t two separate things.”

After the home was assembled, a local contractor built the outdoor concrete patio and barbecue on site.

In place of a lawn, Inge Jabra Landscapes specified pavers surrounded by creeping thyme, which can be walked on without being destroyed.

A stone path provides access through the internal courtyard, connecting the various ground floor spaces.

Spruce and pine cladding echo the verticality of the tree trunks surrounding the cabins.

The social spaces are at the rear of the yard, including turf for the kids’ play and a cooking and dining area, all tucked behind a custom concrete planter. The raised beds, including on top of the fence, are for herbs, as the homeowners are avid cooks.

A new pergola completes the outdoor dining area set against an abundant bougainvillea backdrop.

The couple took advantage of numerous municipal programs when landscaping the backyard. Mandy recently completed a free course through LADWP, who also promotes resources for the SoCal Turf Replacement Program, to become a certified California Native Plant Landscape: “There is an amazing amount of knowledge and resources for transitioning yards with more native/drought-tolerant plants through LADWP and the Theodore Payne Foundation,” says Mandy.

Recently retired and ready to downsize, Paul and Melonie Brophy found a lot in Palo Alto that gave them the chance to start fresh. Their glass, concrete, and wood house, designed by Feldman Architecture, seems to float above a landscape by Bernard Trainor. Of the board-formed concrete wall, architect Taisuke Ikegami says, "It connects the building to the ground plane while allowing the house to be a landscape element."