Markham Garden

The redesigned front and back gardens at this Markham street residence create modern outdoor spaces that complement recent renovations to the house itself. The materiality is tough and minimalist. In the front garden, board-formed concrete walls frame a large Ailanthus tree and sculpture display. A weathered steel bridge paves the way towards the entrance and a new multi-stem birch tree provides a counterpoint to the existing Ailanthus. The back of the house has large windows framing the tableau of the backyard, where an expanded metal stainless steel wall forms a kind of trellis upon which vines can grow. Black brick, local limestone and acid-etched concrete add to the industrial tones of the built material, contrasted by extremely lush and highly textural planting.