After making the move from city to suburbs, a young family asked that we reimagine the entire site for entertaining, privacy and play. Wheelchair accessibility was required, but needed to appear nestled, not forced onto the land. The sizable house and sloping 1.2 acres lacked character, privacy, and good flow. The rear lawn was split from the pool area by a fenced, narrow stream bisecting the property. Decaying wood decking, brick walls, patios and a poorly executed swimming pool made for an unappealing, overbuilt hardscape.

In collaboration with the architects, we selected the house veneer and paving stone and laid out a sequence of spaces emanating from the upper and lower levels adjacent to the house, filled with careful details that combine to achieve the goal of an accessible, stylish, yet watershed-sensitive garden, exceeding all client requirements. Beneath the new upper terrace and porches is a renovated walk-out basement, accessed by a down- ramp near the grill area. Situated just above the new lower-level family room, a spacious stone pool terrace was re-organized around a transplanted specimen Japanese maple and custom firepit. Impermeable surfaces were greatly reduced, a rain garden and stormwater infiltration system were constructed. Undulating stone walls were built to replace the former brick walls that border the stream’s edge; a stone bridge with a grass walking surface now unites the pool area to the great lawn. Riparian plantings buffer the creek, a key drainage and wildlife corridor leading to the river.

Framed vistas were created to capture garden views from multiple vantage points. The spa and pool interior were reconfigured and finished in deep gray to reflect the sky and plantings. The contemporary lines of bluestone plank paving are softened with luxuriant foliage in painterly drifts, blurring the lines between architecture and garden in an elegant montage.