Contractors:

Rosborough Partners, Inc., Masonry by Fernando;
Trellis & Trugs

Category:

Residential Design

This home, like many around it in the stylish north shore suburb of Kenilworth, was built in the early 20th century. Surrounded by a three quarter acre landscape site, it has the formal feel of an English estate. However, prior to the renovation, the landscape lacked a cohesive relationship to the house. The yard was also open to the neighbor’s gaze and lacked intimate space for parties and gatherings desired by the client.

The landscape architect’s solution draws on the formal geometry of the house. Strong, clear edges define garden areas, which simultaneously create the illusion of additional space and subdivide smaller spaces for special gardens. To begin with, the landscape architect used bluestone to create a new rectangular patio. Then the central yard was transformed into a formal sunken lawn featuring a fountain and walls of Corinthian granite.

To add privacy, a view of the neighbor’s home was replaced with a layered screen of hydrangea. A pine woodland walk also screens the home to the north with trees transplanted from other portions of the site. Daisies, peonies, salvia and sedum are all part of an ‘old-fashioned’ perennial garden that begins in the front of the house. Finally, a custom-designed cedar pergola and bluestone-paved terrace were added to be used for dining and entertaining.

Working under a tight deadline, the landscape architect transformed the home in a way that distinguishes its architecture and clarifies its character. Carefully selected materials were used to seamlessly integrate the garden with the house and provide a landscape that contains multiple gardens and invites exploration.