The Design Brief

With a newly purchased house and an expanding family, these clients wanted a budget-conscious plan to give their unused side yard a purpose and add a “secret garden” vibe. We discussed paths of travel/access issues on the property and they worked with a structural engineer to add steps from the sidewalk through the retaining wall into the side yard.

Through the addition of stairs, the side yard turned into the main walkway into the home, simplifying access and minimizing time spent next to heavy traffic with small children. The space now houses an array of native bulbs, perennials, grasses, and shrubs for added curb appeal (and for more time with family instead of cutting grass).

I really appreciated my clients’ sense of fun, enthusiasm, and adventure throughout the design process and their daughter’s help picking the main color for the planting palette.