You may be surprised ... but yes, this is the front yard! Another imaginative design by Margie Grace of Santa Barbara won a merit award this year from the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), and that's no wonder.
The main design constraints were the preservation of the existing 60-year old Dragon Tree on the left, and the protection from erosion of the bluff in the backyard.
As you can see in the first photo, Grace installed a frosted glass wall on streetside, which provides privacy as well as sense of transparency, and concrete pavers to the front door evoke a boardwalk that winds through dunes. On the other side of the glass wall, an organic vegetable garden connects the garden to the street and invites conversation.
In the backyard, there's a bocce court, as well as a large deck, a sheltered deck with fire pit and accent lighting, a sand "beach" and native plants. There's also an extensive storm water system that directs water away from the bluff and back to the street in front.
Grace also constructed some hawk-friendly perches for rodent control ... how many designers would think of that!
This design, in front and back, extends the living area of the modern house to the outside for true indoor-outdoor living and relaxation anywhere, any time.
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