photos: Matthew Cunningham -click to enlarge
Designer Matthew Cunningham won two gold awards from APLD this year, one for this project in the heart of Boston. The design scheme blends California-style outdoor living with a New England approach to the landscape. In the front yard, Cunningham installed new concrete walls to elevate the front yard; put in a new parking court with porous pavers; and used native plants that drape softly over the walls.
In back, there are separate dining and sitting terraces, a kitchen herb garden, a flat lawn, and reclaimed granite slabs that have been repurposed into benches and risers.
The garden is planted with coastal woodland species that screen the view at the back property line. Most plantings are drought-tolerant to reduce the need for heavy maintenance.
This Cambridge garden is just 1200 square feet, and it was transformed from a space with an ugly, hot concrete patio into a showcase for art, sculpture, and plants. Cunningham's design incorporates a sliding sculptural gate of raw aluminum, and horizontal wood fencing, for starters.
An antique granite block has been fashioned into a rill that spills over into a riverstone basin, and underground drywell pockets allow stormwater to percolate into surrounding planting beds.
There's even this elevated sitting platform that's nestled into a corner away from the rest of the landscape -- a perfect spot for reading or quiet conversation.
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