Garden as Sculpture

A professional couple with toddlers in Los Altos Hills came to us because their 1960s ranch house was too small for their active family. Instead of adding onto the house, we looked to the landscape. Our solution was a sculptural redefinition of the outdoor space.

We organized the area outside of their home into a series of rooms. Layers of walls perform double duty as art elements and spatial connectors. The garden is a striking composition of form, lines, color and material.

The design takes advantage of the entire backyard and includes areas for cooking, dining, entertaining, playing and relaxing. We organized the main outdoor living area around a fire feature. Linear accent walls with a cantilevered bench form a sculpture. The strong geometry and color contrast are central to the al fresco home.

The outdoor kitchen is loaded with a grill with side burners, warming drawers, refrigerator and a sink with an ipe cover to protect from redwood litter. Wood, stucco and stone work in concert to update this home into a contemporary work of art.