Gin Martini Please - Extra Dirty
Stemmler Design set out to design a front yard that would compliment the client's recently renovated, modern duplex. The client, a Portland entrepreneur and budding developer, had one main programmatic request: the landscape should accommodate all the necessities associated with an outdoor cocktail party.
The space needed to be flexible; accommodating the everyday uses associated with a front yard while also being able to transform into the occasional space for parties and informal get-togethers.
A open lawn area was proposed to accommodate various tables and chair configurations while a series of large steps create a sense of entry. Walls and complimentary plantings on two sides of the lawn create a courtyard feel while the west wall seconds as a seating area - a perfect place to perch and set down a martini (or two).
To assist in the transition from the landscape to the architecture, stone pavers set in the lawn were used in combination with an Ipe wood deck. The Ipe deck wraps the south and east portions of the duplex, "softening" the building while framing the south and west entries of the duplex.
With any luck the construction of this landscape will occur in time for summer and the parties that are sure to come.
Recently, we were working in Northeast Portland. In collaboration with our client designing a backyard that would set the stage for all the activities one would expect from a young couple - summer outdoor dining, informal get-togethers and gardening opportunities galore. In determining the design direction for the backyard, we looked to the agricultural history of the neighborhood as well as the English countryside - the childhood stomping grounds of the client.
Prior to being partitioned up for residential homes, areas of Northeast Portland consisted of an impressive patchwork of agricultural fields and orchards. In exploring the design of this backyard, we gave a nod to this agrarian past by proposing a singular orchard tree as the focal point of the backyard.
The Prunus serrula
in our design scheme serves as the garden's living sculpture - providing year-round visual interest.
Important to the client was recalling aspects of the English countryside. Beautifully crafted dry stack stone walls are synonymous with the farming fields of England. Our design proposed a stone seating wall to frame the outdoor patio.
Talk of English gardens pique your interest? Interested in learning about landscape architects who looked good in powdered wigs? Check out the combined design genius of William Kent and Capability Brown.
