April 2024
This beautiful landscape design highlighted the classic features of this Scarsdale Colonial as well as modernizing its feel.
The young family who owned this home were looking for an update both within the house and without. There was a very dated feel to the outside that the homeowners requested be corrected through the landscape design.
Before (click on photos to enlarge):
One of the challenges we faced for the front of the home was to address a large brick parking space/walkway that was situated adjacent to the existing driveway. Its placement marred the view of the front yard. In addition, when cars were parked there, they created an obstacle for visitors who wanted to walk up to the front entrance. A worn pathway also extended from this brick pathway and wrapped around the home for access to the backyard. This pathway also needed some updating to make it more appealing to the eye.
The front steps of the home were dated in style as well as being narrow in comparison to the size of the landing in front of the entrance. The plantings in the front foundation did not capture one's eye nor did anything to complement the home.
In the rear of the home, there was a sloped backyard that was unusable for the homeowners. It was also not maintained so visually it was not interesting to look at, and not suitable for the family. The existing patio space was relatively small and not functional as it could be for any outdoor cooking and entertaining.
After (click on photos to enlarge):
For the front of the home, we enlarged the front steps in order to make it more cohesive with the size of the landing beneath the portico. We removed the red brick pathway and replaced it with a new bluestone walkway that curved gracefully from the driveway up to the front entry of the home. These bluestones were set into concrete since it was a primary walkway that the homeowners inteneded to use year-round. This concrete base gave the bluestone the ease of use for when the property owners neede to shovel it clear at winter times when it snowed. The secondary pathway, which lead from this primary one and stretched around the home to the backyard, was replaced with 2x3 bluestone stepping stones.
In addition, the remaining area of the brick walkway that was used as additional parking was redesigned as a more functional space for the family who wanted a place to sit in the front yard and wait for the children to come home from school. The secondary area for them to also do this was the re-designed front stairs.
As we move to the back yard, the former small patio was enlarged and extended, leaving room for an outdoor kitchen, an eating area as well as a lounging area surrounding a fire pit.
We created a stone veneer wall that surrounded the patio doubled as an area for sitting as well as being an element that defined and enclosed this new entertainment area. In order for the homeowners to access the rest of the backyard, we added some natural blue stone slabs that created a staircase down to a now useable play area for the young children in the family.
The client had requested a custom firepit for entertaining in the back yard. We made sure to match this fire element with the same stone veneer that was used for the wall that surounded it, achieving a cohesive look throughout the space. The top of the firepit was covered with a bluestone cap that was wide enough to also be a functional space to rest one feet or use as a table area to hold plates, cups or utensils. It is now the perfect place to relax and enjoy the outdoors.
The cutsom outdoor kitchen was outfitted with a stainless steel sink, grill, and garbage and recycling recepticles. In addition, a pizza oven and bar area was included in the design as per the homeowner's wishes. The L-shaped bar created not only more seating and counterspace, but marked out a separation between the firepit/lounging area and the kitchen/eating area.
The former unusable portion of the backyard was re-graded and made more functional with the additon of a iron fence and retaining wall. This was created as a safety measure for the children to have space to run around and play.
The final part to bring everything in the design together was the planting plan, which included specimen trees to draw one's eye as focal points around the property, the addition of various boxwoods to give the landascape a layer of evergreen year around as well as various colorful plants which were interspersed everywhere to give the homeowners seasonal interest.