Last year I was contacted by a wonderful woman who was looking to heal her house. I know that sounds very "California", but let me explain.
A few years ago Mrs. and Mr. W purchased a beautiful property that had enormous potential, but they felt a bit disconnected from the property because of its existing condition. They knew what their dream house looked like... they just needed help moving their vision from a dream to a reality. That's where Steve and I came in...
Steve and I are now helping Mr and Mrs. W with the decorating of their main house, the decorating and remodeling of their guest house, and the renovation of their gardens. Although the house and guest house are not quite ready for their reveal, I thought you might enjoy seeing the transformation of The W's garden...
When we first met the W's this is what their gardens looked like...
The barn and potager had enormous potential...
The chicken coop looked a bit sad...
On one side of the garden, a past rose par terre was now a vacant squares of dirt.
After listening to the W's describe their vision of their garden, Steve drew this...
We would combine formal and informal elements to re-imagine the W's garden...
We would turn this...
into this...
Because the garden was so out of level, we regraded the site to create a garden focal point seen from the main house. The arched lavender beds helped us to smoothly transition the grade.
We removed the rickety chicken wire and replaced it with a more formal, yet simple enclosure.
We stained the wood with Super Deck "Weathered Wood" and used Del Rio 3/8" gravel on the paths.
Espalier apples cover the mesh on the front and back of the potager.
Sombreuil rose vines bloom on the side panels. The scent of the English Thyme ground cover combines with the aroma of the lavender to create an delicious perfume!
Steve designed a fruit tree lined path that leads to the rose garden. The fruit trees provide a sense of seasons even here in California. They will be covered in blooms in the Spring, fruit in the Summer and become bare stick in the late Fall to Winter.
The W's sad little rose garden...
was given a new life. The roses have just started to bloom. We added pyramid topiaries to add a little bit of life when the roses go dormant.
We leveled the path and used the exhisting mature Pine tree as a focal point.
We are now renovating the little barn area...
Adding a little green, roses, a delicious apricot tree and a vintage clock face as we get ready for the chickens...
I'm looking forward to sharing the transformation of the W's guest house with you. Here's a little sneak peek...
The architectural changes are amazing! From this...
to this!
A huge thank you to the W's for trusting us with their house and for letting us share it with you!
And a big thank you to our Giannetti Home Design Team!
Please let them know what you think of their garden :)
xo
Brooke
