Although we have a professional landscape architect to design a yard that will compliment your home, you can design your yard however you like. Also, you can request your yard suit needs that are specific to your family and our designer can create a layout to attend to your specifications. This particular design was done by Karl Kuhni and the homeowner in a collaborative effort.
We finished the back yard of this residence last week. The front yard, pictured above, was installed two years ago. With a back yard like this, it is like having your own resort.
This view is of the fire pit sitting area with a water feature behind it. Guests can enjoy the sound of trickling water while sitting around the fire.
The swimming pool has dark gray plaster, giving the water a deeper color of blue. Most swimming pools have white plaster giving the pool water a light blue cast.
Stepping stones leading to the swimming pool.
This is the barbeque area, complete with a drinking fountain. There is also another water fountain by the stairs leading to the deck above.
The two gazebos sit in front of a custom Bocce ball court. Click on the picture for a close-up.
View of the dining gazebo.
View under the sitting area gazebo. The homeowner is great with accessorizing and bringing their personality from the inside of the home to the outside.
Doesn't this remind you of sitting poolside at a posh resort? And it is really just steps away from your back door.
Stepping stones lead past the hot tub to the front yard.
The fire pit area is shaded by an umbrella during the day.
The water feature is a core drilled stone. The water travels into a concealed pondless tank and recirculates back to the core drilled stone.
How nice would it be to spend a relaxing evening after swimming sitting next to a cozy fire?
View from the fire pit looking toward the gazebos.
This is the cement pad for the fire pit sitting area.
Two more cement pads will be poured on the far side of the pool for lounge chair sitting areas.
We landscaped this beautiful home show in 2003 for Magleby Companies. It is always fun to go back to the jobs we have completed years later to see how everything in the yard has matured.
The next two pictures show one of the front corners of the house. All of the plant material has matured and filled in very nicely.
The left side of this photo gives a view of the dry creek bed.
The dry creek bed runs in front of the home. Burning bushes are great for foundation plantings and the leaves turn red in the autumn.
Raised beds add height as well as layers to the landscape.
The wisteria softens the fenceline and looks great over the custom gate.
More views of the foundation plantings.
Here is a large landscape boulder surrounded by large cobble rock. Cobble is very cost effective, because it does not need to be replaced every few years, like shredded bark does.
Landscape boulders and Rose of Sharon shrubs were used along the fenceline.
More views of the dry creek bed.
The walkout basement area has rock slab steps with a rock wall. Creeping Jenny was used to fill in the spaces between the rocks.
A small planting area with annual flowers and Oregon Grape, lines the bottom layer of the boulders to add some color.
More rock wall views.
This area is just behind the backyard gate. Creeping Jenny, hostas, dogwood, and spirea was used in this bed.
More wisteria lines the backyard fence, along with roses, and perennials.
Virginia Creeper and Kelsey Dogwood line the back wall.
Backyard side of the custom gate.
This is a small yard with a big personality. The yard used to have a birch tree in the front yard. The birch was replaced with a Rose of Sharon (tree form). Rose of Sharon is a nice option for adding height with color. It blooms from midsummer to autumn.
The front flower bed combines annuals, perennials, & herbs amongst the shrubs. Herbs can be added to a front yard flower bed if you don't have a designated herb garden. They blend very well with the other plant material. The use of the landscape boulder creates an another texture to the landscape.
On the way to the front door, there is a quaint little sitting area with a bistro set. Be sure to notice how many little sitting areas are in this yard. 
The front door is very welcoming with the potted boxwood, & spruce topiary. The antique urn with a pom pom topiary, has annual flowers at the base to add additional color. You can tell by the front door mat that the homeowner loves all things French. Don't be afraid to let your personality flow outside to your yard.
Garden art adds personal style to the garden. The concrete statue is in a boxwood and rose bed. It makes a beautiful statement as you approach the front door and the gated courtyard.
The stone archway leads to the remodeled side yard. The side yard is now a private courtyard. Notice the plaque on the arch. You feel as if you are going inside a private French cottage garden.
An antique gate with weathered paint leads to the courtyard. Antiques are wonderful to add in the yard.
The courtyard used to be overtaken by English Ivy. It was gloomy and dark. After removing the majority of the ivy, we installed weed barrier fabric to prevent weeds & ivy from growing. The weed barrier fabric was then covered with tan cobble. The cobble creates a low maintenance yard and has a European flair as well. The stepping stones lead to the main sitting/entertaining area.
Boxwood in weathered terracotta pots, and annual flowers are perfect for a courtyard setting. Not to mention easy maintenance!
The use of potted plant material works well in areas that do not warrant installing a flower or shrub bed.
We hope this inspires you to add originality and personality to your yard. Please feel free to contact us if you would like a consultation.