The homeowner contacted us because they had recently renovated the interior of the home, and understood that the existing landscape was not on par. They wanted as much of an aesthetic experience as a functional aspect to the exterior of the home. We addressed this by looking at the whole home for visual integration, starting with the Prairie House style architecture, exploring and dissecting each room, and further detailing every aspect of these elements, from fencing, to paving, and even recommendations for colour and material changes to the exterior house facade.

The courtyard specifically, was initially very stark and rarely used by the homeowners as it was uninviting and lacking amenities; it is now a centrepiece of the dwelling that stands on its own and the design reflects the overall Prairie style concept. This secure, private and sheltered space is closely tied to the local natural landscape. The running bond paver pattern weaves in and out, to merge the soft and hardscape and the clustering of ground cover vegetation softens the edges. Through the view of the carefully detailed screen, an array of native Trembling Aspen trees peek through to create privacy, soften the view and bring a natural feeling into the space. Although the homeowners were not initially in favour, we opted for conserving, carefully pruning and remediating the soil to help the existing Ohio Buckeye tree shine as the focal point and main feature of the courtyard space. This along with the custom outdoor kitchen, fire table, privacy screen and thoughtful circulation pattern create a highly used, functional, amenity space which the clients are grateful to have and use through most seasons.

The above is manifested in the rest of the landscape and entire site, including both upper deck, lower patio, fire pit area and entry hall. The homeowners are thrilled with the results and have indicated that they have never used their outdoor space as they do now.