Collaboration

in Bernal Heights

When we got started with Kevin and Ute, their wish list included dining, bbq and firepit areas, as well as visual boundaries and a colorful plant palette for pollinators. Our role, was to find a programmatic and functional solution that would contain this all within their less than 500 sq ft outdoor space.

Collaboration with Kevin, an architect by trade, brought critical perspective to the process and led to some elegant detailing.

The existing apple and plum trees set the stage; framing the location of the vibrant and exuberant viewing garden that sits just beyond the large format picture frame windows to the office and kitchen on the first and second floors respectively.

An informal pathway of stepping stones provides a path for the eye, or the inhabitant to wander. The space is almost entirely native plants, the palette tuned to support beneficial insects while providing seasonal shifts of color throughout the year.

The cascading steps invite footsteps down among the flowers.

Framing the wild and natural garden, is a strong defining border of Western Red Cedar deck. The knotty grade wood is budget-friendly and adds visual interest.

The lines of the 2x4 material wrap the property, flowing down the face of the home and fences, across the deck surface and down into the green interior. All framing had to be tightly fit to span over cracked concrete blocks beneath.

A built-in corner bench helped make efficient use of space, leaving plenty of room for a full size table, lounge area with firepit, and heated bench from Galanter and Jones.

Narrow containers from Jay Scotts hold a row of Red Osier Dogwood, a deciduous native shrub with smooth red bark. Fishhook plants (Senecia radicans) drape from atop the fence, creating a green portal to enter the space.

The intention with this garden was to provide tranquil respite from the busy city around. The colorful foliage and textural canopies create the feeling of an exotic landscape that transports to another world. The perfect hideaway, just a few steps away.

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