The Garden Oasis was designed for a fellow landscape architect. He was incredibly easy to collaborate with because of his pre-established appreciation for design, material use, scale and outdoor spaces in general. He had lived in the single-story ranch home on a sprawling lot for years and a new backyard design would breathe fresh life into the entire property. He came to us for the design of the project. Together we looked through his inspiration images and gathered he wanted something simple with clean lines. Budget constraints took veneer and other bonus items off the table. We were determined to get the best value and fortunately, our client really liked the look of cast-in-place concrete. Not only is it more cost-effective but was completely in line with his vision.

We utilized cast-in-place concrete as a foundational element–we incorporated it into all the vertical features. The fire features, outdoor kitchen, benches and planter walls were all concrete with a honed, smooth finish. The patios and banding were pour-in-place exposed aggregate. The integrally-colored exposed aggregate was a nice contrast to the gray, honed concrete. We warmed up the hard surfaces by using ipe, a Brazilian hardwood, for the decking that came off the house. The deck area, where the outdoor dining room table is located, provides a soft transition to the main patio. Other simple materials, like galvanized tube steel, show up on the pergola structure. The ipe on the pergola structure ties back to the decking and the organic metal panels create interest, as well as additional shade.