Contemporary Tropical

A mid-century home undergoing a facelift was the starting point for the Woodruff project. The primary focus was reclaiming the front yard to create an entertainment area. This major reconstruction required filling in the swimming pool, which involved a complicated, subsurface drainage system to produce a new garden room.

The encompassing theme for the new landscape design was contemporary tropical. The challenge was providing many program elements on a low budget. Newly designed gates, anchored by stone pillars and new cedar garage doors, enhanced the street presence of the home. Inside the front courtyard, a stone water wall stands as the focal point of the garden while the foreground gravel area is used for gatherings around the fire. New scored-concrete paving with stone bands leads the visitor to the home’s entry and the adjoining outdoor dining area. Tall bamboo provides privacy as well as a soft backdrop for the bold forms of Southeast Asian plants.