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Contemporary House in a Woodland Setting

An older house in a tree-lined neighborhood was removed to make room for a beautiful new contemporary home for a young family. The new house was  carefully designed to accommodate a large live oak centered on the lot, but unfortunately, the majestic old centerpiece fell over when the original concrete slab was removed.  Our task was to try to provide a landscape that could compensate to some extent for that significant loss, while at the same time designing a comfortable and graceful way to ascend from the driveway to the front door.  Many cedar elms, native redbud trees, and other shrubs were planted to frame the house and to shade the curb. Inside the lot, the rhythm of the stairs provided an opportunity for a terraced garden. The upper, sunnier part of the front yard has a raised vegetable garden and a "welcome mat" lawn.