Clarement Contemporary

Michelle and John purchased an old wood shingle home in Berkeley with an outdated front yard. The yard consisted of a sloped long narrow concrete walkway leading up to the front stairway flanked by tired old plantings beyond their prime.

Our clients had a very modern aesthetic and liked clean, simple lines. The goal of the project was to create a a front yard that had great curb appeal but also had some sense of grandeur that allowed people to not only rush through the space but instead meander.

The corten steel retaining walls were shaped to draw the viewer towards the center. Japanese Maple Trees flank either side of the stairway and low mass plantings provide swaths of color throughout the garden. An auxillary pathway consisting of Eucalpytus wood set in the ground takes us to the sideyard. Our intention was to provide options to move through the space and property and break free from the traditional linear front yards we see so commonly.