Third Nature Studio / blog

Landscape Renderings for a Shanghai Park

randi — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:15:02 +0000

I just completed some work for Meyer + Silberberg, assisting them with some renderings for a new waterfront park on the shores of Dianshan Lake, on the outskirts of Shanghai. As always, it was a pleasure working with that office; I’ve never known designers to be more thoughtful or throw their heart and soul into every last detail the way they do.

The park will be beautiful. Sinuous, braiding marshes, long, grand pedestrian and bicycle promenades and amazing waterfront amenities.

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Landscape Plans for Marin Midcentury Modern

randi — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 21:32:02 +0000

We are in the bid process for the Midcentury ranch landscape in San Rafael. The design was a fun collaboration with the client (a designer herself) and myself. She was inspired by the Portland residence that Third Nature Studio completed last year. There are a few similarities, but this garden will be distinctly Californian.

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Olive Tree Placement at Templeton Ridge

randi — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 20:00:19 +0000

The rainbow makes the construction site look deceptively peaceful. It’s busy at the Templeton Ridge Winery residence these days. Field grown olives have just been placed and its a thrill and a relief to see the neighbor’s house disappear. I’m sure the clients are looking forward to some peace: swimming amidst the grapes and looking out at the hills – it’s not too far off now.

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Lonny Magazine – Modern Interiors Online

randi — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:36:05 +0000

Fans of the now defunct Domino Magazine will be happy to discover Lonny Magazine available only online. It feels like how all magazines will be presented in the very near future; it’s easy to navigate, and gorgeous to look at. There is always a smattering of gardens and exteriors shots, especially in the spring/summer issues. Images in the magazine are linked to corresponding retail sites, which can prove to be very dangerous…

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A Modern Pool Landscape in Wine Country

randi — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:20:29 +0000

Construction is well underway at the main residence of Templeton Ridge Winery and Burbank Vineyards. I am really pleased with how dramatic the view is out into the surrounding hills from every vantage point.

I know linearity can be a tough sell for many when it comes to landscape and garden design. I love a meandering path and a lush bramble as much as the next person, but it’s hard to beat a strong line when it comes to leading your eye out to the greater landscape.

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At Home with Third Nature Studio

randi — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:00:24 +0000

The small apartment that I share with my daughter and hubby was recently featured in the San Francisco Examiner. Stephanie Stillman, a fellow landscape designer, has been writing a series of At Home articles exploring how designers and artists arrange their home spaces. We were honored to be included, and it was a refreshing challenge to try and put my design philosophy into words and relate it to interior spaces.

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Liebermann Tree House in Marin

randi — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 17:57:52 +0000

This is the California that lived in my imagination before I moved here. A Radial (and radical), tree house complex tucked away in the redwoods, built by a serious architect but feeling like a daydream. Daniel J. Liebermann designed and built the house in 1958 for his family. The New York Times recently featured the house in their On Location section, describing the recent purchase and remodel of this amazing place, where the new owners had the magnificent luck of working with the original architect on their renovations. Now they just need some of my help with that slope and patio!

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A Sunny Patio in the Vineyard

randi — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:08:50 +0000

While construction continues at the main residence of Templeton Ridge Winery and Burbank Vineyards, the plantings at the agricultural manager’s residence have established themselves nicely. This portion of the project was meant to be a modest yet homey residential garden to echo the style of the larger main residence. The sunny concrete patio is anchored by a large oak and is surrounded by drought tolerant grasses and lavender. The simplicity of the space compliments rather than competes with the rolling hills and vineyards beyond.

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Manka’s Inverness Lodge

randi — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:39:50 +0000

I just returned from a beautiful wedding reception at Manka’s Inverness Lodge on Tomales Bay. The reception was at the Boat House, a beautiful, weathered building on the water with a long pier and amazing views of the bay and surrounding hills. I’m a big fan of Manka’s, having had our own wedding dinner in the old lodge before it burned down. I was really impressed with the simple plantings and furnishings on the boat house deck: Mexican Feathergrass, Juncus and Miscanthus were a lovely counterpoint to the grey weathered wood and chartreuse lichen that covered the exterior walls.

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Marin Mid Century Modern

randi — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:06:48 +0000

I’ve just started working on another great mid century modern ranch project. It’s located in San Rafael, just a few blocks from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Marin Center. The backyard features an existing pool set at an angle, and I’m proposing adding a long clean concrete planter wall parallel to the pool edge, simplifying and solidifying the plant palette, and screening the mismatched fences along each property line.

For much of the year its a hot, sunny spot, so we’re cutting back on the amount of lawn, and adding a long shade awning to the back of the house over a new deck.

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