A Central Coast Vineyard

in

I’ve just begun work on a residence in Templeton, California, just outside of Paso Robles. It’s a project for two wonderful clients, and I am working with Nicole Kelly, an old friend and collaborator. The house is set on a hill with 360 degree views, and the surrounding vineyards are just feet away from the back door. The house and vineyard are new, and the site is scraped clean and ready to be made over. The clients’ dream is to have the house nestled among oaks and meadow, and to look like the functioning farm that it is, while offering luxurious views from the comforting shade of vine draped trellises and patios. Nicole and I are happy to oblige, and thrilled by the possibilities.

Reference Imagery

in

While they are not all earth shattering, I recently discovered a trove of architectural images on the Visites Privées section of the Marie Claire Maison website. It’s a great place to browse, daydream and get some fresh design ideas without shelling out for a stack of imported magazines. Enjoy!

A Visit to the Getty Vila

in ,

I finally made it to the newly reopened Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades. My expectations were very high, having read a number of reviews praising the new entry buildings, cafe, grounds and amphitheater, and I have to admit, I left a little disappointed but also thoroughly entertained. The collections are amazing, after all, but that landscape!

The sheer number of materials used in the expansion was a little overwhelming; beautiful board-formed concrete walls and stairs were next to all manner of paving and wall materials - black, red, cream, grey, granites, asphalts, concretes, oh my. The additions had great bones and gestures, and there were a few lovely outdoor spaces including a new square reflecting pool at the base of the cafe terrace. I suppose its no big surprise to be overwhelmed by all things Getty.

Yay Summertime!

in

I am so ready to enjoy a summer full of weddings, parties and lazing around outside. I saw these recently and thought they seemed far from safe, but I am intrigued. They are apparently biodegradable and often get mistaken for ufo's. There's reason enough right there to get some this summer and have a little party (theskylantern.com).

Small Scale Design in New York Times

in

This funny little article just appeared in the New York Times. It's written from the perspective of the owner of a small garden space, and paired with a slide show featuring the designer describing his perspective. To hear the owner describe his budget, goals, and the selection of the designer in contrast to the designer's approach is enlightening and pretty funny. Believe me, its the designers that seem loopy, not the client. There are certainly a few things I would have done differently if this were my project, regardless, its an interesting peek into the design process on a micro scale.

Designed landscapes in Film

in

The Last Year at Marienbad takes the cake, and since I saw that movie, I've been thinking back to all of the other films I've seen where the landscape is intrinsic to the plot and feel of the film. When I think of the natural landscape as a main player, I think of Days of Heaven, and Badlands, and even Gerry. But, what I'm interested in now, is rediscovering all of the designed landscapes that are major players.  I've been told I need to see The Passenger...

Watching the Grass Grow

in ,

We have a few final tasks to tackle before the work at NE 99th is complete. The contractor has yet to add the Mexican Feather grasses to the front and back planting areas, and there is also the woodwork to seal and minor odds and ends to finish. It is looking great, and the lawn is finally taking off.  It was my hope that the simplicity of the design would complement the giant birch in the back yard, and I'm really happy with the results. I think it will be a beautiful ceremony site, and a wonderfully relaxing space for years to come.

Photography by Hans Christian Schink

in

These photographs are part of a series done by Schink using true solarization, showing the movement of the sun across the sky. I love it that they look like crosses between ancient photos and contemporary drawings or paintings. Otherworldly.

Liberty Street Deck

in

There is no reason that budget, space or even being a renter should prevent anyone from creating a little garden to love.  On this little roof deck in San Francisco's Liberty Hill neighborhood, I worked with the client's existing planters to reestablish a living, vibrant, low maintenance garden. She has since moved, and luckily, was able to take her garden with her. Now off to recycle and re-imagine a space for her once more.

The Schindler House

in ,

I don't think I really understood the potential warmth of minimalism until I went to the Schindler House on King's Road in Los Angeles. The notion that this house and studio will be 100 years old in just 13 years should give all of us a swift kick in the butt to try and come up with something truly contemporary. Its very tempting to be content with such a delicious past.

SFMOMA's New Roof Garden

in , ,

Greg and I visited the recently completed sculpture garden on the roof of San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art today. We had a great afternoon, it was sunny and hot, and we had the best iced coffee ever at the new Blue Bottle Coffee cafe anchoring the space. I enjoyed it, and looked forward to many more afternoons there in the future, though we both had some mixed feelings about the overall project. The highlight for me was the furniture and plant palette: it was truly refreshing to see a break from monoculture planting, and an amazing treat to be able to sit and sip in such an inspiring setting.


All of that aside, this is the essential bit of information:

Blue Bottle's New Orleans Style Iced Coffee

1 pound coarse ground coffee
2 oz. roasted and ground chicory
2.5 liters of cold water
1 fine mesh sieve
2 quarts whole milk
3-4 oz. sugar

Soak the coffee & chicory in the cold water over night at room temperature. The next day strain it through your fine mesh sieve. This should render about a quart of concentrate. Add 2 quarts whole milk and sugar (make a warm slurry with a little of the milk first so the sugar melts well). Ice it.





Inspiration from Japan

in ,

Japan is a place that probably inspired me more than anything else I've ever experienced. The strangest thing is, is that most of the general landscapes and cityscapes that we passed through were nothing too exciting - a little worn down, wires and neon signs everywhere and lots of dingy concrete. However, that mediocrity was absolutely riddled with pockets of sublime beauty, sometimes just a little dish in a windowsill, an angle cut by a tilted wall, or an insanely beautiful temple garden. Just thinking about it makes me hungry for soba...

A Sedona Retreat

in

Another great project in store for Third Nature is a residence on Brewer Road in Sedona, Arizona. As many of you know, Sedona is a funny little town (unicorn paintings, anyone?) set in the gorgeous high desert of Arizona, surrounded by spectacular rock formations.

The residence is great: part log cabin, part ranch. Think Twin Peaks meets Gunsmoke. The client is an interior designer with a big imagination, and together I think we can come up with something really funky and wonderful. The house is a vacation rental as well as a retreat for the owner, so we are going to strive to do something low maintenance, high design, affordable, and of course with low water needs and local materials so the landscape is in tune with its amazing environment.

There is no shortage of inspiration in the surrounding landscape (well, maybe not so much with that dolphin fountain)... While I was there everything from the roadside souvenir shops, to 700 year old ruined cities, to Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West seemed like they could inform the direction we decide to go. I will keep you posted as we begin the process!

ASLA Award Winners Announced

in

The American Society of Landscape Architects has announced its 2009 ASLA Award winners. Categories include General Design, Residential Design, Analysis and Planning, Communications and Research. I thought the Preview Park for the Orange County Great Park project was an interesting mix of airfield graphics and landscape design, and of course, I am looking forward to checking out the rest of the winning California projects as soon as possible. Congrats to all!

Shrink your city

in

What to do with a deteriorating city? As the New York Times reports, you can speed its decline, and selectively demolish and reconcentrate inhabitants to smaller, denser neighborhoods with reformed centers, and return outlying lands to pasture and forest. Not a bad idea, and the good news is, Flint, Michigan is going to try and do this without the use of imminent domain. Rome grew and shrank, and maybe we can all learn a lesson and get creative with the design and reorganization of our cities as times force us to economize.

A little Simplicity

in

The lucky few that have what they need these days, are just that, a lucky few. Everyone is struggling, in big and small ways, and I think its time to remember that living simply, without waste and without apathy can be a true joy.

From time to time, it can seem that working on a garden can be the most frivolous thing in the world. What I've come to realize is that it can also be the most rewarding: whether its building new raised beds, planting a specimen tree, transforming a little bit of pavement into something permeable, or turning an uncared for space into something loved and used.

I'll never stop daydreaming about grand designs and sweeping gestures, and I'm not going to lie, for all their ostentation, chateau gardens take my breath away. But that's not why I got into this field. I think I did it because I love to try to make something out of nothing, to be creative, to work with a whole crazy bunch of constraints, and if

Den Norske Opera

in

I still have yet to see it in person, but my dad took these images of the new Norsk Opera in Oslo for me. This part of Oslo is part wonderful, part dreary, part crazy condo explosion, and I think the Opera House has started to tip the scale back towards the wonderful. There is an ongoing competition for a Munch Museum next door, so perhaps the dreary part of that equation will go away all together.