Landscape Plans // Part 2

On Wednesday, I shared the landscape plans for our front yard. Today, I thought I'd give you a little peek at what we are working on out back. 

I'm pretty excited about this design plan because if all goes well, we will end up with a fireside seating area just to the west of our pool deck by summertime. We began excavating the area right after we moved into the house, thinning the waist high geraniums and thorny shrubs that grew beneath the worlds biggest ficus tree- like ever. Progress continued on into this past Fall with tree and stump removal, which then lead to recent weeks when we finally scaled down 5 inches of dirt in this area. Bringing the foundation down allowed us to work from a space aligned with our pool deck and eliminate water run-off hassles we have dealt with since moving in.

That obstacle aside, we're still working with some specific challenges that call for creative design- particularly because the yard slopes upward to the north and that grade was not formally tiered off it is in other areas backyard. The plan is to repurpose bit of the excavated dirt and create stepped planters along the fence, which will bring plantings level, while compensating for the grade. We'll use pressure treated wood planks to encase tall, golden hued Phormium, chosen because it will play off the dark slate fence and become a sharp backdrop for the rest of the space.

We're replanting a couple of sculptural trees on each end and will lay in some decomposed granite against a wash of grass brought right up to the pool deck for interest and color. Of course, here is also where we will place a large cement fire bowl surrounded by comfy seating. Pie in the sky will be an overstuffed sectional- either purchased or made (volunteers?)

Here's what I'm imagining:

But we still have a lot of work ahead of us. This is what it looks like in it's present state - partially prepped, but lots of dirt still to move out of there. The area looks teeny tiny from this angle, but there is another 3-4 ft beyond the dirt mound that we will be working with.

I threw a "free dirt" listing up on Craigslist and surprisingly, we've had a few takers. Who knew fill dirt was such a hot commodity?

Weather permitting this weekend, maybe we'll have an opportunity to make a little headway on this project. Two months and counting...

Light My Fire

When I was a kid, my Father built a brick fire pit out in the backyard. I recall it being a big curiosity to me, but in the end, we did not put it to a lot of use. The Mister's family also had a fire pit built in their backyard and it was one of the first things I noticed when he took me home to meet his family so long ago. I always knew we'd build some fire of our own when we finally had the digs for it and after the past two summers spent burning DuraFlame logs out by the pool in our mini, mesh-enclosed, metal fireplace, we finally have a solid plan for a fireside seating area out back. 

Just in time for summer too.

But it took a lot of thought, research and contractor quotes to get to our desired state. The first thing we did was to consider all of the different elements we were shooting for with our fire-scape plans. They really could have gone several ways. 

Just as I did yesterday with the landscape plans out front, I thought I'd end the week tomorrow by giving you a peek at what we are working towards in the backyard. Summer is certainly heating up to be pretty sweet indeed.

intro | whitewashed | hidden | social | focal point | casual 

exotic | playful | sculptural | entertaining

Landscape Plans // Part I

Landscaping plans for the house are finally coming together and today, I thought I'd share a bit about the direction we're taking with our planting scheme.

I previously posted about the decorative wood screen we recently installed out in front of our house. This was the final obstacle standing between us and a fully landscaped yard. Now that it's in, planting can finally commence! We've spent the better part of two years planning out the types of plants we'd want to use, taking notes and pictures while driving neighborhoods, staying at hotels and dining at restaurants where we noticed designs we'd want to incorporate (do you do this too?). We decided long ago that we'd want to use a modern mix of Desert and Mediterranean varities and set out to design a plan that incorporated many of our favorites.

We'll anchor the front garden bed with some edgier desert favorites- natives of Mexico and The Canary Islands. Also used will be a variety of Ocotillo, a tall, thorny plant spotted and loved during one of our earliest trips to Palm Springs.  We're planning to place that just in front of the wood screen to draw visual interest upward toward our address plaque. Another variety you don't see here, but probably know more commonly is the giant Blue Agave (Agave Americana) that we plan to spotlight as well.

Then, we'll fill in around these plants with others seen more typically in Mediterranean styled gardens- free flowing golden grasses, the silver foliage of lavender and blue hues of fescue and flax lilies. We'll also draw on the deep pinks of a succulent called Echeveria 'Afterglow', a trend continued into the back garden as well.

Our plan above is still a little fluid at the moment and may ultimately be impacted by budget (isn't everything?). It also looks like a lot of plants - and it is. But the bed itself is almost 40 feet long in it's entirety, which will give us lots of room to work in. When all is said and done, it will be finished off with some spotlighting and some decomposed granite- a finish that will look polished from the street and will be easily raked during Fall when the Maple trees lining our block discard their leaves.

I'll share more about backyard garden plans in Part II. 

Springing into the Weekend + Some Things That Caught My Attention

nikki.jane

What a week it has been. As we head into the first weekend of Spring (yippee!), I thought I'd give a shout out to a few things that recently caught my attention. 

Design on the Fly | The 6-Week, One Room Challenge hosted by Linda of Calling it Home wrapped up this week and all participants showcased their final reveals. There were of course some pretty amazing results from all those talented gals. But I have to say, Linda's new foyer really just blew me away. What a transformation. Light, bright and contemporary. I love all the thought she put into each re-purposed piece that she placed in that space. 

Mirrored Masterpiece | Speaking of reveals, how cool was Albertina's painted mirror? I love that she got inspiration from something she saw in the background of an image she posted and made her own version happen. Just so cool. 

3 Minute Fiction | For weeks, I've been listening to the submissions for NPR's 3-Minute Fiction writer's contest. This year's theme had all writing from the perspective of a voicemail message. The winner was just revealed and though I had some other favorites, that entry probably resonates with an emotion many of us have felt at some point. In true NPR fashion, you can also click on a link to listen to the story as read on All Things Considered.

Give Up Shampoo? | Sarah's post has me thinking it I might try. My sister, the hairstylist, might have a few thoughts of her own for me though.

Wearstler Inspired DIY | I had a reveal of my own this week! If you missed it, pop on back to see how I married up my love of all things stone, gold and cactus in a Kelly Wearstler inspired piece of pottery.

Happy {Spring} Weekend!