Here, a sloping side-yard that sent runoff under the house was terraced into usable entertainment spaces. Borrowed park views of White Rock Lake add a sense of spaciousness to a seating area centered around a hearth and clean modern cistern fountain.
A walled courtyard screens this lawn from the runners and bikers around White Rock Lake, while leaving the panoramic views from the house open. Quiet gravel walks and simple plant material complement the Frank Welch-designed house. A small pool looks much bigger because it is designed with a forced perspective–tapering from 12 feet wide by the house to 10.5 feet in the distance, working an amazing trick on the eye.
This house and landscape are designed to take advantage of the natural beauty of Bluffview, as well as utilize the topography of the site. A deteriorating, outdated lagoon pool was removed to make way for a new architectural pool and cabana that draw you out into the landscape. The strong architectural lines of the Bernbaum Magadini house are softened by liberal use of waving grasses, flowering shrubs and vines.
Large slabs of Native Texas stone are softened with un-mown zoysia grass as they create an informal entry area that connects the driveway to the main entrance to the house. Also at the front entrance is the presence of a fountain and fish pond, with an ipe wood deck. Native and adaptive plants create a wildlife sanctuary in the city and frames the view to the entrance. In the southwest corner of the home, a rain catchment system comes off of the garage to irrigate the owners vegetable garden.
A Contemporary Spanish / Mediterranean eclectic home in the Park Cities area of Dallas had a very basic front yard, and only grass and some mature Magnolias and a Pecan in the backyard from the previous home. We added a new front entry at the sidewalk, using the brick and cast stone from the house for replication, and expanded the plantings to include more texture and color. In the back yard a medium sized dipping pool, using Ann Sacks glass tiles and dark plaster, with a raised wall and scuppers makes a focal point to the existing outdoor living areas.
This landscape was designed by Patrick L. Boyd, Senior Design Associate with David Rolston Landscape Architects