In 2016, Seattle landscape architect Brooks Kolb had the opportunity to design a large garden on a beautiful, 5-acre wooded property in Redmond, Washington.  Out in the woodland surrounding the house, Brooks came upon an old satellite dish.  Long disused, it reminded him of an ancient technological artifact similar to the mysterious ones that often appeared in the science-fiction TV series, “Lost.”  Admiring its umbrella-like form, Brooks suggested turning it into a gazebo, and to his delight, his client agreed.  Together, they decided to relocate it to an upland site above the approach drive, which they quickly dubbed “Gazebo Hill.”  To turn the dish into a gazebo, it was necessary to invert it and then for it to ‘grow legs,’ which became narrow, round steel posts.  To provide rain protection, they covered the steel mesh between the ribs of the umbrella top with translucent polycarbonate panels.  When finished, the gazebo assumed the form of a flying saucer recently landed in Redmond, another vignette that would not have been out of place in a “Lost” episode.  There you have it, a garden “folly” with a modern twist!

The satellite dish as first “discovered”

The finished gazebo