Designed for art-loving clients with young children, this landscape in Seattle’s Windermere neighborhood features a broad lawn overlooking Lake Washington and the Cascade Mountains, surrounded by colorful perennial borders.  After demolishing a covered swimming pool, the site was filled several feet, minimizing the number of steps down from the main floor to the garden level.  A custom, linear fire feature graces a bluestone terrace outside the living room, overlooking the lawn.  To the right of the fire feature, a custom children’s play area was installed over an artificial-turf safety zone.  To the left, the roof of the pool equipment room was re-purposed as an outdoor dining terrace and a sculpture garden featuring three totem poles by acclaimed Seattle artist, Steve Jensen.

In the front, a new auto-court of pre-cast permeable pavers was installed, and a curving bluestone walk leads through a circular lawn to the front door.  Care was taken to preserve several towering conifers and a number of large rhododendrons were moved to flank the new driveway.  Low, shade-tolerant plantings border the lawn, welcoming the owners and visitors alike.

Photos by Ben Benschneider and Brooks Kolb