Journal

Process

Choosing stones at Oak Sanctuary

At Oak Sanctuary, large boulders are being selected for their texture, shape, color and history. Around the main house, each has a particular role: a place to pause, a change in direction, an opportunity to sit or a sculptural focal point.

Finding the right stone for each location is central to the design. Its character, orientation and relationship to the surrounding landscape help shape the story of moving through the property.

Photography: John Hreno

Process

The sound of arrival at Spanish Oasis

An existing fountain is being relocated to the front of Spanish Oasis, where it can be appreciated as people come and go. Its sound will carry through the entry court and into the house when the doors are open.

The fountain gives the arrival sequence a sensory presence: water as a welcome and a reminder of the life, peace and comfort associated with an oasis.

Observation

Light and shadow as material

In a desert garden, shade is not an absence but a presence. The shadow of tree branches moving across paving becomes part of the garden's composition. We design with the angle of the sun as carefully as with any plant or stone.

Photography: John Hreno

Observation

The patience of materials

Board-formed concrete carries the grain of its making. Exposure to weather and use can gradually alter its tone and surface, adding to its relationship with the surrounding garden. We choose materials for how they feel now and how they may change with use and weather.

Photography: John Hreno

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Observation

A garden is a clock

Through the year the garden shifts — some plants flower, then seed, then quiet down. Grasses stand golden for a season and are cut back. A garden marks time more honestly than any building. Designing one means accepting that the picture will never hold still.

Photography: John Hreno