Christiane Holmquist Landscape Design

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Dynamic Family Garden in La Jolla

November 28, 2013 By Christiane Holmquist

Shade Sails give this garden an airy, dynamic feelThis “outdoor home” has it all: Outdoor living areas; complete privacy and lush plantings.

The backyard was redesigned as intimate “outdoor home” with several usable spaces, inviting privacy, color and and interesting textures. Its muted tones, the weathered-looking hardscape materials and a colorful xeriscape design give this garden a beautiful matured feeling.

GOY_2013_winner

 

The garden achieved a 2013 “Gardens of the Year” award bestowed by San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles magazine. (Read “On Key”, by Eva Ditler; with photos by Martin Mann).


Before the remodel the existing garden was not very inviting.

(Before)

The existing backyard landscape design had an impractical layout: A planter bed chopped up the main patio, and the oversized pool deck left no room for plants that would give this garden life and interest.

 

 


This lounging area is especially inviting because of the fountain next to it.

The goal of the landscape renovation was the creation of several distinct use areas, in style and design harmonizing with the textures and colors of the contemporary California home; plants would be colorful, unfussy and low in their water needs.

 

 


Many beautiful hardscape materials add interest to the design

This project was a great opportunity to balance the hardscape materials with the plant-scape while applying a modern design palette to the overall composition, always pursuing the idea of weathering and maturity.

 

 

 

 

 


Pool and spa were modernized with a more efficient plumbing and a luminous glass tile.

The pool and spa look like a modern lagoon, adding to the feeling of peace and tranquility.

 

 

 

 

 

 


A hammock in a quiet corner invites to take a break under the canopy of a tree.

Besides being a fun retreat, this hammock allows viewing the garden from a different angle.

 

 

 

 

 

 


A double layer of pale green sails provides cool shade to a new dining and lounging area.

A double layer of pale green sails provides cool shade to a new dining and lounging area.
The layout and blend of the materials harmonize well with the tones and architecture of the residence:  Matte  concrete, rusted planters, mottled copper, faded wood and living bamboo.

 

 

 

 


The old cluttered garden was turned in a dynamic and sunny space, organized for entertainment, relaxation and play.

The old cluttered garden was turned in a sunny, dynamic yet restful ‘outdoor home’, organized to allow for entertainment, relaxation and play.
Despite the many built elements such as pavement, steel edging, naturally rusted planters and light troughs, the hardscapes do not overwhelm the garden.

 

 

 

 


Plants in dark colors give a dreamy feeling to the garden

The original overgrown tropical plants were replaced with subtropical low maintenance plants, in the owner’s preferred color palette of chartreuse, black-purple, and pink or yellow/orange: Dark Forest Pansy Redbud and “Ti Ruby” Cordyline; magenta Rock Purslane and golden Kangaroo Paw; also pink Echeveria to which Carex Evergold and Aechmea blanchetiana provide the yellow and orange contrast.
These are mostly drought resistant plants that provide a long-lived, elegant plant scheme whose interest is kept alive through their colorful foliage that will keep its strong presence in the garden throughout the seasons.

 


A landscape lighting idea was to add gas lights in steel troughs.

One of the landscape lighting ideas was to fill steel troughs with lava rock and place them strategically within the garden to act as beacons in the night and to prolong the outdoor entertainment after nightfall.

 

 

 

 

 


A rusted steel fountain is one of the highlights of the new patio.

The steel fountain is a serene visual and audible treat.

 

 

 

 

 

 


la-jolla-landscape-design-backyard-before

Halfway through the installation, the construction of an over-sized home in the neighbor’s yard was a big concern.

 

 

 


A Black Timor bamboo hedge acts as screen successfully hiding the neighbor''s home.

We resolved the challenge with a Black Timor Bamboo hedge that creates an intimate space and helps re-direct the eye inwards to vivid plantings and a synergy of all materials employed. It’s exciting to see how the black Bamboo stems echo the dark pavement in a wonderful contrast to the surrounding green foliage.This San Diego Landscape design is a joy to live in.

Filed Under: Landscape Design Projects Tagged With: backyard landscape design, drought resistant landscaping, landscape designer San Diego, Shade sails, Sustainable landscape design

Out Of The Sun and Into The Shade: Design Innovations For Comfort In The Shade

November 26, 2013 By Christiane Holmquist

Pergola for shade

While searching for a solution for an uncomfortably hot and tricky situation at one of my projects, I felt that sharing my considerations might be helpful for other homeowners:  We all love the idea of extending the hours spent outside in the garden, away from the hot sun, and there are multiple options available, depending on taste, needs and budget!

Here’s a description of the issue that prompted my research:   At this residence, the owners have a pool whose design creates a difficult-to-shade lounge/dining area on the pool deck:  A few steps up from the pool deck, tucked in a corner behind the spa, the lounging area had probably been originally a sun deck, but later the new owners wished to have a dining area here, and a gazebo was added to shelter the diners.  Today, with modern style calling for bigger furniture, the homeowner noticed that the placement of the gazebo’s posts limits the usable space under its roof.  What’s worse however, is that in the late afternoon the sun angle makes sitting here uncomfortably hot.

What are the homeowners’ options for a more comfortable dining room here? For those of my readers who know my previous post it comes as no surprise that my first thought was of using shade sails. Their flexible layout and playful character had me fall in love with them, and in certain situations, such as in the garden below, they provide the perfect solution to the shade needs, especially when surrounding structures allow to attach the sails, reducing the required number of posts. [Please see a quick review of some basic facts about shade sails at the end of this post.]

shade sails for shade protection 2

Regrettably, in my present project shade sails were not an option:  For one, its design would have felt a bit “out of sync” with the classic, traditional almost Cape-Cod-feel of the residence. Moreover, attachment to the house isn’t possible as it’s too far away, and the required high tension can’t be achieved with very long cables.  To install a sail would have required poles right next to the spa and the diners, on the pool deck  -  a situation that we all found too awkward.

It would have been too easy… [By the way, an excellent source for do-it-yourselfers of the entire shade sail package, information, and how-to videos, is at Shazeebo in Carlsbad, and at Shazeebo.com. Here the intrepid can find lots of information about how to install these airy objects.]

Another attractive way to provide cool shade for loungers or diners are structures made from wood or aluminum components and covered with durable Sunbrella® fabric. With curtains and retractable roofs “Pavilions provide more than just shade —  they provides the ability to create an outdoor enclosure, protected from the elements.“ Also: These canopies, with their choices of style, color, and foot print can bring an element of elegance to a garden.

shade pavilion

The pavilion above has been placed on extended footings, beautifully decorated by the owner herself, to provide extra head room. With the house color matching the canopy it feels like an extension of the house.  (Cuscini pavilion; custom posts/pillar combination)

What about a wood structure, perhaps with shade fabric mounted underneath, like this one?

wood structure with shade

The lounge room created by this shade structure really looks inviting:  The rolled-up fabric panels can be lowered to cut out the late afternoon sun, or folded aside if needed, and the spacing of the posts accommodates the lounge chairs without hindering people from moving around underneath. A layout like this requires generous garden space which is available here.

The cost for a wood pergola is about $30 – $35/sq ft without shade panels that can be fitted underneath the structure (here the 2nd lattice/cable frame underneath the top lath structure).  Maintaining a wood structure means painting or staining regularly; the fabric panels need to be power washed occasionally.

For our project, we know that a structure like the one above can take different shapes, and although our pool deck doesn’t allow a rectangular structure, a fan-shaped one could fit here. The strongest argument against a fan-shaped pergola is that we’d have a “forest of posts” to carry the necessary spans between them. And this idea doesn’t seem appealing…

For my present project, the next option we considered was a parasol with ‘tiltable’ canopy.  It’s exciting to see how the interest in outdoor living and comfortable shade rooms has pushed the advancement of the “shade technology”, and there are quite a few brands available of single cantilever parasols of sturdy quality and contemporary design.  One of them is Treasure Garden that offer various umbrella types and sizes that can be rotated and tilted in a few pre-set angles and whose sun-rated fabrics can be chosen from 11 different manufacturers. As their website promises: “Having the proper shade elements can lower summertime temperature up to 20 degrees allowing for more enjoyment.” http://collections.treasuregarden.com/prototypes?option_desc=Cantilever

Treasure Garden cantilever umbrella with valence

Bingo!  For our situation, this type of outdoor shade structure looks like it will work: The 13 ft diameter umbrella would comfortably shade our pool deck, and the single post can be in the corner, bolted to the concrete deck. Besides rotating the canopy by 360 degrees, it can be tilted towards the afternoon sun (valences should increase the sun protection).  I feel that this design is classic and elegant and would just work with the residence’s architecture and the materials and design of the pool area. In the next couple of weeks we’ll check out the parasols, and the owners will make a decision.


(This friendly reminder is offered by Jez Stratton of California Sail Shades at www.CaliforniaSailShades.com)

Here’s a repeat of some basics for shade sails:

  • Steel poles can be around $1,200.00 each installed.
  • House connection points are $350.00 each installed
  • 20’x20′ custom shade sail would be $2,600.00 installed.
  • Protection from UV rays (some fabrics offer up to 97 % UV protection);
  • Custom designed to fit the project’s requirements, in triangle, or trapezoid/square shapes (some standard sizes are available);
  • They represent cool landscape ideas that add value to the home and attractiveness to the landscape;
  • They can serve as vertical screen to increase privacy or block out a bad view;
  • They can be designed and installed to withstand high wind ratings.
  • Low maintenance: Yearly washing is recommended (some installers offer this service).

“Maintenance: Pretty much trouble free: They can gather airborne pollution which will dull the color over time. I don’t recommend using a white shade cloth if it’s close to a freeway for example as it will become grey and dingy rather quickly. They are relatively easy to clean using a power washer from below and as the cloth is essentially plastic dirt washes off quite easily.

Fading: The top of the sail will fade over time, again darker colors are more prone to this, but far less than most other outdoor fabrics such as Sunbrella.

Lifespan 10 years +  : When installed properly (i.e. under very high tension to prevent flapping and mechanical wear) they can last 10 years plus in most circumstances and remember the sail itself is generally only 25% of the total cost of installation so replacing it is not too expensive.

UV degradation warranty:  All sails carry a UV degradation warranty. We also insist on using Tenara thread which is made from PTFE (Teflon) which is virtually indestructible by UV. Many other shade sails use a polyester thread which can weaken after a few years due to UV which limits the service life of the sail if the stitching fails!

The late afternoon is always a challenge due to the setting sun and can only be overcome by extending the reach of the sail further west or as you suggested lowering the sail. This often conflicts with a customer’s view which creates issues as well. Finding the right balance is the challenge but remember the shade structure allows you to venture out during the day also. Generally speaking you can reduce the temperatures by 20º during the heat of the day under a shade sail.”

 

Filed Under: Backyard Landscape Design Tagged With: backyard design for shade, lndscape designer san diego, Shade sails, shade structures

Successful Backyard Landscape Collaboration in La Jolla

January 23, 2013 By Christiane Homquist

How a homeowner with an artist’s love of beautiful details and a receptive landscape designer found synergy and fertile ground in the garden for a beautiful backyard landscape collaboration.

Successful Backyard Landscape Collaboration in La Jolla Sitting area by the pool

A couple of years after installation, this garden has matured beautifully.  I cherish the artistic collaboration with my clients; it contributes to very personalized and satisfying designs.  In this project, the teamwork was particularly fruitful, as Melissa F., entrepreneur, artist and singer/song-writer,  contributed an immense flow of creative ideas and suggestions.  The result is a garden that is beautiful and incredibly peaceful.

Melissa calls it her ‘outdoor home’ because it’s all here:  living room, kitchen, sitting room and lounge, and vivid plantings that make all come to life.

The previous backyard landscape design consisted of an uninspiring courtyard that a planter bed set in the middle made user-unfriendly.

Shade sails cool the dining area

Melissa and Todor love to cook and entertain outside.  To blend the outdoor kitchen seamlessly, we used bamboo facing, echoing the indoor flooring and the living bamboo hedge. Now, under the cool shade sails,  the outdoor dining area feels like it has always been there.

Despite of the many built elements the hardscapes do not overpower the garden and plants are allowed to soften all.

For each material selection we explored the idea of “weathering”, inspired by the mottled copper caps on eaves and fence posts and the home’s faded wood siding. The naturally rusted steel used for edging, planting troughs, fountain and gas lights provides that patina; matte concrete and exposed beach pebbles continue the theme.

Organized to allow for entertainment, relaxation and play, the garden creates a dynamic and sunny ‘outdoor home’ where plants add color, life and interest and prevent the built elements from overpowering the garden.

Bamboo hedge compressed

The bamboo hedge is a beautiful response to the construction of an oversized home in the neighbor’s yard that threatened the privacy and intimacy of this garden. The hedge helps focus the eye on the interior and defines the boundary of this backyard. It’s exciting to see how the black Bamboo stems echo the dark pavement in a wonderful contrast to the surrounding green foliage.

Most of the original overgrown “tropical” plants were removed and replaced with low maintenance plants, many of them from the sub-tropics.  This xeriscape landscaping was composed in colors of Melissa’s preferred color palette:

Forest Pansy Redbud, bronze Sedge and golden Kangaroo Paw, purplish Echeveria and in-ground Bromeliad with striking foliage. A few splashes of orange and red add highlights to the picture.

One of the landscape lighting ideas was to use steel “fire” troughs.  They provide light, warmth and entertainment after nightfall.  While their mottled rusty walls continue the theme of weathering, they also tie the different spaces together.

Rusted fire troughs illuminate the garden at night

The steel fountain complements the materials used in the landscape and has a calming effect on all senses.

The fountain is a highlight of the garden

If synergy is  “the ability of a group to outperform even its best individual member”, then this residential landscape design is a beautiful example of how two creative individuals with their own aesthetics found common ground in the garden and created a product that will satisfy its owners for years to come. (Landscape designer San Diego Christiane Holmquist).

Photography:  Patricia Bean Architectural Photography

Filed Under: Drought Resistant Landscape, Gardening tips, Landscape Design, Low Maintenance Plants, Low Water Landscape, Outdoor Kitchen, Shade Structures, Xeriscape designs Tagged With: backyard landscape design, landscape designer San Diego, landscape lighting ideas, low maintenance plants, Outdoor Kitchen, residential landscape design, Shade sails, xeriscape landscaping

Weathered Steel Fountains, Troughs and Shade Sails – how cool can you get?

November 3, 2010 By Christiane Holmquist

As a designer, I don’t meet clients at every project whose taste and dreams I can “read” immediately and who are open to my ideas. For this project I developed a concept of rather unusual materials and layouts, and I was thrilled when the clients received my suggestions with lively interest and reciprocated with creativity and  lots of stimulating ideas of their own.

Rusted steel planters

Controlled-rusted steel troughs maximize planting space in the pool garden

In this relatively small garden, it seemed as though the spaces needed for dining, lounging and just hanging out would leave us with lots of paved areas with no room left for softening and interesting plants. We therefore opted for raised planters as they not only make use of the smallest spaces by “going vertical” but also create dividers and add “weight” to the landscape. Since  in a small landscape they are exposed to close scrutiny, it is important that they be made from a good-looking material. We found that controlled-rusted (or “weathered”) steel would work well with the house’s architecture and the existing copper accents used as end caps on roof beams and fence posts.

Residential application of shade sails

Shade sails protect the dining area from the hot noon sun

Now that weathered steel was introduced in a “cubist” way, we not only used it for the planter troughs, but also for several gas-fired lights and a low-volume fountain, as well as for the edging of lawn, of the raised sitting area and of the pebble-filled French drain around the pool.  And from here the other “hardscape” materials seemed to flow seamlessly:  Glass tiles for the pool; bamboo for the outdoor kitchen cabinets, and synthetic fabric for the shade sails.

Fountain Troughs

Water in the fountain adds sounds and movement

As we went from conceptual design to reality, creative solutions were worked out, from unexpected finger-prints on the weathered steel and the inner workings of the fountain troughs, to the finishes of concrete and stone. With the collaboration of all parties involved and the contractor’s meticulous attention to detail (Schenck Building Company in La Jolla at http://www.schenckbuildingcompany.com  ) this project was well and timely executed.

Filed Under: Landscape Design, Water Features for Gardens and Yards Tagged With: controlled-rusted steel in the landscape, entertainment space in the landscape, french drain around pool, garden design, gas-lights in the garden, landscape design, landscape design expert in San Diego, landscape design with shade sails, landscape lighting, landscaping in San Diego County, low-volume water features in the landscape, naturally rusted steel, outdoor kitchen in the landscape, outdoor kitchen with bamboo facing, pool landscape, raised planters, rusted steel in the landscape, Shade sails, shade structures, steel edging of French drain, steel troughs as planters, sustainable water features, weathered steel in the lands

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Christiane, your design is beautiful. Viewers love the design and color. Thank you so much for all your support while the project was being developed. It would have been more stressful for me had you not held my hand regularly.

Rachel Michel

CHRISTIANE HOLMQUIST LANDSCAPE DESIGN


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