WILL RAK

This design was drawn up for a couple in the greater King County area. Their existing yard was predominantly grass lawn, sitting adjacent to dense native forest to the north and a sweeping view of the Cascades to the south. In addition to preserving the mountain view, they wanted to simultaneously increase privacy from pedestrians on the sidewalk. The Mazzolis preferred a modern style with lots of color, to brighten up the grayness during the winter and contrast with the evergreen of the surrounding forest.

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The new design achieves the following:

• Anchored the design with modern hardscape elements such as a low seat wall with stone veneer and recessed lighting, as well as decorative stonework along the side pathway and front entry

• Raised a large portion of the sloped side yard with a basalt boulder retaining wall, to expand the feeling of the outdoor living space

• Established medium-height hedge plantings along the retaining wall, to increase privacy from the street while also maintaining the view

• Added visual interest with a diverse flower garden between main patio and hedges

• Augmented the view into the native forest with finely-textured Hinoki cypress and bright evergreens like Sundance choisya

• Introduced dynamism into the landscape with a dry river bed flowing down the slope and terminating in a rain garden planted with natives