This project was for a client in Point Loma with a beautiful 3-story (+ Rooftop Deck on the 4th Story) modern style house. Their existing backyard had awkward unaesthetic areas with an uneven concrete ramp on the West side and an unstable old railroad tie stairway in the main backyard area to meet their elevation changes. They had a substantial amount of existing planter block walls that were functioning as both planters and the overall structure of the backyard that they wanted to preserve since it was going to be too expensive to remove & redesign.

The architecture of the house has a nautical look to it and the feel of Point Loma also has a sense of water with it being a peninsula, surrounded by both the bay & the ocean. These ideas somewhat seeded the concept of the new landscape design in an abstract manner.

The new layout included demolishing and redesigning two new stairways to subtly replicate ocean waves. On the West side by the backyard’s main gate entry, there was about an 18” elevation change so (3) steps were designed with arcs (semi-circles) that lightly resemble waves washing up on a shore.

The main stairway in the backyard needed to have (9) steps, about a 4’-6” elevation change, and the design of this new stairwell became the main special feature of the whole project. These new floating steps are with elongated ‘S’ wave-like (2 curves) lines that look very unique and again replicate ocean waves. The greatest aspect of this feature though is the new strip lighting underneath the floating steps which accentuates the lines and makes it a beautifully glowing spectacle.

Other design elements that were incorporated were (10) new large 3’ concrete squares with 4” of ‘Dymondia’ groundcover in between these steppers in the area where the clients love to lay back on their two lounge chairs and unwind at the end of the day watching the sunset. A new 18” high seat wall planter with hedges was also included along with new horizontal fencing using ‘Borneo Mahogany’ wood that wraps around the whole backyard and came out looking exquisite as well.

The new wave stairwell, the main feature of the yard, has new 2’ square steppers extended out from it leading to a 4’ diameter circular pad which is the main focal point of the entire yard. This pad will stage a new stainless steel abstract wave themed sculpture that is currently being created (pictures will be updated after it is installed).

The last new features of the yard include (2) different types of crushed stone (gold & dark gray) within the main area and also more new concrete steppers on the East side. A few plantings include, ‘Electric-Pink’ and ‘Red Sister’ Cordylines, Silver Sheen Pittosporum, ‘Fishhhook’ Senecio and ‘Prostrate’ Rosemary.

This project has been one of my favorites of all time because it captures every aspect of what I love about landscape design which is having elements of avant-garde design, being motif-driven and having a calm and healing vibration.