Landscape Architects' Eco-Friendly Cottage Renovation in Virginia Wine Country

When two landscape architecture students marry and buy a 1940s cottage in Charlottesville, the result is an eco-friendly renovation and garden that reads like a masterclass in site-sensitive design. The property sits alo

Colorful Desert Patio Packs Maximum Living into Minimum Space

In Tucson, Arizona, a vivacious couple approaching retirement wanted their backyard to become a true outdoor living room—complete with pool, dining area, outdoor kitchen, fire feature, nap bench, and sunning spot. The ch

Zen Gardens: Cultivating Serenity in Your Outdoor Space

Considered the epitome of minimalist design, Japanese Zen gardens originated in medieval Japan to aid Zen Buddhists in deep meditation. Carefully raked gravel represents flowing water; strategically placed rocks symboliz

5 Curve-Defying Homes That Embrace the Landscape

Curves are rare in residential architecture—expensive, complex, and demanding ample land. Yet a handful of remarkable homes on Houzz prove that bending the straight line can yield extraordinary results. Each example here

Create Cozy Outdoor Nests Using Nature's Own Materials

Theres something deeply satisfying about carving out a nest-like sanctuary in your yard using the very elements nature provides. The textures, sounds, and scents of foliage, flowers, and branches can transform any outdoo

Hillside Cabin Studios Blend Art and Nature in Mill Valley

When an active couple sought to expand their living space at their picturesque Mill Valley home, they chose to embrace the stunning natural setting rather than simply add on. The solution? Two small, thoughtfully designe

Old-School Green Design: Art Imitates Plants

I love designs where the site and environment are considered and fully integrated into home design and decoration. Natures designs are beautiful, and when our homes connect to our environments design, space seems to live

Old-School Design: Frame Your Garden View

When designing gardens and outdoor spaces, consider the frames you create with trees, perennials, and garden structures. Careful frame placement directs views to maximize your spaces best features. It can be as easy as p

Old School Green Design: Add Texture With Grass

Grasses work as hedges, focal plants, textural elements in walkways, or beautiful contrasts to existing structures. Host of grasses to choose from — perennial and annual, purple to pink to white to green. When designing

Old‑School Green Design: Preserve Existing Trees

Careless construction often strips sites of trees and topsoil, leaving new homeowners with shadeless yards and poor planting soil. Fortunately, many architects and builders now honor existing trees, integrating them into

Higher Ground: 6 Spectacular Landscapes

Weve toured stunning landscapes at Houzz over the years — from a Greek island garden to a bocce court overlooking the Pacific, from a small Hollywood Hills front yard to a grand Berkshires estate. All wow with special re

Steeply Beautiful Slope Retention

Slope retention is critical for many homes — protecting your structure or preventing mud from overwhelming your landscape. While slope retention evokes sandbags and cement walls, there are strikingly lovely ways to encou

Landscape Tour: Two Acres of Rural Maine Hillside

When two retired teachers built their dream home, their property was basically two acres of mown grass. They loved the pastoral Maine landscape and werent interested in mowing two acres weekly. So they called landscape a

Dry Riverbeds: Beautiful Solutions for Water Runoff

With spring here, you may wonder how to manage runoff from snow or rain hitting saturated soils. Unexpected or mismanaged water isnt just inconvenient — in some areas its dangerous. In my native Los Angeles, too much wat

Spring Fling: Atlanta Botanical Garden in Full Glory

This week I braved record pollen to enjoy spring flowers at my favorite place — The Atlanta Botanical Garden. Daffodils and tulips popped early, as did dogwoods, azaleas, hyacinths, hellebores, redbuds, and some viburnum

Landscapes Make a Privacy Statement

There are gardens with full-frontal exposure, and gardens like fortresses. Neither extreme satisfies those who live, work, and play there. In Landscaping for Privacy (Timber Press, 2011), Seattle design and horticulture

Lay of the Landscape: Traditional Garden Style

Traditional landscaping gets a bad rap in design circles — not daring, doesnt push envelopes, seen everywhere. But well-done traditional gardens have much going for them: instantly appealing, work with any house style, e

Steal This Landscape View: Borrowed Scenery Techniques

Most homeowners want more land. If you cant purchase or maintain more, the next best thing: steal a view. If blessed with beautiful surroundings — a neighbors garden, mountain range, or ocean peek — play it for all its

Smart Landscaping Slices Energy Bills

Effective landscaping produces environmental benefits across all LEED green building categories: water efficiency, indoor air quality, materials, atmosphere, sustainability, and energy. For simple, beautiful strategies t

Cream-of-the-Crop Vegetable Gardens: Potager Design Ideas

Did you know pottage is a thick soup? Makes sense — original potagers (vegetable gardens) provided manor kitchens with ingredients for thick soup. Medieval monks elevated the humble veggie garden to art. Here are garden