Family Home and Retreat

When the owners bought the existing house, they loved the interior, but the generic surrounding landscape called for personalization and an adjustment in scale. The flag shaped lot, now anchored by new gates, permits a long vista down the entire drive. The entry circle, marked by Natchez Crepe Myrtles, converges at the stone walls that greet visitors on arrival. To complement a new screened porch on the side of the house, part of the original drive was relocated, and an overgrown hedge was removed to create an intimate walled kitchen garden complete with a grill. The porch looks out to this garden and is now flooded with natural light. Seasonal plantings, jasmine, and gardenia make this a fragrant place. The paving was refreshed and new outdoor lighting added. At the rear, a second screened-in porch looks out to the pool garden and specimen dogwoods, which were successfully rescued from other parts of the property. The swimming pool was existing but features new coping and meandering plank pavers to unite it with the house terraces.