Hudson Valley Getaway

The owners of this 1930s stone cottage wanted to complete their weekend house with a swimming pool and solve the erosion on their steeply sloped four-acre site.

RBLA carved out a plinth for the pool with a clear plan to engage with the house. A twelve-foot retaining wall holds one side of the lawn and on the other, a set of chiseled stone steps fit snugly into the bank and lead to the field above. Dynamic grading, an infrastructure of French drains, rain gardens, and a porous stone underlayer to the lawn creates house-to-pool connections and resolves the flow of stormwater.

A palette of specimen trees, native and ornamental grasses, perennials, and shrubs—including bouteloua, pennisetum, tiarella, veronica, eutrochium, and aesculus parviflora—provide stunning sensory appeal. Handsome metal railings, locust fencing, copper planters and lanterns and an outdoor shower complete the experience of this beloved place.

At Home FC, A-List Award Finalist, Landscape: Greater than 1 Acre,  2020
ASLA New York, Residential Landscape Architecture Design, Honor Award, 2018
New York Cottages and Gardens, Innovation in Design Award, Garden Design, 2017