To the casual observer, the tiny Wynnewood yard didn’t look like much—a woebegone expanse of weeds and overgrown shrubs set on a corner lacking privacy. Still, the homeowners looked at the dreary lot with unbridled optimism. They saw it as a blank canvas for their private oasis where they could garden in sunshine, dine by starlight and entertain from the blooming of the first spring daffodil until the last leaf falls in autumn. Storage would be nice, too.
“There’s nothing these clients love more than entertaining. This landscape is extra special at night, when most people have more free time to enjoy themselves.”
—Terren Landscapes’ Cara Santoleri
To translate their wish list into reality, the owners turned to Terren Landscapes of Conshohocken. Designer Cara Santoleri came up with a plan to transform an eyesore into a visual delight, with a cozy seating area around a firepit, and a dining table that seats 12 guests beneath a pergola. In furnishing the outdoor rooms, Santoleri collaborated with Amy Barrickman of Barrickman Design Group, who’d already transformed the interior of the home. “There’s nothing these clients love more than entertaining,” Santoleri says. “This landscape is extra special at night, when most people have more free time to enjoy themselves.”
Visitors enter through a wooden garden gate. A lattice-topped fence, painted black, creates the vibe of a private courtyard. With its cupola and weathervane, the custom shed is reminiscent of a cottage and provides the owners with a place to stow garden tools and furniture cushions.
Despite the yard’s small size, it’s highly functional. There’s a log rack to store wood for the firepit. A brick pizza oven is tucked into a corner.
With its cupola and weathervane, the custom shed is reminiscent of a cottage and provides the owners with a place to stow garden tools and furniture cushions.
Visitors enter through a wooden garden gate. A lattice-topped fence creates the vibe of a private courtyard.
The perimeter is vibrant with beds of flowers and grasses—river birches, airy grasses, catmint, Russian sage, gaillardia.
The foundation of the design is an expansive patio of manufactured concrete pavers in a hexagon motif, laid without mortar to allow drainage and prevent cracking during the winter months. An added benefit: No mowing required.
Terren Landscapes
900 Matsonford Road, Conshohocken, (610) 284-4400, terrenlandscapes.com
Barrickman Design Group
Ardmore, (484) 416-0025, barrickmanddesign.com
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