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Contemporary Craftsman Patio + Fire Bowl - Brookfield, WI

2019 Silver Award – Residential Design
Association of Professional Landscape Designers

2015 Gold Award - Best Specialty Wall Project in Residential Design and Excellence in Hardscape Project of the Year
Wisconsin Masonry Alliance 

2012 Gold Award for Excellence in Residential Landscape Design and Construction
Wisconsin Landscape Contractors Association

A Brookfield, Wisconsin contemporary landscape designed for entertaining and drama, with a dramatic front walk, cast iron fire bowl, radial fieldstone seat wall, and layered plantings.

Located in Brookfield, Wisconsin, this modern interpretation of a craftsman-style home designed by Vetter/Denk Architects inspired the eclectic and contemporary landscape design. Low garden walls matching the house veneer create a sense of enclosure and add bold architectural definition between public and semi-private spaces.

Entering the backyard through the home’s breezeway, the centerpiece of the design is revealed: a 5-foot diameter theatrical fire pit with a split fieldstone radial bench. The 100-year-old cast iron fire pit originally served as a syrup kettle for melting sugar cane and still bears its foundry mark from Georgia.

To bridge the upper and lower terraces, a set of convex and concave limestone steps integrates with patterned bluestone to form a dramatic landing, providing both function and visual impact.

A restrained planting palette of perennials and ornamental grasses, combined with native shrubs and trees, brings refinement and privacy to the property. Additional details include bluestone medallions set in concrete, extensive landscape lighting, and a carefully engineered irrigation system.

Contemporary Craftsman Landscape + Patio - Brookfield, WI

Farmhouse Backyard Landscape - Hawthorn Woods, IL

A Hawthorn Woods, Illinois cottage-style landscape designed for color and family enjoyment, with patterned bluestone and brick patios, pergola, fountain, and long-blooming perennial plantings.

Our clients’ farmhouse-style home is located in Hawthorn Woods, Illinois. They felt local landscape designers were not creative enough for their vision, and discovered our portfolio on Houzz, inviting us to design their gardens. Their goal was lots of color and a cottage-style garden feel. The curving front walk was in great shape, so we kept it intact and designed new plant beds around it. Key changes included removing some declining corner trees and the many evergreens surrounding the foundation.

In the backyard, we had a blank slate as the clients had never installed a patio. We designed a patterned bluestone and brick patio, creating an elegant gathering space. The clients had a pergola kit, so we incorporated it along with a conversation set and fountain to define the patio area.

Surrounding the patio, plant beds feature long-blooming perennials, ornamental grasses, and flowering shrubs, with boxwood providing evergreen color year-round. The overall design balances functionality, color, and a cottage-style charm that complements the farmhouse aesthetic.

Farmhouse Landscape + Patio - Hawthorne Woods, IL

Modern Farmhouse Courtyard - Mequon, WI

2022 Bronze Award Residential Design
Association of Professional Landscape Designers

A Mequon, Wisconsin modern farmhouse landscape designed for phased implementation, with rectilinear patios, a cedar pergola, ornamental grasses, and bluestone courtyard detailing.

Our clients were building a new modern farmhouse in Mequon, Wisconsin, having recently moved from Chicago. With a blank slate for the landscape, we created a master plan that could be implemented in phases, providing flexibility for future budget considerations.

At the entrance, natural stone piers complement the existing fence, while house numbers and lighting guide guests to the home. The design emphasizes rectilinear geometry, using concrete paved areas with beach pebble runnels and natural stone garden walls to frame the front landscaping. A courtyard of full-range bluestone surrounded by beach pebble inlays marks the entry, while rectilinear planting beds with ornamental grasses, long-blooming perennials, boxwoods, and hydrangeas continue the modern theme throughout the front yard.

The backyard patio features areas for dining, lounging, and grilling. A cedar pergola stained nearly black provides a striking focal point, while a linear planting of river birch cuts into the concrete patio to define separate functional zones. Additional birch trees were incorporated in the front yard to echo this theme.

Due to a grade change on the east side of the property, slope planting, outcropping stone, and stone steps were incorporated. A bluestone stepper path connects the patio to steps leading to another backyard area.

On the west side, a separate fire pit patio is paved in full-range natural bluestone, contrasting the concrete elsewhere. Rectangular planting beds and bluestone steppers radiate around the space, with a radial cut natural stone fire pit set into a bluestone cutout, surrounded by beach pebbles. Low-voltage landscape lighting with custom-colored fixtures completes the design, highlighting both plantings and architectural elements.

Modern Farmhouse New Home Landscape - Mequon, WI

Mid-Century Modern Front Yard - East Lansing, MI

This mid‑century ranch in East Lansing received a fresh, modern landscape that echoes the home’s iconic butterfly roof and clean architectural lines. Updated plantings, bold geometric hardscape elements, and subtle lighting work together to create a welcoming, design‑forward entry experience.

This mid‑century ranch in East Lansing, Michigan was ready for a landscape refresh that complemented its distinctive architecture. The home’s butterfly roof became the inspiration for the new angled bed lines, introducing a dynamic geometry that feels true to the era. Ornamental grasses set in beach pebble mulch reinforce the home’s linear aesthetic while adding movement and texture.

To improve circulation, we designed a series of 30‑inch square stone steppers that guide guests to the front walk without passing through the carport. Our client embraced the concept and took it a step further by installing bold concrete circles instead — a playful, modern twist that suits the home perfectly.

The planting design features a mix of long‑blooming perennials and flowering shrubs, providing color and interest throughout the seasons. LED, low‑voltage lighting highlights the two feature trees and illuminates the new stepping‑stone path, enhancing both safety and nighttime curb appeal.

Mid-Century Front Landscape - Racine

2019 Gold Award - Excellence in Residential Landscape Design and Construction
Wisconsin Landscape Contractors Association

2020 Silver Award - Residential Design
Association of Professional Landscape Designers

A Racine, Wisconsin landscape designed for entertaining and family use, with wedge-shaped concrete walk, patio and planting beds that complement the mid-century modern design of this historic John Randal McDonald home.

Historically, the home was the second for McDonald’s family and had suffered from years of neglect. Once the interior was restored by our clients, attention turned to the surrounding landscape. In the front yard, we installed a linear concrete walk with shifting wedge-shaped panels separated by beach pebble runnels, echoing the roofline of the home. Some existing stone steps were reused, and a low Tennessee sandstone retaining wall defines the driveway edge. Autumn moor grass, mixed perennials, and shrubs occupy the wedge-shaped plant beds.

To connect the front yard to the back, a walk-through garden of grasses and long-blooming perennials was created in an overgrown, under-utilized space. A new masonry retaining wall and steps with matching Tennessee stone elevate the garden above the new patio, integrating with an existing wing wall.

The backyard patio was re-graded to correct drainage and create proper pitch. The concrete patio continues the wedge motif of the front walk, with a semi-circle cutout honoring a shallow pond from the original patio. Wedge-shaped planting beds surround the patio, featuring a focal magnolia and a linear grouping of moor flame molinia. Beach pebbles highlight ornamental grasses, while slate chips provide contrast and functional coverage under roof overhangs. Border plantings and subtle landscape lighting complete the design.

The landscape now feels original to the home, reflecting sensitivity to its historical significance, and was completed just under the client’s targeted budget of $50,000.

John Randal McDonald Inspired Landscape - Racine, WI

Grieb Inspired Mid-Century Front Entry Landscape - Mequon, WI

This redesigned landscape for a mid‑century ranch honors the home’s original radial architecture with a new circular front walkway, Zen garden, and planting beds that echo the home’s geometry. Expanded outdoor living spaces, updated hardscapes, cohesive plantings, and subtle lighting bring new life to the property while staying true to its architectural roots.

This mid‑century ranch home in Mequon, originally designed by Donald Grieb, had been expanded with an addition that continued the home’s distinctive radial floor‑plan theme. When the homeowners were ready to update the landscape, they sought a design that would respect the home’s architectural heritage while creating more functional outdoor spaces. Having worked on two other Grieb‑designed homes, we were thrilled to bring our mid‑century landscape expertise to this project.

Our design intuition immediately pointed toward a front walkway that reflected the home’s radial geometry. That instinct was confirmed when the clients shared the original blueprints, which revealed a circular walkway that had never been built. We brought that concept to life with a new curved front walkway, and within its arc, we created a circular Zen garden centered around an existing Japanese maple.

The surrounding planting beds continue the radial theme, expanding outward like ripples on water. The plant palette includes long‑blooming perennials, ornamental grasses, flowering shrubs, and boxwoods, providing structure and year‑round interest.

The goal for the backyard was to create larger, more usable outdoor living spaces. A failing deck and deteriorating porch were replaced with a new concrete patio, supported by dry‑stacked Lannon stone retaining walls. A dramatic set of steps connects the patio to the rest of the yard, reinforcing the home’s architectural rhythm.

A stepping‑stone path links the patio to both the master bedroom and a new fire pit area set within the lawn. Hardscape angles and planting bedlines continue the radial theme, all centered on the home’s large curved living room. Plantings mirror the front palette and include ornamental trees such as Japanese maple, serviceberry, and redbud.

Low‑voltage landscape lighting highlights the architecture and plantings, extending the landscape’s impact into the evening. Lannon stepping stones form an implied path connecting the front and back yards. Around the garage end of the home, simple plantings keep the focus on the architecture.

Existing wood address panels were replaced with low dry‑stacked Lannon stone walls, and new radial planting beds extend from the end of the main wall. Karl Foerster grasses were placed in line with the stone walls to reinforce the linear geometry of the walls. The result is a cohesive, modern landscape that celebrates the home’s mid‑century design while providing functional, beautiful outdoor spaces for contemporary living.

Grieb Inspired Mid-Century Landscape - Mequon, WI

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Best of Houzz 2019

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<div class="rt-pg" style="text-align:center">At Ginkgo Leaf Studio, we believe exceptional landscape design is creating art through nature’s inspiration. This is our passion.</div><div class="rt-pg"></div>

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