The owners of this Mid-Century Modern home in Ann Arbor, Michigan were ready to enhance the front landscape after preserving much of the architecture of the home. They reached out to us because of our expertise with Mid-Century landscapes and our familiarity with the midwest plant palette. The entire design process was done virtually.
Our clients wanted to remove the original front walk that led out to the street. This meant the new design would incorporate a long walk from the drive to the front door. A Zen gravel garden with specimen boulders, and an Eastern Redbud tree welcomes visitors upon their arrival. Drawing from the architecture of the home, we designed a series of overlapping rectangular concrete panels to form the front walk, and punctuated them with wedge-shaped landings on either end. The angles of the landings help inform the angular shapes of the planting beds and invites visitors to move and pause throughout the area. A new deck at the front door offers a sitting area, while a line of ornamental grasses help frame the entry-way. Slate chip mulch was incorporated under the large roof overhangs and with low-voltage landscape lighting completing the design.
Designed by James Drzewiecki, CPLD and Hannah Paulson, landscape designer