Our team transformed this once neglected lakefront cottage into a one-of-a-kind sanctuary to be used as a year-round residence. These creative homeowners were craving an outdoor living space that felt naturalistic while still offering the comforts of an upscale retreat. In response, we designed and curated a fully integrated living space including expansive cedar decking with built-in hot tub that appears suspended over the steep meadow-inspired pollinator garden below. Bluestone steps create a sturdy, non-slip walk down and native grasses and drought tolerant perennials offer screening and a natural buffer to activity on the water; delivering color and textural interest for this unique outdoor retreat all year long.

A grand wooden gate introduces the series of arrival sequences to be taken in along the private drive to the main ranch grounds.
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Dakin has been working with the owners of this site realize their dream of cultivating a rich and meaningful landscape around their home. Because of their deep engagement with their land and garden, the landscape has guided the entire design process, from architecture to civil engineering to landscape design. All architecture on site is oriented toward the garden, a park-like, multi-use environment that includes a walking labyrinth, restored prairie, a Japanese garden, an orchard, vegetable beds, berry brambles, a croquet lawn and a charred wood outdoor shower. Dakin pays special attention to materials at every turn, selecting an antique sugar bowl for the outdoor fire pit, antique Japanese roof tiles to create blue edging, and stepping stones imported from India. In addition to its diversity of garden types, this permacultural paradise is home to chickens, ducks, and bees. A complex irrigation system was designed to draw alternately from wells and cisterns. Dakin has also had the privilege of creating an arboretum of diverse and rare trees that she based on Olmsted’s design for Central Park. Trees were selected to display a variety of seasonally shifting delights: spring blooms, fall berries, winter branch structure. Mature trees onsite were preserved and sometimes moved to new locations.

We built this beautiful fence to replace the previous, but now rotted away fence line, to keep in Ziggy the poodle pup. As always, we used screws and pressure treated framing and posts.

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Dramatic LED landscape lighting. Photographer: Greg Thomas, http://optphotography.com/

Photo by Andrew Giammarco.
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Landscape by Kim Rooney
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South facing terrace.
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The instructions were clear, make it cozy and comforting. Incorporate natural materials, don't hurt the environment, use lots of native plants, create shade, attract bees, butterflies and humming birds. BELandscape design, created a backyard that is an escape for this hard working couple. Scroll to the 'Before' photos to fully appreciate this backyard transformation.

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artistic pavers, with synthetic turf in the between pavers. Ipe wall to cover and hide A/C Unit.
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