Notes from designer and Landscape Manager – Matt Ripley

Late in 2022 we were approached with another opportunity to design and build a beautiful landscape in Healdsburg’s Dry Creek Valley and embarked on a fabulous collaboration with the new owners of this modest sized home with potential for a grand outdoor space.  The new owners, our clients, understood this potential of the property and after finishing renovations on the interior of the house, invited us to design and build the outdoor space they dreamed of when they bought the property.  The landscapes were non-existent and we had a completely blank canvas to work with, yet were guided by planting selections that were inspired by a previous home the clients had rented in the Napa Valley that emphasized a Tuscan aesthetic of Olives, Lavender, and Ornamental grasses.

Entertainment and lounging outdoors were the main focus on this design as the clients moved to Healdsburg to enjoy the warm climate and ability to spend time outdoors year round. They presented a list of elements they desired within the space including a bocce court, croquet lawn, outdoor dining space with overhead lighting, a pool with adjacent patio, and various seating areas throughout the landscape to allow them to enjoy the vineyard vistas and sunset views off the back end of the property.

With limited width to the parcel we creatively wove together the elements and placed the pool close to the house and utilized large scale contemporary pavers positioned parallel to the longer side-fenclines to draw your eyes out toward the back landscapes and vineyards accentuating the space and reducing the confines of the narrow lot.  Close-set multi-blend flagstone pathways link the pool patio to the crushed rock dining area by the accessory studio-barn conversion with rolling doors which can open up onto the patio as an extension to the indoor studio space.  Above the crushed rock patio we utilized corten steel posts and bistro lighting strung to the roofline of the barn to frame the space and allow night time activities.

After crossing a small creek with a wooden bridge you enter an oddly shaped trapezoidal space which backs up to the Dry Creek Valley vineyards. We worked with the angles to place the bocce court and lawn parallel to the creek bed and then created a medium sized decomposed granite seating patio framed by mature olives.  Directly adjacent we placed a large lawn for the clients to play one of their favorite games, Croquet, and accented the borders with a CA native and Tuscan plant palette to invite butterflies and pollinators to join the party and accenting the bordering vineyards with their blooms.

This project was a wonderful example of collaboration between our design team and the clients where we were able to blend our own design aesthetic with the must-have items listed by the client.  The result is a stunning use of space and elegant combination of elements that are sure to host many wonderful gatherings of family and friends who can lounge, play games, and bask in the glory of Healdsburg’s Dry Creek Valley while being visited by butterflies and hummingbirds dancing between blooms surrounding the hardscapes.

See Below for Before and After Photos!