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Beyond the Straight and Narrow

Client Brief:
The clients wanted a garden oasis providing a verdant escape from the pressures of urban life with a space for entertaining and dining.

Design Solution:
The design maximizes the use of every square inch of the 17-foot wide lot while creating a picture-perfect view from inside the home and providing continual flow from indoors to outdoors. The garden is divided into two sections to make it seem bigger. The granite patio extends the indoor entertaining area and provides space for outdoor dining and cooking on a natural gas pedestal-style BBQ that doesn’t occupy much space. The rest of the garden is filled with plants and a small lawn, transforming this urban space into a lush and serene garden. The patio’s horizontal strips of cobble inlays and Irish moss inserts visually extend the depth of this narrow lot, while strategically positioned small ornamental trees separate the garden’s two sections and provide privacy from the lane. A mossy, natural stone gurgler is a low-maintenance focal feature, muffling the surrounding city’s noise and attracting myriad birds. Using individually placed cobbles for the water feature’s surround creates a three-dimensional tapestry, concealing the below-grade water-basin and anchoring the gurgler into the patio. Strategically placed landscape lighting highlights the essence of the garden, ensuring after hours enjoyment in all seasons.

Locale: Kitsilano, Vancouver

Garden for a “Thin House”
Garden for a “Thin House”
Garden for a “Thin House”
Garden for a “Thin House”
Garden for a “Thin House”
Garden for a “Thin House”
Garden for a “Thin House”
Garden for a “Thin House”
Garden for a “Thin House”
Garden for a “Thin House”
Garden for a “Thin House”
Garden for a “Thin House”
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