Landscape Design | Julie Moir Messervy Design Studio

Case Study: Back Yard

How do you take a bare backyard lot and turn it into a living, breathing outdoor room? Jake, a 28-year- old professional who was considering a backyard makeover, came to Home Outside Design looking for help with this very question. He knew he wanted to get more use out of his backyard (left), but he wasn’t sure how to turn the barren space into a distinctive place that felt like part of his home–a three- story apartment house in a dense neighborhood.

Jake told designers at HOD that one of his main goals was to create a place where he could host friends for frequent outdoor gatherings. His design personality questionnaire revealed his preference for landscapes with curving lines, formal layouts, and simple, spare, asymmetrical designs.

Paying close attention to Jake’s aesthetic preferences and practical needs, HOD designers

presented him with two design alternatives for his backyard. In design 1 (near right), a central clearing provides enough terrace space for small gatherings, while at the edges of the property, a hammock and benches—shaded by trees and lattices with climbing plants—allow for quieter, more solitary enjoyment of the outdoors.The periphery of the property in design 2 (far right) is also quiet and shaded, with a flourishing garden, but it features a larger terrace bordered by a lawn, placing a greater emphasis on social activities within the space. Jake

can choose a design—or combine his favorite parts of both.

If Jake’s dilemma feels familiar, HOD can help you as well. Like Jake, you can approach your landscape makeover with two design alternatives for your property in hand—all without breaking the bank.