Details

The master plan pulls the landscape out of chaos, the plantings define the spaces and their moods. Details personalize the design. Sometimes the details are focal points: perhaps an enormous and beautifully glazed pot. Sometimes they are subtle: a change in materials adding texture to a landing. Sometimes they are practical: a large piece of weathered granite set as a landing at the base of a flight of stairs, where lawn would be quickly worn away by passing feet. At their best, details can be all of these – graceful iron railings designed to reflect the individuality of a site that also help one navigate a flight of stairs. A birdhouse might underscore the quaintness of a cottage-style garden, or in another form express the quirkiness of the owner’s sense of humor, and also provide habitat for our avian summer visitors.