once upon an oak

(finished photos soonish)

designing within a well loved place is a special honor.

this montclair fairytale cottage gem had been lovingly cared for by its previous owner and had a grandmother coast live oak cathedralling over its entire south yard, spanning the back, side and front. now, as a new young family takes the reigns, they layer cozy amenities with a hindi flare into the property’s existing fairytale lushness.

multiple arborist consults later, we were sanctioned to bring a little heat to this shady zone—a new hot tub (curtsey of the indomitable sullivan waterworks), outdoor kitchen, replete with tandoor and pizza oven—with shower and studio in the works (by the spirited + savvy patrick florenti).

layered plantings screen the hot tub from the beloved neighborhood walking route, bringing a street-friendly face alongside family privacy, while maximizing southern exposure. (tall but not too tall. screened but with welcoming secret garden peek-a-boos.) new plantings are entirely within the oak’s dripline (save the street strip) and yet we wanted to stay in keeping with the existing cottage garden feel—how to mix summer dry with blooms galore? native oak-cottagecore plant palette was born! spring will be ablaze with california lilac (ceanothus ‘ray hartman’ and ‘snow flurry’), pacific coast iris (iris douglasiana), giant coral bells (heuchera maxima), flowering currant (ribes sanguineum ‘spring showers’), california rose (rosa californica), and more. reynaldo’s and his brothers muscled those 24”-boxes like no other. deep respect, and only a hair of green-eyes for your mighty brawn.