Exteriors and Gardens with Unique Plants
This project won the Best Style Award (Facade Category) at the 2020 YKK-AP Exterior Style Awards.
Actually, this is one of the best awards about gardens in Japan!!
This time, we will introduce an exterior and garden with unique plants such as cycad, agave, olive, and pampas grass.
Serene building with a beige color scheme rises up from the ground.
The location with a difference in elevation makes it easy to secure a private space and get a view with a sense of openness without having to build a special blindfold.
Before the construction, the existing retaining wall had a white painted finish that was noticeably dirty.
This time, we repainted it with a Landix coat finish (concrete-like finish).
It is not unusual for us to clean up existing structures in new construction projects.
At the top of the stairs, you will be greeted by a mimosa tree.
The leaves are fine and soft, and the tree has become very popular in recent years.
The yellow flowers bloom in the spring. Looking forward to seeing them!
Then, a curved approach to the entrance and garden.
The tall trees, the main cycad, and the undergrowth other than shrubs were arranged by the client.
The red cordyline shines against the green!
The approach pavement is made of washed concrete and troweled concrete.
The concrete joints are planted with tamarinds.
The path is divided into two parts, one leading to the entrance and the other leading to the garden.
As the approach to the entrance is used every day, we decided to use washed out pavement as the main surface, which has a higher design quality and is less likely to be stained than metal trowel.
From the large windows, trees were placed to provide a nice view from inside.
The large window in the entrance hall has an olive tree for a view.
The square window (in the study room) has a view of a sycamore tree.
After the completion of each room, we had a look at them from inside the room and they were very beautiful.
A cycad tree.
Olive tree.
The spotlight is placed at the foot of the tree.
The whole view of a cycad from above.
The open leaves seem to cheer me up.
This is a view of the whole area from above.
A single lilac (shrub) is planted on the far right of the photo to act as an ice-top to prevent the neighbor's line of sight from escaping.
The gray, beige, and yellow speckled pavers accent and tie the space together.
The paving material used here, which stands out for its individuality, is stone (Goshou Sangyo Rusty).
Lilac.
Continued on to the garden.
It seems like you can do anything you want with a large garden, but it's difficult to plan when you think about maintenance and budget.
If we were to use gravel to keep the budget down, the garden would look bleak, and if we were to cover a large area with natural grass, it would be difficult to manage.
If you use a wooden deck or tile deck, the cost will be frighteningly high.
In this case, we proposed an artificial grass deck and an artificial wood deck, which are easy to maintain and provide a nice green view all year round.
The tile deck continues from the living room and dining room.
You can enjoy the fruits of the lemon and sudachi trees.
(*Tile deck was installed when the main building was built)
This is an artificial wooden deck.
In the background is a hedge of Japanese witch hazel. It will grow from now on and serve as a blindfold between us and the neighboring land.
Flower of the Tokiwa witch hazel. The pink color is lovely.
It's nighttime, and here's the night view.
Warm light spills out from the windows of the building.
Nine lights have been installed property, exterior to the building.
The first thing that greets you when you come home to our house is the nameplate light.
Not only does it look good, but it also provides light for me when I take out the mail from the mailbox below.
And at the end of the stairs, the ginkgo acacia is illuminated.
In the garden, we placed garden lights and spotlights to illuminate the olives.
The floating staircase in front of the entrance has a line of indirect lighting.
A spotlight is placed at the foot of the olive tree.
The shadows of the olive trees are reflected on the high exterior wall, and the shadows shimmer and move.
Garden light with an umbrella.
It gently illuminates plants and your feet.
In the corner of the wood deck, we placed a lovely rectangular-shaped light.
By illuminating the edge of the site, the area becomes more spacious.
The tile deck is brightly illuminated by two downlights in the eaves of the building.
In addition, spotlights are placed in the front, center, and back to create an expanse of space.
The leaves are reflected, and the light and shadows shimmer and sway.
