Taking cues from Japanese gardens, landscape architecture company Surface Design has created a series of planted terraces for a renovated home in San Francisco .
San Francisco-based Surface Layout designed the landscaping scheme for the Butterfly Residence, a multi-storey, mid-century residence that was redesigned in 2013 by nearby firm John Maniscalco Architecture.
The outside spaces are composed of horizontal planes. They function elements this kind of as light, water and fire, as well as traditional planting.
These were intended to provide the homeowners with “a serene respite from the city, extending domestic daily life beyond the walls of the property and into the landscape,” explained the designers.
At ground degree, folding glass doors generate a transition amongst the residing space and courtyard.
A cantilevered, covered walkway lines 1 side of the courtyard, with ferns and Japanese anemone flowers peeking out from underneath.
Suspended from the walkway’s ceiling is a sculpture composed of delicate metal cranes affixed to thin ropes. The designers collaborated with a nearby foundry to fabricate the cast-aluminium bird figures, while a skylight bathes the installation in natural light.
“A hidden fountain in the deck over envelopes the cranes in a mist of fog at the flip of a switch,” said the designers. “Light, mist and shadows reflect the aspects of the cranes, allowing them to dance on the walls of the courtyard.”
The walkway faces a compact backyard defined by elongated stone pavers and a variety of foliage. A fireplace created of poured-in-spot concrete anchors the area and serves as a space for socialising.
“The hearth itself is an abstract composition of pristine white concrete and the rippling surface of a black basalt fountain wall that slides behind the flame of the linear fire pit,” the designers stated.
At night, a band of recessed lighting illuminates the courtyard, “highlighting the floating architectural edges and washing the sunken plantings with light”.
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Stairs in the courtyard lead to a catwalk overlooking the courtyard. In this linear room, cedar benches sit on recessed tracks and can be reconfigured as needed. The area also includes a backyard with herbs, fruits and veggies.
“Pots of citrus trees full this urban backyard, as the owners harvest lemons, limes and blood oranges in the winter, and sit amongst the citrus blossoms in the spring,” mentioned the designers.
The project integrated the addition of a rooftop deck, exactly where customized steel planters at the base of glass railings are filled with succulents. It features wooden decking, a fire pit and wicker furnishings.
The deck offers expansive city views, with the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz visible in the distance.
Tucked into a sloped, urban site, the mid-century-contemporary house completed by John Maniscalco Architecture in 2013 encompasses 462 square metres and rises four storeys.
The home is located on a sloped internet site in the city’s Russian Hill neighbourhood and its street-dealing with facade features wood, glass and stone.
Photography is by Marion Brenner.
Task credits:
Landscape architect: Surface Layout
Architect of the home: John Maniscalco
Landscape contractor: Siteworks Landscape
Collaborator: Blue Barn Arts (crane sculpture)
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