A hillside residence was reimagined as a sanctuary where contemporary living and native California ecosystems interweave, restoring both environmental health and human connection to place. The design honors existing oak woodland while introducing native grasses and drought-tolerant plantings that bring seasonal rhythms into daily awareness.
Naturalistic planting zones flow around architectural forms, softening built edges while establishing habitat corridors. Native plant communities create resilient, low-water gardens that shift through the seasons with golden grasses catching afternoon light, spring wildflowers drawing pollinators, and winter seed heads providing food and visual interest. Concrete steps and terraces become thresholds between interior and exterior, inviting pause and observation.
This landscape demonstrates how ecological restoration deepens our sense of home. Morning coffee means watching songbirds forage in native plantings. Evening walks reveal grasses moving with wind, oaks framing distant views, and light shifting across the hillside. Each encounter builds awareness of California’s regional character and your place within it, proving that supporting local ecosystems and nurturing human well-being are deeply intertwined.
This project was carried out in collaboration with Lutsko Associates.
