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If you are looking to create a unique outdoor space at your private estate, we’d love to talk with you.
Hacienda represents how strong design and execution can create an experience within a small space. When our clients first contacted us, they had an idea of what features they liked, but were lost on how to tie everything together. Through our conversations, we arrived at the fact that although they desired an entry that looked beautiful, the feel of the space was equally as important.
The home rests at the bottom of a steep slope with soaring live oaks. The front door itself had the tendency to get lost visually among the various trees, textures and patterns. More importantly, there was no sense of transition between the driveway and the home itself.
As we progressed through our design process, we knew creating a sense of place and a transitional space were at the heart of our decisions.
Using leftover tile and stone from the construction of the house, we provided a sense of continuity into the new work. While the overall style and materials were consistent with Mission-style architecture, the home displayed contemporary windows, doors and pergola structures. To complement these features, we designed the entry using contemporary shapes and textures while maintaining the traditional Hacienda materials. The oversized concrete urns used throughout the project are a terrific example of blending the traditional and contemporary design elements while providing structure to the entry.
In addition, we designed and installed a renovation for the existing outdoor lighting. Upon seeing the rear fountain courtyard we knew we had to nail the lighting in order to do the space justice. Instead of simply lighting the inside we wanted to get the details on the outside to “pop” as well. We used a warm light temperature inside the main basin to create an inviting glow. In the upper bowl we used a cooler color to help create some contrast. Asymmetrical lighting creates drama and shows the carving details on the exterior. Miniature fixtures around the perimeter of the courtyard provided moonlighting through the center.
In the front entry we created a background by bathing Hacienda’s walls in warm light, excluding the garage. This forces a visitor to nearly ignore the garage itself, changing the perception of the home at night. The water feature, palms, and urns were all accent lighted in various ways. We installed various downlight fixtures throughout the tall oak trees on the property. This moonlight effect helped provide security lighting to the parking areas as well as playful shadows throughout the property.
If you are looking to create a unique outdoor space at your private estate, we’d love to talk with you.