THREE SWOON-WORTHY HOME GARDENS TO INSPIRE YOU!
EUROPEAN-STYLE ENTERTAINING
AN ELEGANT OASIS IN THE MIDDLE OF BUCKHEAD.
A French-inspired estate on Habersham Road is high on a ridgeline, overlooking lush landscaping. Passersby would never know it’s a new build by the looks of it, thanks to the architecture of Pak Heydt & Associates and clever landscape architecture by John Howard of Howard Design Studio.
“The clients wanted a resort-type feel in the back, so that was the driving force,” says Howard. Working with that directive and in tandem with the sophistication of the house, Howard created an oasis. Done on a symmetrical axial layout, the hardscape begins with a series of French doors that open onto a tidy terrace the homeowners use for entertaining. Next in line is an oversized spa that signals the beginning of the pool area. Details such as cascading steps and built-in benches make the pool functional yet understated. At the deep end of the pool is the poolhouse, designed to complement the main structure as an outdoor command center. In front of it, aligned with the spa opposite, is a fire pit. “We designed the fire element so that it could be a fire pit in the off-season, but in the summer months, there is a custom cushion made for it to become a sunning platform,” he says.
Vibrant and full of classic whites and greens, the greenery includes formal hedges, topiaries, vines and trees. A parterre garden serves as a transitional space off the side of the home that leads to the motor court. Romantic Boston ivy and climbing hydrangeas wrap the pavilion leading to the garden, where boxwoods and an arch featuring Madison jasmine steal the show. Two lines of wax leaf Ligustrum trees enclose the pool area and create the feeling of an outdoor room. It’s a crisp and high-contrast modern take on established concepts, proving that European influence can marry with a resort-like feel without sacrificing natural beauty.
HOWARD DESIGN STUDIO
404.876.7051
howarddesignstudio.com
@howarddesignstudio
AN ENCHANTING FOREST
A UNIQUE BROOKHAVEN ABODE AND GARDEN.
Fieldstone homes are not often seen in Atlanta. “I think only two or three exist in the entire city,” says Jack Huber, owner of one such home built with natural stones in Brookhaven. Like something out of an English fairy tale, the house was something he and his wife couldn’t pass up when it was shown to them in the late ’60s.
The home was built in 1935. “It was badly overgrown,” says Huber, explaining that there wasn’t someone to care for it properly. While the front yard had been designed by celebrated landscape architect and Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Edith Henderson, the back was mostly wild. “There was a stable and a few plants scattered around, but nothing planned,” he says. Huber and his wife, then in their 20s, decided to buy the house and become stewards of the land, which clocks in at over an acre.
Over the decades, the home’s outdoor area has undergone a transformation Henderson would be proud of. The couple built on what Henderson started and became avid landscape gardeners in the process. Using a few ideas from legendary master gardener Ryan Gainey, they kept most of the existing footprint save for a patio space on the side of the house that they turned into a screened porch, one of Huber’s favorite areas on the property.
Working with the land, Huber carved out a naturalistic, freeform and organic-feeling backyard with soft, flowing lines and plenty of circular pea gravel pathways. It nods to Asian cultures, particularly through moss edging, stone elements, koi ponds and Asia-native plants such as bamboo and Japanese maples. Fountains and sculptures by Andrew Crawford, well-known for his work at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, bring a sense of tranquility to the area. While the stable is long gone, a functional garden house stands, with a stone facade made to match the main house.
“We kept developing, adding and embellishing,” Huber says. In 2000, they were invited to feature their home on the Atlanta Botanical Garden tour and did so for the following three years. Some of Henderson’s legacy still grows on the property, such as monkey puzzle trees and Japanese maples. While the couple is selling, Huber has no regrets about passing over the property that he devoted so many decades to. “This house created a lifestyle of activity for us,” he says.
CATHY BOSTON, HOME LUXURY REAL ESTATE
404.383.4663
homegeorgia.com
@cathybostonrealtor
RADIANT RIVER LIVING
AN ESTATE CREATIVELY USES ITS PROXIMITY TO THE TENNESSEE RIVER.
Landscape architect Stephen W. Hackney began work in 2021 on a beautiful renovation in Knoxville on the banks of the Tennessee River. He partnered with Atlanta-based architect Stan Dixon of D. Stanley Dixon Architects and interior designer Beth Webb of Beth Webb Interiors. Hackney, who has offices in Knoxville and Buckhead, had to start mostly from scratch, reimagining the property for his client’s lifestyle and giving it the polish it deserved.
One big hurdle was the Tennessee River. While the body of water made for sweeping vistas, it had inherently tricky topographic conditions that needed to be considered, such as setbacks and height restrictions. “We transformed these constraints into opportunities,” Hackney says. For example, he used the grade of the land to define outdoor rooms perfect for entertaining. “We also made the landscape subordinate to the river when necessary and juxtaposed when appropriate,” he says.
The property has a mix of traditional English and transitional elements, exuding what he refers to as a “casual elegance.” Hackney always starts his plans with a strong foundation of evergreens “so that the landscape is strong 365 days a year,” he says. Then he layered with seasonal hints of white, broad and fine planting textures, along with glossy and matte leaf, as evidenced by the property’s sweetbay magnolias, boxwoods, hydrangeas, roses, ferns, lamb’s ear and mondo grass, to name a few. Hardscape materials followed the same layered and textural philosophy with stone and flatwork materials like Indiana limestone, Pennsylvania bluestone and tumbled granite.
The project won an Institute of Classical Art & Architecture 2024 Philip Trammell Shutze Award, presented in Atlanta, for estate landscape design. The project also changed his life. “It turned out to be extraordinary,” Hackney says. “The client became my wife.” He and his new bride Patricia Bible moved into the home in 2022. It’s been what Hackney calls a uniquely gratifying experience to see the project evolve. “Often, landscape architects only experience their design projects occasionally or hear how they function. Seeing this project lived in and loved has brought an entirely new perspective to my professional practice,” he says.
STEPHEN W. HACKNEY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
404.905.8583
stephenwhackney.com
@stephen_w_hackney
