This client’s property was unique. With a private lake right in their backyard and the backbone of a landscape in place, the client hoped to create a classic English estate. Some of the important requirements made by our client included a new, inviting courtyard and front entrance, intimate gathering places for the owners to enjoy the many views of the private lake, and spaces that would also allow them to entertain with larger gatherings. The design team accomplished this by including a stone cobble courtyard with garden walls to frame the front of the house, a series of gathering areas and terraces immediately accessible to the house, and a fire pit sitting area adjacent to the lake – tied together with the other gathering areas through the use of natural stone and grass pathways. The installation of plant material of significant size and shape help to frame the house and lend a more intimate feeling to the newly created spaces.

The owner asked that the project not take place during the lake season, which required the landscape team to begin construction in late summer and continue working well into winter. As the winter season encroached, it was imperative that the larger boulders that help support the fire pit patio be installed before the ice came in and access was shut down.

The thoughtful selection of hardscape materials – introducing the Old Carolina Brick from the house to the courtyard and sitting walls; tumbled limestone pavers for the motor court; reclaimed metro pavers; patterned limestone flagstone and steps for the terraces; and the use of heirloom shrubs and perennials – tie all areas of the property together to achieve the look of an English estate from a bygone era.