Mysterious yet inviting, introspective but a place for gathering. Contrasting materials and feelings abound in this Berkeley Hills garden, filling the space with intrigue.

We titled this project Lo-fi because like the musical genre, it is rough around the edges. The existing site was set high up off the street with an oddly shaped brick retaining wall and stamped concrete. We couldn’t touch these because they were holding up the house, the clients were at a loss. Their loss was our motivation to begin with what they had and contrast those rough edges that couldn’t be removed with clean lines and dramatic materials. Black steel was introduced as the modus operandi to create a tall planter edge topped with lush native hedge planting. White flowers and black steel for the drama and redwood trellises for warmth.

Built by Golden Heights Remodeling, Photography by Anya Kamenskaya