Dune Hai draws influence from artifacts, heritage, fashion and culture with an inherent responsibility to sustainable practices.

WOU-KI & FRANKENTHALER

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Abstract expressionism is the studio equivalent of unexplained natural phenomenons: splashes of color, the gesture of the human body and the primal making of paintings.. Color on the canvas with seemingly no control but with highly sophisticated color palettes, immersive compositions and play with negative space. This energy of the abstract expressionists like Zao Wou-Ki with his almost three-dimensional color stories and Helen Frankenthaler’s restraint among the chaos of her large scale abstract paintings. This style of painting that we argue represents ‘nature’ in its most wild form, in turn influences our way of planting design. The swaths of color running through themselves and arrangement in a painting can be mimicked in a space using companion plants that contrast and blend to create unique graphic planting designs.

Artwork: Helen Frankenthaler's 'Flood' in 'Abstract Climates' 1967

Pope Valley

CONTEMPORARY ORNAMENTATION

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Ornamentation is a collection of symbols, icons and forms. All art, design and landscapes are products of the society and culture that produced them. Putting a historical perspective on contemporary landscape allows us to honor multiple heritages and traditions. Ornamentation in a contemporary application is still about telling a story or alluding to principles just as it has historically served as allegory in ancient edifices and art. In its contemporary application, we believe ornamentation is best when bold and simple. To Dune Hai, ornamentation is super important to telling the story of a garden or space even when done in its contemporary fashion: strong yet restrained. We like to employ the tool of ornamentation to honor or serve a garden’s narrative or purpose. To us, this combination of bold and simple ornamentation is best when representing simplicity and a language of regional connectivity through natural materials.

Photo Credit: Serpentine block photographed by Caitlin Atkinson

Serpentine

Burle in Eagle Rock

LAND ART

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A deep and still evolving artistic movement studied through Western artists like Robert Smithson, Christo and Jean Claude, Andy Goldsworthy, and Maya Lin. The movement hopscotches in and out of landscape architecture and garden design. Where function ends and where art begins is the fine line that landscape architects play in every project. So here, we will define the qualities often associated with land art in its essence that Dune Hai sees as the most ripe to introduce into spaces for people. 1) Awe 2) Site-specificity 3) Celebration of ephemerality/seasonality 4) Unexpected juxtaposition 5) Documentation.

Andy Goldsworthy Storm King Wall, 1997–98

Serpentine

MUGHAL MINIATURES

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Rich in context, depth of culture, symbolism in the garden abound.

Artwork: Krishna and the Gopas (Cow Herders) Enter the Forest, Possibly by Kota Master A from Mughal Miniatures by J.M Rogers

Landscape in Relief

Lo-Fi

THE GARDEN STEP

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An extremely underrated feature…the garden step. This humble element is an important portal between previously untraversable spaces. We like to envision the stairway, this portal, as an experience in and of itself. In a Dune Hai garden it’s about cultivating a dreamy daze of walking up or down a set of wooden risers to a whole new planted world.

Landscape in Relief, photographed by Caitlin Atkinson

Garden Mythos

MULCH

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Any gardener can tell you, It's not a revolutionary idea to argue in favor of mulch. The garden benefits are many and undisputed, soil health, bug health, plant health, weed protection, moisture retention… the list goes on. We are trying to bring this wonderful material into the spotlight as a design tool and use less materials that tread heavily on the earth. We like how mulch is soft underfoot, decomposes and can be replenished easily, is lightweight both physically and in its impact on the environment.

Turkey Road (growing in)

Landscape in Relief

MARIGOLDS

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A symbol, a healer, a culturally intense plant specimen to transport the mind and soul across time, region and the afterlife. It is in this fall season, the Cempasuchil aka the Marigold aka Gande ka Phool has it's last blooms in areas with cool winters and hard frosts. There is so much to be said about the cultural significance of this plant. A native Aztec cultivar of medicinal and religious significance with an origin story describing true love gets named "Mary's gold" by Christian colonialists. It is brought to South Asia during the Colombian Exchange to replace another Tagetes species as the plant of choice for festivals, marriages and religious ceremonies. A solid seasonal outro is given to the flowers as people of Mexican heritage celebrate Dia de los Muertos and their ofrendas are adorned to honor those in the afterlife. It seems that across time, history and region, everyone who has looked at this flower has seen something powerful. To us, this richness is somehow physical and can be felt when we plant this plant in gardens. It is a portal that connects the garden to all of these emotions, memories and futures.

Marigolds at Landscape in Relief, Photographed by Caitlin Atkinson

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SUMMER SENSATIONS

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Garden sensations occupy our thoughts this and every summer: the sun hot on your skin, juicy fruits and the deep scents of perfumed plants waft in every breeze. It is no secret that it is during this luscious time, the garden truly communicates. We are building gardens to heighten this experience as it so desperately occurs in our native environments. Building the sensorial experience is a careful meditation on lifestyle enhanced through design: Water trickling to mark a sense of arrival, or the smell of a chamomile groundcover crushed under your sandals as you walk out to sit in the sun or the rows of berries to welcome you home after a long day. Delving into a summer relationship with your garden will turn a summer into a lifelong connection.

Artwork: Garden Gathering, Iran (1640–50)

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Dune Hai draws influence from artifacts, heritage, fashion and culture with an inherent responsibility to sustainable practices.

Learn more about our design process, or reach out to work with us.