Clemens & Associates
Santa Fe

Clemens & Associates Inc. has been designing, installing and maintaining some of Santa Fe?EUR??,,????'???s most elegant gardens for 35 years. Jess Clemens, principal, was a partner in a design-build barn-to-home renovation company in Charlottesville, Va., where he also learned the art of stonemasonry. Mark Licht, the senior landscape architect, has been an integral part of the firm?EUR??,,????'???s design work and project management for over 20 years. The addition of fellow principal and landscape architect Catherine Clemens has allowed the firm to grow into a full service landscape design and installation firm. Kristin Erchinger leads the maintenance division, and is the resident horticultural expert.

Negative Edge Drama, Santa Fe

The Santa Fe residence is nestled into the hillside of the rocky foothills, and overlooks the city and the mesas beyond. The house takes full advantage of the spectacular view, while retaining most of the native vegetation. The guiding architectural principal is a single radius point from which most of the lines of the house emanate. The lines are clean and contemporary and yet the materials are soft and elegant. The landscape takes advantage of the gentle curves and wide-angle perspectives of the architecture. The lines of the hardscape echo the curves established by the house. Naturally sculpted sandstone boulders are the transition from the built environment. The terrace becomes fan shaped, expanding outward like the view.

A Collector?EUR??,,????'???s Garden, Santa Fe

The client?EUR??,,????'???s art collecting was integrated into the landscape design. Curved walls are the underlying theme, originating in the parking court with a stonewall that ascends along its length. Rich, earthy-red stucco walls cradle a dramatic bronze sculpture at the entry and a playful corrugated tin fountain at the front door. Jewel-toned, teal blue and celadon green offset walls float within the sculpture garden. A stone banco hugs the front wall and connects to the back wall. A steel ?EUR??,,????'??fin sculpture?EUR??,,????'?? winds through a stand of locally collected stone stele. Plate metal, a quarter-inch thick, was rolled into shape and powder coated three shades of silver as a textural contrast. A stone banco snakes through the columns of the pergola. The pergola incorporated the clients?EUR??,,????'??? carved Moroccan columns. Local flagstone (moss and river rock) and metal finish materials contrast with the vibrant stucco colors. Mexican porphyry and beach pebbles provide texture and graphic accents.

An Indonesian Style Retreat, Tesuque, New Mexico

The owners requested a wooden hot tub, a solid shade structure, paved areas for seating and a water feature. The Indonesian-style pavilion appears to float over the water?EUR??,,????'???s edge. The Jarrah wood hot tub is reached via square stepping stones suspended over the water on pedestals, and by stacked stone slabs. The back stucco wall of the pavilion is a deep carnelian color. A coral-bark maple planted behind the tub matches the stucco color.

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