Hilltop Inspires Landscape Design

By Gregory Harris, LASN

The homeowners wanted places for entertaining, a pool and spa and a television and bar area for their backyard. The design called for only adding plants to the planter pots. The plant pallet includes purple pinwheel, New Zealand flax dazzler, and red gardenia.

“Borrowed scenery” is a traditional East Asian design motif of incorporating the surrounding landscape into the composition of a garden. The Japanese called it “shakkei”; the Chinese refer to it as “jiejing.” Whatever you choose to call it, this practical and logical design philosophy was employed on an Orange County, Calif. single-family home landscape project sited at the base of a large hill. The homeowners had recently purchased their house with a 3,840 square foot backyard that was a blank canvas. They wanted a backyard space that was comfortable and capable of serving as an entertaining space. To achieve this goal, the homeowners hired Vladimir Berzunza of V3 Studio Berzunza to design the space.

“Once we walked outside, I saw a beautiful hilltop and I thought we had to incorporate it into the project,” Berzunza said. “We didn’t want to interrupt the view. We saw a great opportunity to integrate the back hill, and because of the elevation of the lot this would create an illusion that the backyard extends up to the hilltop”.

The swimming pool is 40 by 13 feet on the narrows and 16 feet at the widest point, with pool depth ranging from three and a half feet to six feet. The 8 by 8 foot spa is a 3-side zero edge with a ledgestone veneer.

Design Concept
Berzunza said his clients were open to the design of the space but had a list of requirements for the space.

“They wanted an open space, places for entertaining, a pool and spa and a television and bar area,” he said, noting that the style and shape of a pool would be determined later.

Berzunza said the design for this space took advantage of the views and slopes on the hill. The hill is not part of the homeowners’ property so the design had to be incorporated into an existing landscape.

“The plantings that we used (in the backyard) had to blend in with the hilltop,” he said. “The layers of plantings selected matched the colors present on the hilltop. At the property line wall the planting over time will blend in with the scenery and create a magical outdoor living space for family and friends to enjoy. ”

The different materials, textures and finishes (ledgestone, travertine tile and poured-in-place concrete cap sand finish) make the pool water feature very dynamic.

Materials Selection
When choosing the hardscape materials, Berzunza said cost and aesthetics played dual roles.

“The pavers are interlocking pavers and they were selected because we did not want to compete against nature,” he said. “We have a neutral surface that is budget friendly.”

The property line wall and swimming pool are composed of color concrete banding with the colors selected to compliment the pavers. “This is a natural stone that came in 6-foot x 24-foot panels that were very easy to install and cost effective,” Berzunza said of the swimming pool and wall features. “It took roughly one day for the crews to install this product.”

As a result of the hill’s proximity to the house, a retaining wall had to be installed. Berzunza said he was able to gain two to three feet to the size of the backyard with the construction of the retaining wall.

“On the side closer to the barbecue we were able to open up the space for the covered area and space was opened up by the pool area, which allowed for the spa installation,” he said.

Berzunza noted the homeowners wanted an infinity edge pool. The added space acquired after the retaining wall installation made room for the pool.

“The project turned out very well and the homeowners really enjoy this space,” Berzunza said. “It’s amazing to be out there at sunset, there is a beautiful glow in the space.”