In 2017, Modern Zen Garden, Inc. from Valley Center, California, was approached for a dream project in which a couple residing in the beach town of Dana Point gave them free reign to design their home's exterior, while complementing the work done on the home itself by the architect and builders. The clients wanted a unique, Japanese-inspired garden to go home to, areas to enjoy the beautiful ocean view, and a dedicated area for a flower and vegetable garden. The family entrusted the firm to create an artistic and functional exterior, with several water features and painstakingly hand-chiseled stonework.

With over 10,000 square feet to play with, separate but unified sections were designed that would all flow together when family and guests made rounds around the garden, all while acknowledging the beautiful striations of the rammed earth design of the house featuring local stones and plants.

Using local stones and plants was one solution to bringing a bit of Japanese Zen to the U.S., without compromising beauty. The firm was tasked with adapting Japanese-inspired gardens with local lifestyle, architecture, and climate. In this case, Southern California's dry climate and alkaline soil conditions limit the use of many acidic-soil-loving plant varieties that are traditionally used in Japan. Part of the solution involved using a boulder that the designer, Kohei Owatari, who is always keeping an eye out for interesting, natural objects for art, found at a local farm in Southern California. Owatari strongly believes that adaptability is paramount to preserving the art of Japanese garden design. Part of adapting is incorporating current and future technologies as well. There may also be new design trends and installation methods being developed that can also be used for Japanese gardens.

Other challenges include researching and following landscape codes and restrictions from local municipalities and homeowners' associations and collaborating with the architect and builders. Altogether, the project took about a year to complete after the design phase, which lasted from December 2017 to January 2021.

The hardscaping for this project started with the front entryway. From the moment guests step off the street towards this Dana Point residence, they are welcomed by three "floating" random-cut granite pavers that lead up to the wooden gate and courtyard. The clean, perpendicular lines of the granite offer a nice contrast with the more organic look of the rammed earth wall and planting area. To add vertical interest, a hand-chiseled stone wall was installed next to the wooden gate, which features warm-colored stone to add further contrast to the design. Additionally, black beach pebbles and roof tiles separate the hardscaping from the planting areas.

 

Modern Zen Gardens added history to the space with the inclusion of a 400-year-old circular millstone to the left of the entryway. On the right side is an enormous boulder (the same one mentioned earlier) highlighted with recessed lights on top of a pedestal of black quartz.

Going past the wooden gate leads to a courtyard that continues the random-cut, sesame granite pavers. A stainless-steel rain chain fountain that produces soothing water sounds, creates fluid motion in the courtyard. A floating boulder and hand-chiseled stone wall adds unique, eye-catching effects to the courtyard.

Hand-chiseled stone paths and steps made of flat-top boulders connect to the rest of the garden. Each stone was cut and chiseled to fit each other both functionally and aesthetically, which requires attention to color and shape.

The semi-open, outdoor basement brings back the motif of warm-colored stone that was used in the front entryway, but this time with a full stone wall. The stones are hand-chiseled and tightly fit together to show off the beauty of the stones' texture, color, and depth.

In another area, the team created an outside art display, in which they designed and installed two sculptures made of antique stone and Corten steel. In one piece, the curved pieces of the Corten metal sandwich a similarly curved stone. In the other, the team utilized two asymmetrically sized and shaped stones to play with both positive and negative space in a vertical Corten steel ring.

The portion of the exterior that overlooks the Pacific Ocean contains two functional seating areas with fire pits so the homeowners can enjoy the view in cooler weather or in the evenings. In one seating area, a water wall adds soothing noise to the environment. The fire pit itself is carved into a natural boulder. In the other seating area, a different fire pit was made of black quartz, playing with clean geometry and asymmetry to create a twisted look.

Corten steel makes another appearance in the homeowners' requested vegetable garden. Space dedicated to the garden was limited, so the firm designed the beds to maximize space, including a stepped garden section. The raised beds make tending to the garden much easier and add visual interest and contrast to the rest of the garden.

In another area of the garden, an old, traditional Japanese stone lantern was added right in front of the large, rammed earth wall. Modern Zen Gardens believes this is one of the largest Japanese stone lanterns in the entire U.S. at approximately 10 feet in height. Next to it is a water basin which also serves as a fountain. Both the lantern and basin add Japanese elements and culture to the garden. In addition to the imported stone lantern, smaller, custom-designed stone lanterns were installed throughout the garden, which help light the garden at night, bringing focus to different plants and elements that you may not notice during the day.

The team was inspired by marine life found around the world and the beach city vibes of Dana Point, so they designed and installed a beach pebble mosaic on the outside of the pool surrounding the jacuzzi in the spa area. The greyscale mosaic depicts a humpback whale mother and her baby.

"Designing for this Dana Point residence was such a pleasure. We were allowed to create a diverse range of walking, viewing, and functional areas, all linked together by our signature use of water and stone motifs," Owatari said. "We enjoyed the opportunity to create more sculptural pieces to incorporate in the design as well. Modern Zen Garden looks forward to similar projects in the future."