Situated in the foothills of the upper Sonoran Desert, the Ocotillo Drive garden remodel in Paradise Valley, Arizona (pop. 14,558) transformed a shallow backyard into a refined modern garden with ample room for entertaining. This new contemporary garden creates a direct connection to the house and the desert vistas.

This fantastic home site appears to be in an isolated home, but it is on the south edge of a small open-space knoll, with houses beyond it on the next street. It appears the desert runs uninterrupted from the home to the mountains beyond, but this is an illusion.

Just outside the home's living room is the upper limestone terrace, showcasing a fireplace, and contemporary furniture by Paolo Lenti.

The original backyard was a lost opportunity, when contrasted with the fabulous virgin desert visible just beyond the existing patio. The garden was divided onto two levels. The upper level was raised four feet to step up to the hillside. The stairs and boulders made a formidable barrier between levels. The need for a garden remodel was motivated by the owners' purchase of two large, ultra-contemporary sculptures. The pieces had to be placed in storage, as the backyard did not have the display space. Even had ground space been available, the owners knew the new art works were incongruent with the "boulder aesthetic" landscape design. From this dilemma came the desire for a more modern and functional outdoor space to complement the home's architecture.

Landscape architect Steve Martino, FASLA, was brought in to design a new outdoor environment. Expanding the garden away from the house was contraindicated, given the hillside and the expense of retaining walls. It was more practical to expand the garden laterally along the existing contours and keep some of the back walls. Lowering the upper terrace by two and a half feet made a huge improvement.

Modernist Design
The homeowner sought a modern outdoor room that would be an inviting transition between the house and the desert. The landscape architect arranged all the garden elements to enhance the connection from the house to the desert, a classic case of the "tail wagging the dog." As the project progressed, the clients so liked the new garden, they remodeled the back of the house to open onto the terrace; new paint and new furniture related the home with the new terrace.

Martino calls himself a set designer. This garden represents his approach of exploiting the possibilities of a site to maximize its use and control the views, in and out. "Thirty years of designing has taught me that it's all about light, both daylight and especially at night, when you have total control of what the client sees," he explains. He studied how the walls would create shade and shadows. As a photographer, he created a sequence of compositions viewed from the house. "The design intent is to draw people out of the house into the garden," he observes.

From the lower terrace you see the spa patio with the stainless steel scupper spilling water into the zero-edge trough, the new fireplace/screen wall, the Kaneko sculpture, which echoes the Saguaro cactus, and the Harry Bertoia chairs.

Martino tries to include historical references in his projects, along with elements that call to mind his favorite designers. This garden, he notes, has influences by the Swiss born architect, designer, painter, urban planner et al., Le Corbusier (Charles-??????douard Jeanneret-Gris), and Mexican architects Enrique Norten and Luis Barrag????(R)?n.

The new plan has ample built-in seating to minimize the need for furniture. The large fireplace is the formal part of the living room and the terrace. A new raised patio was built outside the master bedroom. The low red wall is an original wall, but the grade was raised three feet to bring the patio up to the level of the desert. The red fireplace wall offers privacy from the adjacent house. The west fences are frosted glass, which play with light and shadows, day and night.

This dramatic composition of walls lead to the spa. The "Mex Bold' planter (right) is a favorite of the landscape architect, Steve Martino, FASLA. The fireplace wall screens the neighboring houses. The red hue for the wall is Frazee "spiced rum.' Wall lights are used in pairs for effect.

Design Challenges
Considering the site's three levels, it is easy to navigate. The steps are functional and decorative. But where to place the two large sculptures? Rather than force compatibility between the garden and each unique piece, Martino arranged the space with the specific sculptures in mind. Their placement corresponds to the pieces themselves and their interaction with the viewer. Fletcher Benton's artwork is placed on the large podium and choreographs the experience of entering the main outdoor living room. A shallow water feature aligns with an axis from the front door to Jun Kuneko's blue ceramic sculpture. The water channel and basin were positioned close to the living room. A parting of the doors effectuates a cascade of water into the lower basin on the very edge of the living room. When the doors are open, it seems like the water feature is part of the living room. The moving water adds a refreshing sonority to the garden. Challenging the accepted concept of a garden, Martino offered an appealing alternative to the predictable lawn and introduced stone paving and gravel, which are at home amidst the desert terrain.

Master bedroom terrace paving leads up to the spa/fireplace patio. The patio was raised three feet for a better connection to the desert landscape. The existing wall acts as a bench at the stairs. It was raised to create a privacy barrier to screen the houses to the right. The desert garden offers an existing palo verde tree and native plants: striped Mexican agaves, chuparosa ("hummingbird" in Spanish, the reddish flowers); a creosote bush (taller flowering yellow shrub) and brittlebush (smaller yellow flowers).

Plantings
As with all of Steve Martino's projects, native southwestern plants play a key role. Small stairs embody a strong element that provides a visual and literal connection to the enveloping desert. Wild nature spills out into the rigid frames. A small planter in the center of the space holds a sample of the Sonoran Desert: creosote bush, brittlebush, chuparosa ("hummingbird" in Spanish), prickly pear and a saguaro. The edging plants comprise chuparosa, creosote and cactus. Palo verde and ironwood trees provide screening in other areas. The plants unite the outdoor living space with the hillside beyond. While the property line is just beyond the edge of the steps and the hindmost walls, the planting design visually takes possession of the neighbor's property and the desert beyond: a borrowed scenery concept. A few cantilevered concrete stairs lead straight up to the desert.

The view from the kitchen is to the north desert. The planter in the outdoor dining area offers Sonoran desert natives: an Ocotillo plant (tall, spiny shrub at left), brittlebush (yellow flowers), stripped agave, prickly pear, and a creosote bush by the majestic saguaro cactus.

Elements and Materials
All elements were carefully considered and allow the garden movements to flow from the house to the desert and vice versa. The materials used serve to forge the indoor with the outdoor. Large limestone pavers are used in the main sitting areas and respond to the elegant interior of the house. The presence of gravel adds to the desert experience and forms a natural transition between the hard and soft landscape elements, along with the hefty boulders, retained from the original plan, which further enhance the effect. Stuccoed concrete masonry block is used for the walls and the large planters. The frosted glass fence is a graceful solution, plus offers additional screening. The black tile water feature with a negative edge promotes serenity, while the simple design of the garden furniture brings a chic accent to the space. The project's subtle colors"?uwhites, grays, blues and red"?ucomplement and amplify the colors of the plants and surrounding nature, giving it a sense of depth. The sharp light of the desert creates powerful shadow compositions.

This view is from the living room. The water feature is just one foot from the living room. When the doors are retracted, it feels like the water feature is in the living room. The scupper fins mimic the red beams at the dining area. The fireplace wall hides a vegetable garden. Landscape architect Steve Martino designed the zero edge pool; Dan Goss was the water feature and spa contractor.

This is one of the most disciplined and modern gardens designed by Steve Martino. It exemplifies how simple, bold solutions can create an environment that evokes a feeling of serenity. The garden complements the outdoor experience and reminds us of our inherent connectedness to nature.

The Landscape architect's signature cantilevered stairs lead to the desert, stopping one foot short of the property line. The stairs make the adjacent open space appear to be part of the property.

Project Team
Landscape Architect: Steve Martino, FASLA, Phoenix
General Contractor: G. M. Hunt Construction, Phoenix
Landscape Contractor: Chuck Landin of ALG, Inc., Phoenix

The fencing for the west edge of the property is frosted glass, backlit by MR-16 lamps. The cacti and the toothless desert spoon by the vase are uplit by the same lamps.

Echinopsis spachiana "Golden Torch" cacti and creosote (left) are juxtaposed against the contemporary glass fence.