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Southern California offers an ideal setting in which to create private gardens -- gardens that are an extension of the home, creating
year-round livable outdoor spaces. From the spectacular to the intimate, our region's gardens reflect the richness and diversity of our
natural and cultural history, the varied expressions of our world-famous architecture, and the distinct personalities of the homeowners
that inhabit these outdoor spaces.
Creating private worlds since 1987, KSA has been an active participant in the vitality of our city's design community. The firm's private
gardens include faithful historic renovations, contemporary urban retreats, and bucolic estate settings. Each garden represents a
collaboration between the owner and designer, and each garden complements the architectural design of the home. The strong architectural
background of our principal and design staff, combined with aesthetic sensitivity and a detailed knowledge of horticulture, have earned
KSA its reputation for skilled design of select residential garden spaces.
Set in the hills above Los Angeles, the Strada Vecchia Garden complements a dramatic contemporary house by a world-renowned architect.
The site has been developed in distinct zones: A long dramatic allŽe of mature redwood trees lines the driveway, while the cool and shady
drive contrasts the sunny atmosphere of the hillside site. The house and pool are set on a turf plane, providing large spaces for
entertainment events, family play and a putting green. Paths meander down the hillsides, planted with flowering drought tolerant plants,
citrus, and olives.
By contrast, a West Hollywood garden, designed for an aesthetically adventurous urban designer with a passion for gardening, offers
a bold counterpoint to the traditional style of the home, a modest 1920's bungalow. Four distinct gardens create a Modernist collage using
inventive materials; colored panels of glass, gravel, redwood, and plantings chosen for striking forms and vivid hues, including papyrus,
persimmons, and shell ginger.
In the Spanish revival tradition, courtyards and gardens extend and respond to the spatial qualities of the rambling architecture. In two
gardens, the Altata and the Hacienda Heights garden, each room of the house opens onto a garden with a distinctive palette.
An exuberant fountain court with water splashing into a broad Indian bronze bowl greets visitors. An infinity edge pool set in a stone deck
provides a tranquil ground plane reflecting the historic cabana. A rich diversity of plant material characterizes the style, with lush
flowering bougainvilleas, roses, and lavender harmonizing with the native oaks and agaves.
The first room of the Mountain View home is a stone-paved courtyard focusing on a low concrete fountain. Flanked by purple irises
and other drought-tolerant plants, the garden is a composition of tranquility and calm. Rose gardens, a dining terrace, fountains, and a
cypress allée animate the rear gardens. Twin gazebos frame the stairs linking the different terraces; their translucent peaked roofs become
lanterns in the evenings.
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