This forest is generous with its gifts — ripe red strawberries, beads of cranberries and blueberries. There’s a little chill here even on the hottest days; boulders tumble over meadows, lawns overflow with emerald color, and pines and the glow of firelight are mirrored in the water.
In this project, we faced a 9-meter elevation change on the forested area, with an impressive house on the hill. We played along with the terrain and tackled the biggest challenge head-on: creating pathways and transitions between the different elevation zones.
The clients have moved out of town permanently. Their kids are grown, and life has settled into an easy, steady rhythm. Occasionally, they host friends. Hence the wishlist: a fruit orchard, a hearth, a pond, a waterfall, and easy, walkable slopes. They need a place of comfort and ease — an inner sanctuary that grounds them, surrounded by a thoughtfully designed, organic green environment that brings harmony.
We found severely injured forest cover and weakened trees. We had to part with some of them, plant new ones, and help them take root. For the regenerated areas, we chose plants that are compatible with the forest in terms of light and acidity of the soil. The result became better than expectations: now the forest is mesmerizing, producing shade and great air.
We love the Scandinavian garden®. It invites us to explore ourselves and be spontaneous, to follow your senses: look, touch, feel, experience. That's why the garden's layout is designed to let movement flow freely.
For the house on the hill, we arranged major and minor pathways. The main one is a broad stone slope that resembles an ancient Celtic path and leads to the garage.
Along the milder slope, step bars barely peeking out of the grass emphasize the direction. This stepped trail is more decorative. The least trafficked pathway from the bathhouse with a plunge pool to the hearth surrounded by the pond is made of wooden platforms. Some paths were heated year-round to make them user-friendly.
