Interiorscaping of course. 

Interiorscaping—a combination of interior and landscaping. Using outdoor elements, like stone and water, to create elegant interior spaces.

In our last post we told you about our snow plowing promotion. We plow snow to keep our staff and equipment running over the winter. 

But, as a landscape designer it's not my preference. As a landscape designer I have spent my career combining natural elements—stone and water, for example—to create outdoor spaces that are great to look at, live in and enjoy. I have always thought that there is something very special about the elements that nature has to offer. Now I can bring them into your home as well. 

Just to be clear, I am not suggesting that I am an interior designer. What I have done, however, is find some really great products that we can install in your home that can bring indoors some of the great elements we work with outdoors—like stone and water.

One such line of products are the stone veneer products offered by ErthCOVERINGS™. They come in a variety of colours and textures and can transform a room in a magical way. It can be combined with indoor waterfalls (see below) or with a fireplace. Or, as in this example, used on its own to create a warm contemporary look.

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Stones, rocks and boulders can all add beauty, texture and an almost spiritual timelessness to your garden landscape. It can also offer some practical benefits in retaining walls and providing erosion protection. And, of course, the fact that it lasts for generations or longer is a pretty good benefit.
Functionally, stones, rocks and boulders can be used in your garden landscape in the following ways (and this isn't all of them):

• for retaining walls
• for erosion protection
• as a border to garden, pathway or driveway
• for pond bottoms and edges
• as part of water features and waterfalls
• to create a focal point in your garden
• as a decorative wall
• in rock gardens
• as decorative accents
• to bring beauty to a shaded area where vegetation doesn't grow easily
• as a garden seat
• for stairs
• in patios and walkways (e.g. flagstone)

Symbolically, stone represents power, foundation and that which is ageless, timeless or eternal. Maybe that is why it seems to bring a serenity to your garden.**

Stone it is a part of one of the four basic elements: earth, wind, water and fire. It also plays a very important role in Japanese gardens.***
"Japanese gardens always exist in relation to architecture and vice versa. They are people's view of the natural world and a stylized interpretation of what is beautiful in nature. The understanding of the stones is emphasized. The Japanese gardener creates a special median zone that partakes both of man, by virtue of its spatial design (about 30 percent), and of nature, by virtue of its materials -- the land, stones and plants (about 70 percent)…The drama of the stones and intensity of planting gives continuity to the Japanese garden…"***

So whether it's the natural look and feel of stone or its quasi-spiritual quality. It just seems to add something special to any outdoor space. 

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Are you a deck person or patio person? Do you like the smell of wood after a rainfall or would you prefer the feel of cold stone under your feet?

Choosing between a deck and a natural stone or brick patio may depend on your lot’s topography—one may make more sense than the other. Some homes can easily accommodate both. If that's not an option and you have to choose—deck or patio?—think about the outdoor lifestyle that would best suit your family and what your family enjoys doing. 

Before you decide which is best for you imagine:

• entertaining on a deck vs. entertaining on a patio
• your kids playing on the deck vs. your kids playing on the patio
• barbecuing on a deck vs. barbecuing on a patio
• sipping your morning coffee and reading the morning newspaper on a deck vs. on a patio

You get the idea. Do you want to be close to the garden, close to the ground, part of your landscape? Or, do you want to be above it, enjoying the view? 

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I've mentioned before that one of the fun things about being a landscape designer is the opportunity to discover interesting new products that we can incorporate into our designs. Well, here's another one. We just got contacted by Rockscapes of Canada Inc. and what they are doing looks pretty interesting. We haven't actually used their products yet so this isn't a testimonial. That said, we're pretty impressed with what we see. They are doing some pretty interesting things with faux rock designs for residential landscaping so we wanted to share this with you—if for no other reason than to fire up your imagination.

We think what they are doing falls under the "if you can conceive it we can achieve it" category. They use their faux rock in such things as…

• realistic looking rock formations
• natural stone waterfalls 
• natural looking rock grottoes
• slate floor tiles
• stone stairways
• rock gardens
• rooftop gardens
• retaining walls

it looks like these guys can do just about anything that you can imagine. And, that means that we can design it into our client's landscaping solutions.

Here are some examples of their work. 

All pictures have been provided to us courtesy of Rockscapes of Canada Inc. and are used with their permission. A special thanks to Mr. Padraic Mangan for his assistance in providing information and photos about their products. Please check out their web site at: www.rockscapescanada.com. They show many more examples and also talk about how they make their products. It's pretty interesting so take a look.

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• creatively using arbors in your outdoor space 
• adding water features
• outdoor lighting you may not expect

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"Great Ideas for Landscaping Small Yards" was originaly published on the East End Toronto Homes Blog on March 25th, 2011 and was written by Toronto Real Estate Agent John Helfrich who was our client.  

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Landscaping small yards increases usable space, enjoyment & value

Why did we wait so long? It was a no-brainer, really. Just finish off the back yard and start using the badly needed outdoor space for relaxing and entertaining.

The problem(s)?

We lacked the spatial sense & design-savvy for landscaping small yards. We had 1000 sq.ft. of wants and needs to fit into our 500 sq. ft back yard. “You’ll have to take something off the list” we were told repeatedly. Of course this created a tug-of-war with my wife and I each defending our pet projects. So how do you deal with all this? How do you make the right decisions?

Start with a ‘spatial reality check’ when landscaping small yards

When you’re landscaping small yards, you usually start with a ‘big yard’ wish list. We wanted a storage shed for 4 bikes, seating for 6, a water feature, an 0utdoor kitchen area with a barbeque, bar and 6 stools, plus ‘green space’ and a motorized sun-canopy that would shade most of the back yard. I should have mentioned we only have 20 by 25 feet.

Why Landscaping Small Yards Often Requires a Professional Designer

Think of it like this. Getting all, or even most of the features you want in your small space, with a great look and function, is like trying to fit a desktop computer into a cell phone. It can be done, but not by your average homeowner.

Kudos to Designer/Landscaper Keith Evans – Owner of Land Effects Outdoor Living Spaces Ltd.

Keith helped us prioritize and  pare back our list of ‘must haves’, until the features fit into our space with a shoe-horn. He polished the design with a few aesthetic concepts we’d never considered.

When finished, Keith submitted our project to Landscape Ontario and won the Award of Excellence for small spaces – residential construction. (not to mention our heartfelt endorsement!).

The Problems

Our back yard is surrounded by 2 garages and the brick wall of our neighbours home. We hated the view looking  outside from our family room. Because we’re surrounded by structures, there’s nowhere for the water to run off. (which usually means a wet basement for someone) There wasn’t enough room in our 20 x 25 foot space for the outdoor kitchen area and bar. The shade canopy needed support posts which ruined the sight lines from inside to outside.This is how our problem was fixed….

Solution -The View

Building an attractive cedar fence as high as the code would allow, hid most of the ugly features around us.

Because of it’s size, Keith ran the fence-boards in 2 directions, which made it less imposing. But we still saw too much of the brick wall.

Keith suggested making our water feature the focal point, which would draw the eye down, away from the brick. He used a natural stone to surround the fountain, then tied in the stone as a band that ran all the way around the fence line – again, drawing the eye away from the brick wall. On either side of the water feature he used chunky cedar lattice behind a garden, to lighten the overall effect.

Solution – Water Run Off

A common problem with landscaping small yards is managing water run-off. Keith used what’s called a ‘French drain’ which is simply a deep hole, lined with landscape fabric and filled with large gravel. The grade is sloped towards a collector drain and water is led into the pit where it ‘percolates’ down through our sandy soil. Problem solved.

Solution – Outdoor Kitchen and Canopy

Keith patiently led us through the prioritizing process until we realized there just wasn’t room for a real kitchen counter and a bar with seating. But we did manage to keep our large Barbeque and we bought a portable bar and a few stools to create a bit more seating for guests.
As for the shade canopy, well we’re still working on that.
The original product needed structural supports which killed the sight-lines from inside. We’re now looking at super thin shade fabric that can hang from overhead wires or cables stretched from one end of the yard to the other.

The Results

Was it really affordable? Once we gave up the outdoor kitchen and motorized shade structure, I suppose it was.

As a Realtor, I’d estimate we recovered at least half of the cost in increased property value. We’ve expanded our living space considerably. It’s almost like having an extra room, but outdoors. We use the space almost every day (and night), have meals outside, and enjoy having friends over to our otherwise-small house. No regrets!

Thank You To Keith Evans – Owner of Land Effects Outdoor Living Spaces Ltd.

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The look of natural stone evokes value, craftsmanship, and a sense of timeless quality.

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