Dear Homework,
We moved into a home that had some fragmented landscaping work done over the years. As we look at cleaning up the bed out front, we want to consider ways to make use of the space, to make it more inviting and colorful and also retain some privacy if we create a patio. The rear of the house has limited potential for patio space. One thing we’re considering is replacing the mismatched brick walk with a stone walkway leading to an expanded front porch. We’d used boxwood shrubs to create a screen for a sitting area to the right.
Sincerely,
—Focus on the Front
Dear Focus on the Front,
We start off here with a handsome story-and-a-half Colonial perfectly framed (but not blocked) by tall shade trees. The foundation planting is a bit spotty, so let’s just start over.
I’ve created a new terrace aligned with the existing bay window. This boxwood-hedged patio helps reinforce the bay’s prominence and the home’s asymmetry. The front porch gets a new striped awning, which is both elegant and a little casual, to coordinate well with the new patio. A new, straight, stone walk forms a nice edge for more coherent and contiguous foundation plantings. A row of bright red flowers matches the patio furniture and adds the note of color you requested.
Tall corner evergreens add a helpful vertical accent to the façade, and a bed of liriope grass adds a grounding detail in front of the new boxwood hedge. It’s nice to give a front lawn a reason for being!
Thanks for the interesting request,
—Homework
Homework is penned by Paul Doerner, founding partner of the Lawrence Group. If you would like your home critiqued, contact us at homework@townandstyle.com.
