Behind a towering shroud of 20-foot ficus trees, two things anchor a sunken Mediterranean- style garden to its urban habitat: the sunshine and a high-wattage view of Chateau Marmont. “My clients wanted to re-create the feel of their favorite Tuscan hotel, the Castiglion del Bosco,” says landscape architect Anna Hoffman of the new pool and poolhouse she designed for the family of four. The challenge was doing this in a way that felt both authentic and endemic—and utterly transportive.
“I loved this; there’s such intimacy here. And they didn’t overdo it in a small space. The tonality of the stone with the stucco really works. I can imagine being here and only hearing the water from the fountain, nothing else.” —Bunny Williams, author and interior designer.
By mixing organic variations of green with fine materials suggestive of its European inspiration, she established a sense of patina and roots. Hoffman chose reclaimed French limestone for the hardscaping and alderwood for the pergola (rather than California’s staple redwood) because it looks similar to the poplar used in Tuscany. “This was the owner’s idea, a way to make it feel like the Italian countryside,” says Hoffman, adding that she hid any discretions of modern life.
“Detailing was incredibly important. There are no exposed drains or lights.” Extraordinary plant selections friendly to the climate also instantly elevate the garden to that of an Italian villa. Five century-old olive trees craned in from northern California surround the poolhouse with a sense of history, while mature tropicals like plumbago and bougainvillea bring in effervescent blues and vivacious pinks. A boxwood hedge, rather than a man-made railing, buffers a grade change between the pool and house and (quietly) speaks volumes of Hoffman’s approach: thoughtful behind-the-scenes choreography for a sense of organic ease and simplicity in the garden.
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This article originally appeared in the March/April 2021 issue of VERANDA.
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2021 issue of VERANDA.
2021 Outdoor Living Award Winner for Best Urban Garden, Unbound.
Design by Hoffman and Ospina Landscape Architecture.
