Alexandria Mid Century

The Charles Goodman-designed Severeid House invited us to create a garden that reflected the home’s mid-century aesthetic. Architect Michael Cook designed the addition. Throughout, we worked with plants that evoke the mid-century gardens in Miami or Plam Springs. To establish the entry garden, we incorporated repurposed brick pavers to create a raised bed with a steel water rill and fountain element. The textural plantings offset the strong geometry of bluestone paving, set against horsetail reeds. In the rear, a lap pool is surrounded by a flat plane of grass, planted with native species such as Bottlebrush Buckeye, Viburnum, Fothergilla, purple Alliums, and Summersweet. The manicured and cultivated spaces throughout the garden are both lush and serene, creating a sanctuary within the city. 

This project won the 2022 Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) Gold Award, the 2022 Virginia American Society of Landscape Architects Award, and the 2021 LCA Excellence in Landscape Award.

A two-story wood-sided modern house with large windows overlooks a rectangular backyard lap pool. Two lounge chairs sit on the stone pool deck, surrounded by a lush lawn and dense forest trees.
A modern house with wood siding and large windows faces a stone patio courtyard with a small brick water feature. The sun sets in the background, casting a warm glow between the building wings and surrounding trees.
A red brick garden wall topped with a row of tall, green horsetail reeds against a horizontal wooden fence. A grey stone cap sits on the wall, with a paved patio in the foreground.
A backyard patio features a brick fire pit next to a rectangular swimming pool. Two wire chairs sit on the stone terrace near a modern home, with lush trees and the setting sun in the background.
A cluster of tall, slender horsetail reeds with distinct horizontal black rings. Small dew drops cling to the bright green stems, which are illuminated against a soft, dark green background.
Purple allium flower globes bloom among lush, green fern fronds. The scene is captured in bright, dappled sunlight with some flowers in soft focus.
A tall, curved, metallic ribbon sculpture stands in a garden at night. The sculpture is illuminated from below, surrounded by ferns and two trees against a stone wall background.
A two-story Mid Century modern house at dusk with a large outdoor patio, a rectangular swimming pool, and a brick fire pit. A dining table and bar area are situated under the home’s overhanging second story.
A modern Mid-Century house with dark wood siding and large windows glows warmly at twilight. A stone patio leads past illuminated trees to a central courtyard area.
A modern Mid-Century multi-level wood home sits at the edge of a gravel driveway at dusk. Large, glowing windows illuminate the interior while warm landscape lighting highlights the surrounding trees and shrubs.