Kensington Farmhouse

Our client purchased this GTM-designed house with the idea of building a simple farmhouse in the historic neighborhood. That gave us a design imperative for the landscape. Rather than sloping the path from the front door to the street, we added two terraced walls with sets of risers to better frame the house and set it on a level field. Custom handrails of black steel are channeled with cedar. Thermal bluestone in a running bond provides a light, modern edge. In the narrow back yard, we created three main areas to organize the space: a custom grill island with a steel and wood pergola and outdoor gas fireplace; a tiered fishpond planted with water species that quickly became home to turtles and frogs; and a porch with phantom screens on three sides with a slight run of plants. Stained black privacy fences recede into the background.