It's always super cool when a client invests a great amount of trust in you. After having a few initial meetings, it was clear that we were connecting with Jeff and Randy in important ways. Their enthusiasm and openness fostered an amazing creative spirit in us, resulting in what we believe will be a quiet and poetic landscape. The trust we've developed with one another has allowed us to take some calculated design risks that are dynamic in ways that go beyond words.

Nestled across from the gorgeous bluffs along the Mississippi River in south Minneapolis, Jeff and Randy's stunning remodeled rambler inspired us to think of terraces and layers for the front yard. The quiet tone and soft feel of the meandering steel retaining walls we installed create for a beautiful, cascading lawn. The backyard, a more private area, has a small yard space, a planting bed for Jeff and Randy’s herb garden and a permeable driveway/secondary patio space.

We owe so much of our design inspiration to the gentle work of artist/architect Maya Lin, as well as the layered rice fields that surround the retreat our friend Nguyen Qui Duc built in the mountains outside Hanoi, near the village of Tam Dao.

An older woman passing by while we installed the work commented with hand over heart “I’ve walked back and forth in front of it and, I don’t know why... but it makes me feel calm”. We think that's about the biggest compliment one could get and we think this will be a great project.

This project is near completion. Please, come back and check it out soon!