Designed to be highly visible from inside this Santa Rosa home, a contemporary water feature is the anchor of this backyard. Jutting out from a stucco retaining wall, the water feature includes a bluestone seat wall, allowing those in the backyard to pause and enjoy the falling water. The yard is terraced to create several levels, with the materials becoming less formal the further they are from the house. The surrounding ashlar patterned, thermal bluestone patio allows for room to gather, leading up to both an intimate Terrapave (stabilized decomposed granite) patio above and an outdoor kitchen below.
The kitchen is built seamlessly into the retaining wall, with the bluestone wall cap turning into a countertop as it reaches the kitchen. In between the patio levels, the middle level of the yard features mixed plantings to one side and a small lawn to the other. Low voltage lighting keeps the landscape visible at night, illuminating walls, steps and trees while the light dances with the cascading water of the fountain.
