PROJECT SUMMARY: Residential Landscaping McLean and Northern Virginia

We were invited into this project shortly after construction of the house was started. The existing home was torn down and the client was building his dream home on a prime corner lot off Waverly Way and Dolly Madison Highway in McLean, VA.  

In the beginning the project site was raw and had a challenging slope that needed to be addressed in order to meet the client’s requests. Every square inch of the lot was going to be utilized to get his wish list in which included: parking for four cars in front of the house, a water feature in the front yard, a sense of privacy from the road, a 30' x 75' lawn area suitable for a large tent for parties, a grilling station, dining patio that would seat at least twelve people, a cozy pergola with a fireplace, heavy screening from the neighbor behind and water features. The home was going to be very formal inside and the exterior would also have a very structured feel.

He flew the design team on his private jet to two of his favorite gardens to convey the look he wanted. The arbor concept is taken from the Sette hotel in Miami.  The fountains and the coble stone bordered lawn panels are from a Georgian manor house. The use of old world materials in a clean and slightly contemporary design is what makes this project work.

The property was divided into vignettes-clearly defined spaces that work well together. It was the use of these spaces that give this property an estate style feel even though the lot is slightly over a third of an acre. The integration of different paving patterns gives each area its own flavor. Random geometric quarry stone walks, two by two quarry stone patio, and flagstone and cobblestone combinations create the feel of stepping stone paths. From the fountains to the iron work no detail was left to chance.