WELLESLEY, MASSACHUSETTS
Family Haven
A landscape organised around how a family moves through it — flexible spaces that evolve as life changes.
LOCATION
Wellesley, Massachusetts
PROJECT TYPE
Residential Landscape
Design + Build
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OVERVIEW
A family in Wellesley with three young children wanted an outdoor environment that could support the full arc of family life — from small children needing open lawn to teenagers needing independence, to adults wanting a space that functions for entertaining and daily life.
The existing landscape had been designed for an earlier phase of family life and no longer served how the family used the space. The design needed to hold the present while anticipating the future.
The central question became: how do you design a single landscape that works for a five-year-old, a fifteen-year-old, and two adults — simultaneously and over time?
KEY ELEMENTS
Central flexible lawn — sized and shaped to hold active play now and transition naturally to an entertainment lawn or informal garden as the children grow
Pool positioned as a destination at the property's far end — creating a sense of journey through the landscape and a clear separation between active and quiet zones
Covered kitchen and dining structure at the home's edge — the daily gathering point, sheltered, connected to the interior, and facing the garden
MATERIALS & CRAFT
A warm material palette — Pennsylvania bluestone with a natural cleft finish, timber detailing in the covered structures, and planting that mixes structure with informality. The goal was an environment that feels considered without feeling precious.
Materials were selected for durability under heavy use. A family landscape needs to absorb activity without showing it — which requires thinking about material performance, not just appearance, from the outset.
LIVING IN THE SPACE
The lawn is the centre of daily life from April through October. Pool season runs from Memorial Day through Labour Day and extends into September. The covered kitchen is used for breakfast on weekdays and dinner most evenings through the warm months.
The family reports that the space is used every day — which was exactly what it was designed for.
“Thank you for a truly spectacular job! You brought a creative vision coupled with your team’s careful attention throughout the construction process. Our yard was transformed from an eye sore to a beautiful oasis we now enjoy throughout the seasons.”
A landscape designed around a family in motion — flexible enough to hold every stage of life, settled enough to feel like it was always there.