HANSON, MASSACHUSETTS
Rustic Retreat
Warm materials and natural grade used to ground the property — connected to its surroundings without imitation.
LOCATION
Hanson,
Massachusetts
PROJECT TYPE
Residential Landscape
Design + Build
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OVERVIEW
A family in Hanson wanted a landscape that felt genuinely connected to the wooded, rural character of the South Shore interior — not a suburban garden transplanted to a rural setting, but an environment that belonged to the land around it.
The property sits in a wooded setting with natural grade change, mature trees, and a character that is more rural than suburban. The existing landscape was minimal — cleared areas near the home, undisturbed woodland beyond.
The central question became: how do you introduce outdoor living amenities — fire, dining, gathering — without disturbing the natural quality that made the property worth designing?
KEY ELEMENTS
Stone fireplace and gathering area integrated into a natural grade change — the built structure reading as an extension of the site's topography rather than an addition to it
Timber pergola over the dining area — open to the tree canopy above, its material connecting to the woodland edge and weathering naturally in place
Naturalistic planting at the transition zones — native species that reinforce the woodland character and require minimal intervention over time
MATERIALS & CRAFT
Rough-cut granite and reclaimed timber were the primary materials — chosen for their immediate connection to the rural landscape and their ability to weather in place without maintenance.
Stone was laid dry where possible, allowing moss and plants to establish in the joints over time, softening the boundary between built and natural. The goal was a landscape that looks, in ten years, as though it has always been there.
LIVING IN THE SPACE
The fire area is used from the first cool evenings of September through late spring — often the last place the family leaves at night. The dining area beneath the pergola is shaded and breezy through the hottest summer months.
The transition from the maintained garden to the woodland edge is walked daily — a quality of the property the family values as much as any built element.
“We highly recommend the team at Ivy Studio. Simply stunning work. You turned our “boring” backyard into WOW!”
A landscape shaped by its wooded setting — grounded in the character of the South Shore interior, built to age into its surroundings.