Clarendon
This new construction home in Birmingham, Alabama, designed by Taylor Davis Architects, made the most out of the narrow lot. A series of discreet, connected volumes organized around an interior courtyard provided an easy opportunity to pull the architecture into the garden. To complement the strong lines of the architecture, remediate the sloping lot and provide privacy, we started with a horizontal board fence on top of a wall along the property lines. A running bond pattern of 18x30” bluestone pavers boarded with planting play off the house volumes to shape the garden rooms in the leftover spaces. Connecting the rooms as a soft complement to the bluestone, Selma Brown gravel is used as a path and a parking court.
A favorite moment is when the perimeter fence transforms into a small arbor above the side terrace. Angled weathering steel post skinned with cedar strips adds unique shadow lines throughout the day.
The composition of trees placed throughout the garden offers seasonal interest and shade. The garden is in its first year (2021) and is still waiting for layers of plant material to find its place in the coming seasons. We are excited about the future and watching this garden grow over the years.
Architect: Taylor Plosser Davis Architects
General Contractor: Fry Construction, Inc.
Landscape Contractor: Endless Summer
Photography: Cary Norton
Mason: Birmingham Stone