Sage Living

Author:Abigail Stone

OR.CA a Highland Park-based landscape design and outdoor product studio, transforms a home’s neglected lot into a series of vibrant and compelling outdoor rooms

A hillside lot invariably proves to be a challenge when it comes to landscape design and the area surrounding this midcentury Highland Park home was no exception. “It’s a steep hill that lacked terracing,” remembers Molly Sedlacek of OR.CA.

“Our goal was to make the landscape accessible without major retaining wall work and to utilize the existing typography in a way that made the garden functional,” say Sedlacek. To turn the unused garden into a welcoming space, Sedlacek envisioned a series of outdoor rooms that would offer the clients a space to relax and recharge while taking inspiration from the surrounding native landscape. “It had no reason to be used. It was empty and abandoned,” Sedlacek says sharing her first impression. “The clients knew they wanted to turn it into a compelling destination where they could spend time unwinding.” 

To accomplish that, Sedlacek proposed a series of layered terraces. “There’d be a place to eat under the existing Chinese Elm, a custom hand-crafted sauna that would reflect the tone of the nearby eucalyptus tree, terraces for bathing, for sun lounging, and for picking fruit,” she explains. “The idea was to create a circulation loop that would encourage the clients and their dog to enjoy the garden on a daily basis, to integrate it into their everyday life.”

She was inspired by the famed blue garden at Montecito’s Lotusland, created by Ganna Walska. Using Pearl Leaf Acacia, Weeping Kashmir Cypress, and bundles of native sage and prince canyon rye grass, the studio created a wild garden of silvery blues. 

The hand-crafted sauna is washed in a sage blue that reflects the tones of the neighboring plants. Radius glass windows frame the hillside eucalyptus. Tucked into the weeping bamboo, the copper and brass outdoor showers ensure privacy.  Another deck features a cedar tub sunk into the pine platform. OR.CA‘s oversized Loam Chaises provide a comfortable place to lounge. 

The clients were astounded at the transformation. “Molly created this unexpected and transformative space for us, where reconnecting with nature has now become part of our daily rhythm,” they rave. “We find ourselves outside in ways we never anticipated and something about the  ever-changing wildness of the garden inspires us creatively every day.”