Thatcher Residence
Ojai, CA
Ojai is a fertile east/west valley of citrus and avocado groves eighty miles north of Los Angeles. The clients wanted to open up the ten acre property and create a series of garden rooms. They wanted to blend the architecture with several disconnected garden features, including the swimming pool and a long border that divided the yard from the citrus grove.
Initially the goal was to open up views and enhance the indoor-outdoor connection. Lowering a dense hedge of Escallonia and lightly pruning a row of California pepper trees opened up views of the mountains to the south.
Massed plantings of Pride of Madeira opened up views of the ridge to the west. The result was a series of textured layers that reveal the surrounding mountains. The client wanted to be able to open the doors of her living room and walk into the landscape. That idea transformed a small, walled terrace into a gracious, beckoning belvedere, or view terrace, accessed by a broad staircase that connects to a 16-by-30-foot landing.
Size
10 Acres
Photography
Jack Coyier