NBW was retained to design a masterplan for this 22-acre property at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The client's strong conservation ethic helped establish the design guidelines for the project. Upon completion of the masterplan, NBW assisted the owner with the hiring of an architect who would help fulfill the design mission of the project. Building and gardens are interconnected through porches, terraces, framed views, and a vision of the guest house and garage as outbuildings. Native wildflowers fill a sunken, stone-walled entry courtyard where seed heads and pods are retained through the winter for interest and wildlife nourishment. Two carved stone fountain basins serve as plunge pools for cooling off in the Virginia summer and a second courtyard serves as a vegetable and fruit garden supplying the kitchen of the house. The surrounding land has been transformed into a warm season grass meadow that is managed every three years by fire. An existing pond was restored, dredged, deepened, and replanted to expand the variety of habitats for aquatic life. Rain gardens capture storm water and provide habitat for salamanders and hydric plant species.
Collaborators: Wolf Ackerman, WMWA
