The proverbial “sketch on the cocktail napkin” that started the whole project. From the beginning we knew we wanted to create our own pillars, made partially from the soil on the property. We’d never used that “dirt recipe” before and were pleased with the results. From day one, the pillars looked like they belonged there, namely because they did.

The next step was a color sketch on trace paper over an enlarged black-and-white photo of the site. A few months later it was real and surprisingly close to this original “plan.”

As you can see, the site included an existing metal arbor over a small concrete patio. The owners wanted more level space to enjoy their bit of paradise, but all there was beyond the patio was steep hillside. We created the new space starting with a considerable stone retaining wall; once it was backfilled, we went to work making it look like a garden. It was much easier to draw it than to build it. Note that at this stage, the owners entertained the idea of containing the new space in a continuation of a formal cast stone balustrade; ultimately they changed their mind and decided on stone walls with arched openings.

Setting the cast pillars into place was a big event; unwrapping the protective paper was an even bigger deal.

Just after completion: stone wall finished (except for the wrought iron protective grills), custom-made columns, specimen Italian cypresses, and morning glory vines – all in service to the antique Gates to Nowhere.

A year later, the wrought iron grills in the stone wall arches have shown up, and the pond has a new spout with a thinner, more musical stream of water. Unforeseen was the exuberant growth of the morning glories, which eventually had to be thinned.

Freshly painted, ready for the next 100 years.

Everything was right about the existing front portico, so we wanted to mimic the scale and measurements exactly. Even with the right information, recreating it was a challenge – more like a large cabinet-making project than construction.

Step by step, it comes together. For such a diminutive structure, there were many details that had to be taken into consideration. Planting of the flanking Italian cypresses may have been a bit premature, but you know how it is.

Once the pool had been installed, but before we started construction on the portico, we wanted to make sure the proportions were going to work in the new setting. We built a frame based on the outside measurement of the portico and held it in place. Everyone agreed it worked and we even got a preview of the reflection in the pool, an essential consideration from the beginning.

Finished! Charcoal painted cross fences now have white-flowered vines draping over from the back. The fence performs the practical need for hiding refuse bins, bicycles, and garden equipment. At night, with the soft light in the ceiling of the portico is lit, it’s a bit of magic.