49. Rhyne Designs' 4th Anniversary
I am very excited as Rhyne Designs moves into its 5th year of business, with lots of great things accomplished in the last year and more ahead. Amazing to think that just one year ago (even 6 months ago) California’s drought appeared to have no end. Now after months of record rainfall we are about to have a nice green and flowery Spring!
Built Work in 2016
The wet weather slowed down construction for a couple of Rhyne Designs’ projects as 2016 ended, but there were a few that finished up last summer. In the Napa Valley I was pleased to see the landscape for a new home in the vineyards take shape. To complement a nice modern architectural design the landscape uses board-formed concrete walls and geometric concrete paving patterns, along with artificial turf and gravel gardens to save water.
In Berkeley, we saw the installation of a fun backyard design with outdoor living spaces to complement a wood barrel-shaped sauna. The design starts with a wood deck adjacent to the sauna, followed by a decorative gravel area for the fire pit, and a more low-key decomposed granite material for the secondary spaces.
Rhyne Designs has been working on a few different yards in the Moraga area, updating gardens several decades old. The back yard shown here had a good overall structure so the design focused on reducing the clutter, unifying the materials palette, and generally simplifying the layout for a more open and relaxing space.
Another Napa Valley project that will finish as soon as things dry out is a new front entry for a beautiful 2 acre property. This includes entry walls and a gate, as well as a grove of field-dug Olive trees, creating a modern style entrance to match the recently built house.
A multi-house project in Oakland as well as one in Walnut Creek are also finishing up as we speak, as well as a project in Belvedere that is shaping up very nicely. I hope to get some good photos of all these projects as the Spring blooms come out.
Designs in Progress
Complementing the work under construction are several exciting projects at or near the end of design, lined up for installation this summer. I have been enjoying working with the architect Stephen Willrich on an estate house north of Napa with many great features. The house stretches out into the site to create many beautiful indoor-outdoor connections and pleasant outdoor rooms for enjoying the fine views up the valley.
Rhyne Designs is also working to finalize the design for a nice property just outside the city of Sonoma. A new and very modern house by New York architect Thomas Hanrahan will sit at the back of a long narrow site in order to maximize the views. The landscape design complements this with a clean and simple design that includes an Olive lined driveway winding through a large flowering meadow. The meadow creates a nice low planting mass and extends over and beyond the mounded septic drain field in the center of the site.
I also had fun helping a client envision the possibilities of her big front yard in San Pablo. With so much space, she wanted to consider how it could be put to use as a community asset. The thought is to have space for food to be grown by local youth groups, and to hold classes on sustainable gardening and related topics. I created a fun concept plan with a wavy spiral walkway that draws you into the site and becomes a focal point for gathering.
Racing into Year Five
These are just the highlights of a very busy 2016, as Rhyne Designs continues to grow and build on the many-faceted experiences of the business. All the rain this winter has given 2017 a soggy start, but I’m already seeing indications that it is going to be busier than ever, with a list of projects just waiting for dry weather to break ground. I’m looking forward to a great year ahead!