Secret Garden - Western Springs

For this turn-of-the-century home on a stately corner lot in Western Springs, we began by clearing away a run-down landscape to make room for a more intentional design. We carefully selected the property's best mature trees to preserve, ensuring the new garden felt anchored by the home’s history.

The transformation starts at the front, where a new walkway was installed on center with the porch to enhance the home’s natural symmetry. We updated the porch with lilac-colored bluestone, providing a subtle but distinctive color palette that sets a sophisticated tone. In the side yard, we created a viewing garden centered around a stately urn and granite cobblestones, designed to be refreshed with seasonal displays throughout the year.

Privacy was a top priority. In the backyard, we constructed a six-foot brick masonry garden wall to shield the outdoor living space from the driveway and street. The existing deck was redone with stucco walls to match the house’s exterior, featuring iron inlays to keep the structure feeling open and light. A large patio serves as the primary entertaining area, anchored by a simple water feature that provides a gentle backdrop of sound. Minimalist plantings were used throughout to soften the hardscape edges while maintaining the clean, secret-garden atmosphere the clients desired.