Wisconsin Landscape Stays True to Home’s Midcentury Design
A landscape pro looks to this house’s historically significant modern architecture for a whole-yard makeover
Becky Harris
August 24, 2019
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe as "collected."
I got into design via Landscape Architecture, which I studied at the University of Virginia.
Houzz Contributor. Hi there! I live in a 1940s cottage in Atlanta that I'll describe... More
This house in Racine, Wisconsin, was designed in 1951 by architect John Randal McDonald, who built it for his own family. McDonald’s work was heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright. More recently, James Drzewiecki, an architect and landscape designer who has studied Frank Lloyd Wright extensively, was over the moon at the opportunity to rework the home’s neglected landscape. Drzewiecki took his cues from the architecture. “The couple who bought the house know they are living in a museum piece,” he says. He treated it as one in his design, as well. “It would be very hard not to be inspired by the architecture of a house that looks like this, but it was also important not to go overboard and overshadow the home,” he says.
“After” photos by Renn Kuhnen Photography
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: Two architecture aficionados
Location: Racine, Wisconsin
Size: 760 square feet (71 square meters)
Designer: James Drzewiecki of Ginkgo Leaf Studio
Budget: $63,000
Before: We’ll prepare for our trip to the back patio by checking out the front of the house because its redesign set the tone for the landscape around the historically significant house. “I think some of this front path is original because Frank Lloyd Wright often hid the front door and created a circuitous path leading up to it. As someone who studied Wright, McDonald would likely have done that,” Drzewiecki says. But the entry was plagued with problems including crooked steps, cracked concrete and pavers that were not level. His clients wanted to create a safer entry approach while paying homage to the architecture.
Find a local landscape designer
Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: Two architecture aficionados
Location: Racine, Wisconsin
Size: 760 square feet (71 square meters)
Designer: James Drzewiecki of Ginkgo Leaf Studio
Budget: $63,000
Before: We’ll prepare for our trip to the back patio by checking out the front of the house because its redesign set the tone for the landscape around the historically significant house. “I think some of this front path is original because Frank Lloyd Wright often hid the front door and created a circuitous path leading up to it. As someone who studied Wright, McDonald would likely have done that,” Drzewiecki says. But the entry was plagued with problems including crooked steps, cracked concrete and pavers that were not level. His clients wanted to create a safer entry approach while paying homage to the architecture.
Find a local landscape designer
The style of the yard matches the style of the house, which Drzewiecki describes as midcentury modern with Asian and California influences. He took his cues from the angles of the dramatic roofline and wedge shapes on the home’s facade. He designed a walkway that takes visitors on a zig-zagging path similar in spirit to the original circuitous path. The walkway is composed of wedge-shaped concrete panels surrounded by wedge-shaped garden beds. He filled the runnels between the panels with beach pebbles, a material used in classic California midcentury modern style. And he was able to incorporate some of the existing stone, including the boulder in front of the prominent Tennessee sandstone chimney.
The driveway and walkway work occurred in tandem. There was a slight grade change between the driveway and the entry path and gardens so Drzewiecki composed a low retaining wall of Tennessee sandstone that matched the chimney.
The driveway and walkway work occurred in tandem. There was a slight grade change between the driveway and the entry path and gardens so Drzewiecki composed a low retaining wall of Tennessee sandstone that matched the chimney.
Here is the plan for the front yard, which shows how the wedges fit together.
Plant list. The front yard also introduces the plant palette. The mix of plants includes shrubs, grasses and perennials. (Click or tap the image above to enlarge it.) The plant choices were inspired by several factors:
- Traditional prairie plants typically used to complement midcentury modern homes in the region
- The homeowners’ love of bold color
- The way the lines of ornamental grasses complement the midcentury modern lines
- Continuous color and bloom from spring through fall, as well as winter interest
Before. Out back, the patio was an amoeba shape with 2-by-4-inch wood inlays between the concrete panels. “It had that midcentury modern classic California look. And separate concrete pavers were common during the era,” Drzewiecki says.
But it had seen better days. Instead of drainpipes, the roof has scuppers that dump rainwater collected on the roof. This water ran back toward the house due to a bad pitch in the patio. This solves the mystery of why a couple of aesthetes had an unsightly garbage can in the middle of their patio — it was collecting that water to keep it away from the house.
But it had seen better days. Instead of drainpipes, the roof has scuppers that dump rainwater collected on the roof. This water ran back toward the house due to a bad pitch in the patio. This solves the mystery of why a couple of aesthetes had an unsightly garbage can in the middle of their patio — it was collecting that water to keep it away from the house.
Drzewiecki’s concrete contractor determined that the yard pitched about a foot from the back of the lawn to the patio, so he had truckloads of dirt hauled away in order to regrade the patio and lawn in a way that would solve the water runoff problems.
Shop for patio furniture
Shop for patio furniture
The new patio has separate paver panels that honor the original patio’s style but it has rectilinear lines. Drzewiecki placed the grill and dining area off the door on the left that leads to the dinette and kitchen. And he placed a lounging area where the homeowners could enjoy the view of new gardens off the patio.
Drzewiecki got in his wedges around the patio in the form of wedge-shaped garden and rock beds. He used pebbles and slate chips in these beds, which introduce different colors, shapes and textures. “The pebbles highlight ornamental grass groupings and they add that Asian-inspired California midcentury modern flavor,” he says. He then lined these beds with black aluminum edging to keep things straight.
Browse landscaping stones and pavers
Browse landscaping stones and pavers
He continued the slate chips underneath the cantilevered lower level and the roof overhangs.
This photo shows how well the Tennessee sandstone elements work together — the chimneys on the house and the original wing wall on the left past the statue.
The lounge and dining areas are lined up with one another, following the lines set between the patio panels.
Taking a cue from the way the old patio had wood between concrete panels, Drzewiecki used full range Pattern A bluestone and beach pebbles to fill the runnels between the concrete panels. Here the lines of pebbles define the lounge area.
The furniture and tabletop items seen in these photos belong to the homeowners, not a photo stager. Their extensive collection of Fiestaware shows off their love of bold color, and their Masters chairs by Philippe Starck were a cheeky choice. The chairs’ silhouettes combine those of three iconic midcentury modern chairs. Squint and you’ll see midcentury Saarinen, Jacobsen and Eames chair silhouettes in the lines.
The furniture and tabletop items seen in these photos belong to the homeowners, not a photo stager. Their extensive collection of Fiestaware shows off their love of bold color, and their Masters chairs by Philippe Starck were a cheeky choice. The chairs’ silhouettes combine those of three iconic midcentury modern chairs. Squint and you’ll see midcentury Saarinen, Jacobsen and Eames chair silhouettes in the lines.
Before. This photo shows the original Tennessee sandstone wing wall, some makeshift steps up to a raised garden and an odd depression in the patio. While Drzewiecki thinks this may have been some sort of small pond, he couldn’t find a spout and it had turned into a mucky mosquito-attracting puddle.
The original wing wall, right, was the start of a great idea. “The raised garden was a weedy mess, but it had potential,” Drzewiecki says. He extended the garden with retaining walls that match the original Tennessee sandstone, and created a walking garden that runs along the side of the yard.
He paid homage to the depression with the shape of the patio’s edge. He filled the area where the pond had been with a combination of the slate chips and beach pebbles and placed a little sprite statue there. His design could be turned into a water feature someday, an option that the homeowners are considering but have put off for now.
Hire a local landscape contractor
He paid homage to the depression with the shape of the patio’s edge. He filled the area where the pond had been with a combination of the slate chips and beach pebbles and placed a little sprite statue there. His design could be turned into a water feature someday, an option that the homeowners are considering but have put off for now.
Hire a local landscape contractor
There’s a pleasing transition from patio to garden thanks to some safe new steps and material inspired by the home’s interior. “The house has full range slate flooring,” Drzewiecki says. “So the full range bluestone pavers pay homage to that.” Note the way the bluestone extends partway down the runnel between the concrete panels. This enhances the transition between the edge of the patio and the retaining walls.
The walking garden provides a beautiful view along the patio and connects the front yard to the back yard. Drzewiecki repurposed pavers from the original front walk and placed them under the bench.
The mix of flowers, grasses and shrubs provides year-round interest and loads of color. “I’m never one for ‘choir planting’ — tallest in the back down to shortest in the front,” he says. Instead he mixes up the planted forms in terms of height, shape and texture to add dimensionality.
The mix of flowers, grasses and shrubs provides year-round interest and loads of color. “I’m never one for ‘choir planting’ — tallest in the back down to shortest in the front,” he says. Instead he mixes up the planted forms in terms of height, shape and texture to add dimensionality.
The dining area enjoys the walkway garden views too.
Here is the plan for the backyard.
Plant list. This is the plant list of the trees, shrubs and grasses in the backyard. (Click or tap the image to enlarge it.)
Plant list. This is the plant list of the perennials and groundcovers in the backyard. The selection is based on native prairie plants but Drzewiecki amped it up with some colorful additions like salvia and allium to suit the homeowners’ love of bold color.
More on Houzz
Read more stories about patios
Browse patio photos for inspiration
Shop for outdoor products
More on Houzz
Read more stories about patios
Browse patio photos for inspiration
Shop for outdoor products
Our philosophy at Kitchen Kraft is to make home remodeling convenient. We are your one-stop shop for kitchen... Read More
Related Products
Related Stories
Landscape Design
Yard of the Week: Ranch Home Opens Up to Indoor-Outdoor Living
A home and landscape makeover near Denver creates harmony and connection between interior and exterior spaces
Full Story
Outbuildings
Family Gatherings in Argentina Inspire a Pavilion and Guesthouse
By Becky Harris
A new yard adds room for hosting, swimming and bringing part of one homeowner’s culture to her family’s Seattle home
Full Story
Landscape Design
Patio of the Week: Sloping Side Yard Becomes a Relaxing Retreat
By Kate Burt
A landscape designer found on Houzz transforms a challenging English yard into a contemporary lounge for empty nesters
Full Story
Landscape Design
Yard of the Week: Woodland Retreat for Privacy and Relaxation
Lush foliage, strategic screening and a series of outdoor rooms give a Canadian landscape a serene, secluded feel
Full Story
Landscape Design
Yard of the Week: Plants and Salvaged Finds Beautify a Shady Spot
By Kate Burt
Recycled plants, pre-loved pots, antiques and a considered mix of textures and colors add character to a London backyard
Full Story
Landscape Design
Yard of the Week: Modern Look Nods to Traditional Japanese Design
By Becky Harris
A Northern California backyard gains decks, patios, a pavilion and an outdoor kitchen that flow in a calm, organized way
Full Story
Landscape Design
Patio of the Week: Minimalist Design With a Warm, Welcoming Feel
By Becky Harris
A landscape designer adds lots of seating, a dining area, a fire pit and a grilling station to a Toronto townhome’s yard
Full Story
Landscape Design
Before and After: 3 Ultimate Outdoor Entertaining Areas
By Elena Vega
Festive gatherings are on the menu in these amenity-filled backyard feasts for the eyes
Full Story
Porches
Porch of the Week: Screened-In Space for Indoor-Outdoor Living
Tailored details, elevated finishes and stylish furnishings create a warm, inviting home in Canada’s wine country
Full Story
Landscape Design
Patio of the Week: Boston Skyline Views From a Modern Roof Deck
By Becky Harris
A landscape architect fits dining, reading and fire pit lounge areas into a narrow L-shaped space
Full Story
This one slipped by me in 2019, loooooove it!!!!!
Revisiting this article 1/1/22 was a nice thing to do (thanks to Becky Harris)...I truly enjoyed reading and looking at the photos of the magic performed on the grounds of this oh so cool house! I remember how I enjoyed the landscaping shows that used to run on HGTV (because it truly used to be House and GARDEN TV) and seeing this article reminded me there is more to a property than just the interior. I hope the grounds of this home are even more beautiful today!
Wow, So inspiring! Thank you to the owners for caretaking this treasure. Beautiful work!