In this video, I wanted to share with you a mountain design project that I was responsible for in Creamery Ranch, which is near Edwards, Colorado, and that is just west of Vale by about 20 miles on I-70 in the Central Rocky Mountains. My role in this project was as landscape architect, as well as a solar consultant. And this project focused on a new construction layout that incorporated numerous outdoor rooms that would help our client maintain mindful awareness of their surrounding landscape, but also improved their well-being by exploring the new gardens and outdoor rooms that I designed. The first element of the design was the entry to the home.

And because this client was an elderly couple, they were planning ahead and wanted to have a fully accessible ADA ramp installed. So, I ended up designing the ramp that took them through the landscape so that they could experience the colors and the textures of the plants, but also see the sculptures along their journey as they got to the front door. 

The planting scheme for this project really was based from my signature design motif of Mountain Zen. And here I use small evergreen plants.  I use plants that have rich, colorful leaves, seasonal interest, and, of course, an emphasis on changing textures on the ground plane. One of the design elements that I repeated in this master plan was the use of outdoor sculpture galleries. Here is an example of one on the entry corridor of the home. I worked with an artist from New Mexico to select the stone sculpture for each individual gallery. And here you can see I placed it within a small Mexican beach pebble that could be raked daily, but nestled from a composition standpoint that you could see it from not only the exterior, but also from when you are in the house, so that you can be reminded about the outdoor spaces around you. 

This corner of the house was designed as a meditation garden. And here you can see the fruitless double bloom snow crab apple. And they are in a Bosque fashion. And this meditation room was adjacent to the client's master bedroom.  Next to the Bosque you can see a pergola, which was an architectural feature that I introduced to the client and the architect, because I thought it would be necessary to help combat the harsh Colorado sun, but also be used as an element that we could aid the transitional spaces between architecture and the outdoor rooms. 

From above you can see the meditation garden is full of different blooms, as well as Ouray slate boulders.  And then you can see a pathway of Colorado buff stone that travels throughout the site with a bridge that goes over a waterway that divides the garden. The waterway provided another stimulus for sound in this case. And a spillway was used on the far end. And during the warmer months, if the client cracked their window of their master bedroom, they could hear this water hitting itself and providing a tranquil, peaceful environment. 

From inside, it was important for me to understand the architect's layout.  And this architect was from Chicago and shared with me the layouts before my design so that I could better understand the relationship between the indoor and the outdoor space. So, to the left here, you can see the meditation garden and the Bosca trees. And to the right, you can see how we left this view corridor wide open so that the client could be constantly reminded that the mountains and the meadows are their neighbors. 

In this project, we wanted to keep the eye moving throughout the experienced user.  So, we provided stopping places such as this Ouray slate boulder where you could sit down in the garden, contemplate underneath the blooms of the crab apple trees. But as you can see in the distance, there is also another element, a water feature, that was sculpted by a local artist from a plan that I created. And this is just a really great example of setting up the user for constant discovery, which I love to do in all my designs.

That relationship between indoor and outdoor space was a constant effort to try to achieve within this design. In the dining room, you can see the sculpture, water sculpture in the background. You can see the beautiful high alpine meadows that we wanted to preserve the views to. The relationship between indoor and outdoor is of utmost importance. My mountain Zen design style uses many different elements. We use plants such as perennials, native grass seeds, wildflower seeds, trees, shrubs, but also within the built environment, you can see we use sculptures and interesting stones. We use pea gravel that can be raked in detail and plant containers.  The mountain Zen styling is really a juxtaposition of the two things, the built environment and the natural environment. 

I am going to return to this pergola idea because this was an important architectural element that we used throughout the project and I convinced the team to do so. Now the architect did a wonderful job of integrating it into the architectural styling that they brought to the table. And, you can see the dappling of the shade below on the ground, the texture it creates.  It creates a cooler environment so that you can walk through the design space more comfortably. 

I also mentioned to you that I was the solar consultant for this project and in this county, Eagle County, there is what we call an eco-build fee. So, if any client wants to include snowmelt on their driveway or install a spa or a pool, that is considered wasteful energy and is taxed. But the county also allows you to offset those fees 100% if you install solar.  COLAS Design was a one-stop shop for this client where we could install the solar in a meaningful way in a position on the ground plane because we did not have room on the roof plane to install the panels.  So, we were meticulous in the location of this, not only to maximize the solar power production, but also to be mindful about the views towards the array so that we could screen the array tables with native vegetation.

In this design, I was also responsible for thinking about the spaces, not only for daytime use, but for nighttime use. Here is an example of an outdoor room that the couple can gather around a fire pit to enjoy the celestial sky at night, but also be warmed by the fire next to them. 

At COLAS Design, I strive to create meaningful landscape architecture, and I want to enhance your well-being.  This is an example of an outdoor spa room that was created adjacent to a rose garden beneath the Japanese-inspired pergola.  We want to be able to allow our clients to not only feel like they are safe and comfortable inside, but also outside. So, these spaces that you see in front of you are created with that in mind. 

The mountain Zen styling differs from every project. Each project presents a different set of needs, but there is also a specific spirit to each site that I strive to understand before I start designing. There is no doubt about it, the coordination and communication between the entire design team, if that is good, is one of the strongest reasons that our projects can be as successful as they are.