Timeless Outdoor Living in Greenwich, Connecticut

Beyond the pool, at the edge of the property, landscape architect Renée Byers planted a mix of evergreens, including arborvitae and holly, mixed with deciduous trees and a fragrant southern magnolia. Behind, Byers added rain tolerant shrubs and grasses that draw pollinators.

A honey locust tree provides a lacy canopy off the dining terrace.

Low Connecticut fieldstone walls match the home’s stone veneer and create gentle definition for the various garden spaces. Spreading boxwoods march along the wall by the pool, straddling the line between formal and relaxed. Both pool and spa, which are set off-center in the yard, have motorized covers that open and close in seconds.

Byers used lots of plantings around the perimeter to conceal fencing and add to the sense of privacy. “We used the concept of borrowed scenery,” she says. “Because we planted in a natural way, with the plants staggered and the species varied, you can’t tell where this property ends and the neighbor’s begins.”

Border beds around the lounging terrace sport soft color in dwarf roses, Russian sage, and pots of annuals.

A pair of cedar pergolas spill dappled light onto the dining and lounging areas.

Potted annuals, including petunias and pink mandevilla, join a border of densely planted perennials at a corner of the house.

Byers created visual interest by varying the placement of pavers, setting them close together on the dining and lounging terraces and spacing them out with grass in the area between the pergolas.

A custom sofa designed by Byers cozies up to a firepit carved from a monolithic block of granite.

Because the property is almost entirely fenced in, Byers was able to forgo a barrier immediately around the swimming pool. Throughout the yard, the landscape architect brought hardscape and plant materials together in a cohesive design with plenty of visual interest, texture, and subtle color.

Landscape Architecture and Home Design in Harmony

It’s a wise homeowner who hires architects for both house and landscape at the start of a building project. That’s just what the new owners of a Greenwich property did once they decided to raze the existing house and start over. For landscape architect Renée Byers, it was a rare opportunity to be part of a team that would treat the house and its surrounding land as a whole, ensuring a deep connection between the man-made and the natural. “We were able to help decide the ideal position of the house, which is something the landscape architect doesn’t always get to be involved in,” she says.

That meant working with architect Cormac Byrne to site the house to meet its owners’ needs and maximize good looks. “We figured out how far back to set the house for a gracious driveway and with maximum room for a backyard showstopper,” Byers explains.

While the front of the house, with its circular driveway and front courtyard, presents an amiable facade, it is indeed the back of the 1.73-acre parcel that packs the real visual punch.

Custom Pool Design and Outdoor Living Spaces

Parallel to the house, Byers devised a series of spaces that incorporate the swimming pool and spa, main lawn, and firepit as well as dining and lounging terraces, which sit under twin pergolas off the back of the house. “The cedar pergolas are beautiful,” says builder Joey Nannariello, who with his father, Joe, has worked with Byrne on multiple homes. “The way they age over time, they almost match the house.”

For the house, Byrne notes, “We used Connecticut fieldstone, with granite accents at windows and doors and a natural slate roof, so it’s all very high-end but durable and maintenance free.”

Byers chose the same fieldstone for the low walls that delineate the garden’s spaces. Stairs, pavers, and pool coping are New York bluestone.

She defied traditional central placement of the swimming pool, instead setting it off slightly to the side and down a step. “Because this is the Northeast, we didn’t want to be looking out on a pool cover most of the year,” she says.

Elegant Plantings and Thoughtful Outdoor Furnishings

Plant materials have a certain formality close to the house and become more relaxed on the way to the yard’s perimeter. At the edges, Byers used evergreens such as hollies and arborvitae, then mixed in larger deciduous trees, including a magnolia that fills the air with fragrance when it blooms.

“We used mature trees for a sense of permanency as well as privacy,” she says.

Closer to the house, spreading boxwoods reinforce and soften the lines of the walls, while the subtle hues of dwarf roses and Russian sage add texture and a hint of color. A host of grasses in various colors, sizes, and textures accompanies the boxwoods and adds movement and visual interest all year long.

Interior designer Michael Cox outfitted the dining and lounging areas with clean, simple furniture in neutral tones and, of course, outdoor performance fabrics. “We wanted it to be a very quiet backdrop to the beauty of Mother Nature,” he says. Like the landscaping itself, “Everything is approachable, with a refinement but with no formality. And that’s very much who these clients are.”

Project Team
Landscape design: Renée Byers Landscape Architect
Architecture: Jones Byrne Margeotes Partners
Interior design: Foley&Cox
Builder: JNC Incorporated