
My clients asked for ideas to improve the curb appeal of their home. In discussions about how they live, it seemed that I could improve their lives by adding one or more garden rooms to extend the feel and reach of their small home and to provide a better flow inside and outside of their home. Among several ideas, one they all responded to was a front stone patio that connects a front garden room to a side den. The garden room’s ceiling would be a wood pergola (see first image, below). Plantings beyond a sitting-height stone wall would provide a sense of privacy and improve their views from inside the home.

Before moving forward, the husband asked if I could show him images of other homes with pergola’s and garden rooms in the front yard. I think he was a little afraid the idea was too radical. I used houzz to pull together images from my own work and the work of others to help him further visualize the wonderful effect of creating a garden room in the front of a home. Below is a slide show of the images.