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New Front Entry

Kent, WA - New landscaping and architectural detailing transform a home in Kent, Washington


Like many homes in the suburbs, this home suffered from an unremarkable entry experience.  When a neighborhood does not have sidewalks, there is little opportunity or reason to connect your front entry to the public street.  Since everyone typically arrives by car, the entry experience needed to relate more to the driveway and garage.

We devised a plan to create a central courtyard feel at the front door that relates to the formal architecture of the house, then we introduced a pathway that branches out to connect to the driveway near the garage as well as further down the driveway for guests that arrive by car.  Stone stairs and walls help to provide some separation of the entry from the driveway and define the front entry courtyard.  Landscape architect, Tom Zachary, chose soft cascading plants to soften the hard edges of the stone.

Further improvements were made to the architecture of the home with a new garage door with custom trim to create a 'panel' effect on the front facade. A small trellis structure defines an entry way to the rear garden.