Cedar Hills

Portland, Or

The varied topography adjacent this attractive mid-century home in Southwest Portland presented great opportunities to create a truly dynamic landscape, ensconced by steep slopes and mature Douglas Fir trees.

In the backyard, a steep hill tumbles down to a chiseled basalt wall with rustic, but clean edges. At one end, the handsome wall gives way to a disintegrated collection of boulders before resolving with a rain garden planted with iris and rush that helps manage the considerable stormwater in the winter months.

The L-shaped house opens up to a roomy central courtyard featuring a large ipe deck, a sand-finished concrete patio and wood-burning fire pit — all flanked by custom steel planters. Far from uniform, the large concrete slabs come together at unique angles, informed by and mirroring the unique architecture of the home.

Starting on the home’s west side, stairs lead up from raised garden beds to a large, ipe wrap-around deck, that creates a lookout from the living room out to the lower yard.

Inspired by Japanese garden design, the plantscape features sculpted boxwood and rhododendron punctuated by colorful hydrangea and maple.

Process