Cedar Hills
Retreat

The varied topography of the sprawling landscape outside this attractive Mid-Century Modern home in the Cedar Hills neighborhood of Southwest Portland, marked by steep slopes and a backdrop of majestic and mature Douglas Fir trees, presented the Pistils’ design team great opportunities to create a truly dynamic garden with a variety of handsome and functional outdoor rooms.

In the backyard, a steep hill tumbles down to a series of chiseled natural stone retaining walls with rustic, clean edges. At one end, the handsome walls give way to a disintegrated collection of decorative landscape boulders before resolving with a rain garden planted with colorful purple Iris and verdant rush grasses that helps manage stormwater in the winter months.

The L-shaped, mid-century modern home opens up to an expansive central courtyard featuring a large Ipe wood deck, a roomy sand-finished concrete patio and a steel, wood-burning fire pit area with a custom cedar slab bench — all flanked by custom steel planters — to create a variety of outdoor garden spaces ready to be enjoyed throughout the spring, summer and fall.

Far from uniform, the large concrete slab pavers connecting the spaces intersect 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 cedar garden beds to a large, custom Ipe wood deck, creating a lookout from the living room to the lush, multi-faceted garden spaces.

Inspired by Japanese garden design, the plant design features sculptural Boxwood and Rhododendron punctuated by vibrant Hydrangea and textured Japanese Maple trees with a variety of colorful perennials and airy ornamental grasses throughout the landscape.