Pearl District Penthouse Garden

This two-story penthouse garden in Portland’s Pearl District overlooks downtown and the Willamette River, as well as the Northwest Hills, with breathtaking views of Mt. Hood and the Cascade mountain range beyond. Working in close collaboration with the client, Pistils was asked to transform and elevate an underserved series of balconies and courtyards that were dominated by steel, concrete and glass.

Both the design and install presented many unique and exciting challenges. Design-wise, the primary hardscape obstacle was creating a series of precisely calibrated, fully integrated metal garden containers that felt like they were part of the original aesthetic of this elegant apartment building’s architecture.

On the install side, included in the many logistical and technical hurdles was getting the twenty-some custom-designed and fabricated metal garden planters, as well as the 15-plus cubic yards of soil and plants for the garden beds from the ground floor to the penthouse for installation.

As the client requested a year-round plant design that would reflect their extensive world travels, the Pistils’ design team created different zones with alternately tropical, desert and northwest specimens, including Colocasia, hardy Opuntia, Choisya, Mimosa and Azalea. Other specific requests were to create a dog-friendly zone and a lush planting area around the existing hot tub.

The end result was stellar, due to the extensive, detailed planning and execution by the entire Pistils’ team and an awesome working relationship with the client.