The coastal Pacific Northwest doesn’t conjure scenes of rolling sand dunes or swaying palms quite like sunny Southern California, Cape Cod or Florida does. But coastal is coastal, wherever it is. On Bainbridge Island, Washington, in a neighborhood filled with many anchor- and seagull-type beach houses, architecture and landscape design firm Wittman Estes was hired to create a truly Northwestern-style entry for a couple’s beachfront home.

“The clients wanted a modern, elegant entryway and lounge area that respected the beachy atmosphere of the site and would not be difficult to maintain,” says landscape designer Jody Estes. She and architect Matt Wittman worked with the clients to create something distinctly beachy but not cliché. The coast itself, not the perception of coastal living, inspired the garden.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple nearing retirement
Location: Bainbridge Island, near Seattle
Team: Architect: Wittman Estes; construction: Pyramid Construction; steel planter fabrication: Seattle Boiler Works; concrete fabrication: Bill House; plant material: Melissa Firestone
Size: 800 square feet Wittman Estes Landscape The recently renovated backyard guided some of the decisions for the front yard, but Estes wanted to create a unique entry experience. The house backs up to the beach, and its proximity to the water helped inspire the design, plantings and hardscape palette. Though the front yard pulls inspiration from the coast, it’s not overtly beachy.

In addition to looking good for passing cars, front yards serve as thoroughfares: street to front door, trash cans to curb, outdoor seating to house. The homeowner wanted an outdoor seating and dining area but also needed access to the garage and trash area. “All of these needs for access left us with a space that — if we weren’t careful — would just be a series of paths,” says Estes.

Steel planters were already being used in the backyard, and Estes incorporated them into the front yard design. The raised planters help shape necessary paths and spaces without carving up the garden too much. “They also work as objects in the space and as dividers,” Estes says. “This dividing and screening makes the space seem larger than it actually is, because it cannot all be seen from any given point.” Wittman Estes Landscape Wittman Estes Landscape A cedar fence encloses the space. The homeowners were motivated primarily by the desire to shield themselves from the wind and ocean spray. Though they wanted privacy, they didn’t want the entire front facade to be opaque, closed off to the world. Estes designed a permeable fence: The garden is private, but passersby can catch a glimpse of the space through the breaks between slats. Wittman Estes Landscape Crushed stone and precast concrete reminiscent of a boardwalk continue the contemporary coastal theme. “The colors of the custom-made concrete pavers really captured the feeling of the local beach sand, which is quite gray,” says Estes. The paving is most noticeably a path, but its diagonal line and pairing with gravel make it read like art. Wittman Estes Landscape Wittman Estes Landscape Wittman Estes Landscape Plants were selected to perform specific tasks. The homeowners wanted something with large, evergreen leaves, so Estes chose bear’s breech (Acanthus mollis). The spreading underground rhizomes of Acanthus can be aggressive, but Estes says the freezing winters of the Pacific Northwest reduce the spreading. Bear’s breech is one of the few plants whose large leaves can handle salt burn and the wind’s flogging — it’s tough. Feather reed grass was used for its height; its swaying is a reminder of the nearby water. Angelina sedum fills the raised planter. Abundant Acorus spills over path edges. Wittman Estes Landscape The existing native vine maples were performing well, so Estes felt confident about planting more. “The site receives a lot of late-afternoon sun,” she says. “We needed to keep in mind that the homeowners would be using the space in the evening, so we would have to provide some shading. We planted vine maples to the southeast of the dining-lounging area, so that the afternoon sun would be screened, but left it open to the southwest so that later in the early evening, sun could come through.” Wittman Estes Landscape The backyard looks out onto Puget Sound. Estes is glad the clients chose a contemporary garden, and is grateful to them for giving her young office the opportunity. She and Wittman were staying next door when they met the clients. “They took a chance with us,” says Estes. “We didn’t have a lot of experience on our own — we worked for others at the time — so it was really amazing that the whole thing happened at all.”