When homeowners who love to entertain bought this house on Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota, the house and grounds needed a complete renovation. They wanted to enjoy the yard with their children and guests and create better views of the lake. "The yard was very woodsy and had been overtaken by junky invasive species," says landscape architect Meg Arnosti of Windsor Companies. "The new design is very formal and French close to the house, and transitions into less formal and woodsy as you move away from the house."

Project architect Dan Gleeson placed sculptures from the homeowners' collection in spaces that honored them. The plan also included cleaning up the invasive plants to reveal the view, adding a cutting garden for floral arrangements and building an indoor pool with a terrace above it. Circulation around the yard was also improved, so the clients could take the big parties they love to host outside.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four
Location: Orono, Minnesota
That's interesting: This garden was inspired by French landscape design and especially the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Windsor Companies "The property provides a variety of experiences," says Arnosti. The setting is atop a hill over Lake Minnetonka. A bold axis in the form of a wide bluestone path lined in shrubs connects the back of the house and the terrace to a modern sculpture. Wing walls surrounding the sculpture terrace frame the spectacular view. Windsor Companies On the other side of the house, the redesigned driveway terminates in a formal entry court with a sculpture in the middle. The new columns foreshadow the home's French villa–inspired renovation. Windsor Companies Along with the boulder walls, another modern sculpture and elm trees articulate the boundaries of a large bluestone terrace right off the house and serve as a transitional space between the house and the yard.

Rectilinear lines articulate the formal spaces but are softened by plants. Pachysandra serves as a blanket of green immediately surrounding the terrace, while Annabelle hydrangeas bloom right beyond the walls. Windsor Companies "This terrace is the clients' favorite part of their yard, and they use it all the time," says Arnosti. They use it casually whenever the weather allows and for their frequent parties. When the Minnesota weather has them housebound, they can can still enjoy the beautiful view across it and out to the lake. Windsor Companies The axis from the house to the lake terminates at this rectilinear pond and the large sculpture, and draws the eye out to the lake beyond. "The pond was a way to formalize the lake at the terminal point of the axis," Arnosti explains. The pond provides another transition between the built and natural landscapes. Windsor Companies The formal stucco walls that edge the rectilinear terrace out back become less formal as they curve around the right side of the house. Lady's mantle and Brookside geraniums accentuate this portion of the wall's edge in green, yellow and purple.

This sinuous portion of the wall overlooks the cutting garden, arbor and tennis court. "Windsor also did extensive and amazing work renovating the inside of the house, but almost everyone who comes over comments on how much they love the landscape," says Arnosti. It's easy to see why. Windsor Companies The graceful curves of this less formal stone path extend all the way around the edge of the lawn, separating it from the woodsy area.

The long arbor with a pavilion in the center sits between the perennial cutting garden and the tennis court, which Gleeson placed on the lowest part of the property. He centered a large abstract sculpture in front of the pavilion. Its combination of curves and crisp edges fits right into this part of the landscape. Windsor Companies Beautiful cutting gardens edged in shrubs lead up to the pavilion. The homeowners use it often for gathering floral arrangements, once again connecting their house to the spectacular landscape.

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