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The outdoor side

Moss & Murmur

The best outdoor spaces aren’t seen all at once. They’re discovered: the sound of water around a corner, a gate in the hedge, a chime tuned to a chord you chose. I bring that sense of discovery to the land around your home.

A long reflecting pool at dusk holding the sky and a lone valley oak, golden foothills beyond
A look we can create

Every piece is made by Members of the Alliance (stone carvers, metalworkers, ceramicists and woodworkers) and installed by licensed landscape and electrical partners. All of it is designed for the Gold Country and the Sierra foothills: fire-wise, water-wise and rooted in the land.

The five senses

A narrow stone rill running beside a gravel path through lavender and oaks toward the foothills
A look we can create

01 · Sound

Water

Water you hear before you see it. Hand-carved stone basins, narrow rills that follow a path, a copper rain chain singing into a granite bowl, a still pool that holds the sky.

For example

  • Carved stone basin
  • Stone rill
  • Copper rain chain
  • Reflecting pool
A copper rain chain spilling into a carved stone bowl among ferns beside a plaster wall
A look we can create
A curved carved-stone whisper bench among lavender, overlooking a lake in the foothills at sunset
A look we can create

02 · Sound

Music

Your own music, hidden in the garden. Speakers disguised as stone and planters, and wind chimes made by hand and tuned to a chord you choose.

For example

  • Hidden garden speakers
  • Hand-tuned chimes
  • The whisper bench
Handmade bronze wind chimes hanging from an oak branch above a weathered garden bench
A look we can create
A clipped hedge room with one lounge chair, a stack of books and a stone side table
A look we can create

03 · Sight

Secret Gardens

A gate in the hedge. A round moon gate framing the view. A clipped green room with one chair and one lantern. Spaces that make you feel like you found something.

For example

  • Hidden gate
  • Moon gate
  • Hedge room
  • Reading nook in the slope
An arched wooden door set into a tall clipped hedge, standing open onto a hidden garden
A look we can create
A hammered copper fire bowl glowing in a circle of stone seating above the foothills at sunset
A look we can create

04 · Touch

Outdoor Rooms

Handmade tile tables, a sculptural fire bowl, an outdoor shower wrapped in stone, copper and ferns.

For example

  • Tile dining table
  • Forged fire bowl
  • Garden shower
An outdoor shower in a plaster wall with a copper rain head, ferns and a teak floor
A look we can create
A great valley oak lit from below under a starry sky, a stone wall at its foot
A look we can create

05 · Light

After Dark

Handmade lanterns, hammered-copper path lights, and one oak lit like the centerpiece it is. Gardens should be as beautiful at nine at night as at nine in the morning.

For example

  • Handmade lanterns
  • Copper path lights
  • Oak uplighting
  • Firefly hedge lights
A gravel path lit by low copper lights through lavender toward a glowing house at dusk
A look we can create

A little mischief outside

A stone fox peeking from the ferns. A tiny door at the base of a tree. A message carved into a stepping stone.

A small carved stone fox peeking out from ferns beside a mossy stone wall
A look we can create
A tiny arched wooden door set into the base of an old oak, clover around it
A look we can create
See Mischief & Mortar →

Three ways to begin

  1. One Moment

    A single feature: a carved basin, a tuned chime, a lantern-lit path.

  2. The Secret Room

    One hidden garden space, fully finished.

  3. The Whole Grounds

    A complete outdoor plan for the land around your home. Quoted per project.

Fire-wise and water-wise

Here in the foothills, beautiful has to be smart too. I design near the house with stone, metal, gravel and fire-resistant plants that respect California’s defensible-space rules, and every water feature recirculates, using very little water. You get a garden that’s lovely, safe and easy to live with.

Every outdoor project is installed by licensed landscape and electrical contractors I trust, and every handmade piece carries a card naming its maker.

Let’s find the secret in your garden.

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