Olivier Garden

To reveal the potential of this shady and under-utilized urban courtyard in Montreal’s Westmount neighborhood, we composed a palette combining rich shades of green that appear vibrant against a limestone backdrop. The rear of the house now offers an outdoor dining and living room that is both defined and linked by the tone-on-tone canvas.

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The Western red cedar terrace, which extends the kitchen to the outside, is framed by an L-shaped bench that also serves as a landing from the back door, and by a barbecue cabinet with generous work surfaces. Lowered to two feet from the ground, the terrace no longer requires guardrails and is therefore fully open to the expanse of the garden. To the side, a path that leads to the basement door via stepping stone is flanked by shade-loving perennials.

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Framed by a cedar fence and a border of lush shade plants, the garden courtyard is brightened  with Saint-Marc stone paving and bleached wood armchairs accompanied by cream cushions. Plants including hydrangeas, whorled holly, ferns, amsonia, large astrantia, forget-me-nots, sedges and hakone grass juxtaposes foliage—all arranged to form a scenographic artwork full of texture and softness. The burgundy-colored foliage of a Japanese maple adds a charming contrast, highlighted by the pink blooms of coneflowers, astilbes and eragrostis.

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Two large existing maples were pruned to let in light and free up space for the new layout. Lines of Carolina hornbeams along the common fences, and hemlocks at the back of the courtyard, however, offer privacy and intimacy during times spent in the garden. When evening falls, careful lighting modulates the chiaroscuro effects that add drama to this stage designed for appreciating summer’s pleasures.

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Team:

Sophie Robitaille  Partner, CSLA,  ASLA, AAPQ

Teressa Peill  Landscape Architect, CSLA, AAPQ

Andrew Curtis  Partner, AIA, MRAIC, LEED BD+C

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Contractor : Les Freres Valente

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Photography © Nanne Springer