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Zen Courtyard

This project was a remodel of a landscape that included a limestone walled courtyard. Although the space was well proportioned, the details of the interior courtyard made it feel and look dirty and drab. I redesigned the space to be more than a space one passed through, and more of a place that one actually spent time in. By adding a water feature to be it's focal point, it also created a soothing and contemplative effect. I played off the courtyard's long rectangular space by reinforcing that with rectangular pavers, fountain, and a bench that invites you to sit, and be still in the composition.

Aug 20, 2011

Photos: 6

Minimal Modern

This home is in an arid part of Austin called Westlake Hills. The homeowners specifically requested: "no irrigation, no mowing." Their home was a remodeled mid-century modern style house built in the 60's. They wanted the landscape to reflecct the home's style, and their sustainable mandate.

Aug 20, 2011

Photos: 5

Midcentury Backyard

This home was occupied by the original owner until recently. The new owners were a young family, with two very young children, who needed a place to play in the enclosed backyard. The backyard sloped dramatically and was not a very kid-friendly space, evenn though it was quite large. I designed a large grass area that was retained by a low wall so that the lawn would be level enough to play soccer, football or even just a picnic. Getting down to the lawn was a challenge that was solved by a new set of stepps that complemented the original mid-century patio, without trying to seem original.

Aug 11, 2011

Photos: 3

70s Update

The homeowners had remodeled their home on the inside to reflect their pared-down aesthetic. The front and backyard had the original plantings from when the home was originally built in the 70's. By translating their interior style into a landscape design, the home now feels as though it is one continuous design, inside and out.

Jun 6, 2011

Photos: 4

Contemporary

This house was a complete remodel of a home in an established, traditional neighborhood. The architect's design was a remarkable, geometic house that called for a landscape that met his vision. This landscape is as forward feeling as the new home. Both are sculptural statements that also act as spaces that still fulfill the homeowner's basic needs for them and their children: shelter, comfort, and usable space, that happen to be aesthetically pleasing to them.

May 18, 2011

Photos: 15

Ranch-style Redo

This home is located in a "regular" suburban tract that was built in the 60's. Now, this neighborhood is undergoing extensive renovation. The owner wanted to keep the original lines and features of the original house, but wanted to simply update the colors and landscape so that the home would feel modern and fresh. By combining features of traditional landscapes from the 50's (boxwoods) and adding a modern twist (gravel beds), the design has a foot in the home's past, and a foot in the future of today.

Apr 20, 2011

Photos: 4

Kappa Courtyard

This landscape is the courtyard of a sorority house, which was built in the 1930's. The challenge was to create a space that could accomodate their current needs, while respecting the architectural heritage of the original house. The lawn was replaced with a patio made of limestone pavers so that they could accomodate the number of guests that would be at some of their larger paties. It also had to be a space that was handicapped accessible for people - young and old - with different physical abilities. And yet, the courtyard had to feel like it belonged to the Antebellum style home. The design is a large courtyard with an abundance of evergreen plant materials to balance the white limestone patio and seat wall. The white is the color of the brick building's trim.

Jan 20, 2011

Photos: 4

Backyard Living

When the homeowners approached me to help them with their small backyard, all the really wanted was a small patio to entertain. Since the space was so small, I suggested that the entire space be converted to an entertaining area. By pushing the patio all the way to the fence, the space felt much larger, and was much easier to care for. Yet, it still felt intimate if they had just one - or several - guests.

May 26, 2010

Photos: 3

Suburban Now

This is a brand new home in a suburb of Austin. The homeowner liked the house and location, but wanted something that felt like it was modern and well-designed, and not just the run-of-the-mill landscape solution - lots of lawn to water and mow, and a few shrubs. I designed a landscape based on the photos they provided me, that were mostly contemporary styled spaces in California. They had a limited budget, but we were able to still create something they wanted, and that looked like what they had seen in the magazines.

May 25, 2010

Photos: 6

Sidewalk 2.0

When I showed up, the lawn went right up to the house, and there was a very narrow sidewalk that curved up to the door. The design was meant to create a courtyard that welcomed the homeowner - and vistors - to their mid-century ranch style house. A short wall, made of the same brick as the house, created a sense of place and seperation from the street. The sidewalk was a series of geometic forms that creates an exciting pattern, and leads you visually to the door. The sloping surface was mitigated with a series of steel terraces that have limited plantings.

Oct 29, 2009

Photos: 5

The New Frontyard

This home was a complete remodel, and the owners wanted something modern, sustainable, and yet fun and kid-friendly. Viola! Instead of wall-to-wall lawn, we created a small area of lawn for the kids to play on, and left the rest of the space for outdoor entertaining, and unstructured walkways to the front door, and along the side of the house. Now the space is a fun playground for kids, and adults.

Jun 20, 2009

Photos: 5

Selected Works

Robert Leeper Landscapes features modern, contemporary and mid-centrury landscape designs with offices located in Austin, Texas and San Francisco Bay Area

Jun 19, 2009

Photos: 10

Tree of Life

This wonderful home was a remodel of a home designed in the 60's. The original architect was brought back to work on the remodel. His unique vision needed a landscape to match the home's refreshed mid-century sensibility. By using gravel, pavers, deck, and lwan, the home has a design that travels inside and out. The finished remodel was used as a location for filming the movie, The Tree of Life.

Jun 19, 2008

Photos: 6

Cool Pool

This beautiful, traditional home was built just 10 years ago. The owner's had decided to add a pool, and my design was meant to fit the site -especially the gigantic live oak tree that was the focal point of the landscape - and the old world style of the house. The pool was meant to be a lap pool, with a spa. By carefully restricting the dimensions, and the decking, the pool fit perfectly to the space, the homeowner's needs, and the style of the home.

Jun 18, 2008

Photos: 6

Villa Gamberaia

Although I did not actually design anything in this world-famous garden, I was blessed enough to live here and work here for a summer. I helped the owner with a variety of tasks mostly concerning the care, presentation and preservation of a historic garden. One of my favorite off-duty activities was photographing the garden, at all times of the day, and night. Enjoy!

Mar 16, 2006

Photos: 36

Robert Leeper
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