Monday 16 January 2006

Japanese Garden, Philadelphia


A Japanese House beautifully related to a gorgeous Japanese Garden, and in the unlikely place of Philadelphia. Note the transition space between the inside and outside; the diagonal planning and the gentle, easy relationship between house and garden; the objects placed in foreground and middle ground to help lead the eye out, including paths and bridges to entice you out; the gentle transition from man-made to natural -- including for example the man-made post in the foreground leading the eye out to its more natural forebears in the distance -- it becomes difficult to identify where house finishes and garden begins.

All in all, a beautiful example of just how special is Japanese garden design, and how much it has to teach us -- and how much it has to show us about our houses can relate to the landscape around them.

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