LOCATION: Greenland, NH

Some properties call for restraint, letting a handful of well-chosen features do the talking instead of packing in every option available. On this Greenland, NH estate, we built the backyard around a custom white fireplace and a matching pergola, two architectural focal points that give the space real presence without competing with the home itself. A flagstone patio, laid with a compass rose detail at its center, connects the fireplace seating area to the rest of the yard, while dry stack stone walls and pillars, built from natural fieldstone, frame the space and tie the hardscape to the property's more rustic edges.

Walkway steps and a full planting plan carry that same sense of intention throughout the property, with layered perennials, hydrangeas, and specimen trees chosen to bloom and change through the seasons rather than peak once and fade. Off to one side, a memorial stone placard is set quietly into the landscape among the greenery, a thoughtful detail worked into the design rather than added as an afterthought. From the fireplace to the farthest planting bed, every piece of this backyard was built to feel like it belongs exactly where it sits.