Meadow & Hearth
Designing an entry that feels like an experience
From the moment you pass through the gates, Meadow & Hearth sets a different tone. Once just an open stretch of field and gravel leading up to a beautiful modern farmhouse, this rural Langley acreage has been transformed into a welcoming, multi-layered experience. An experience that invites guests to linger, explore, and connect.
The challenge: blending spectacle with intimacy
While the home and pool area were stunning, the front yard felt underwhelming. It lacked definition, privacy, and the sense of anticipation you’d expect when entering such a remarkable property. The wide-open view to the house offered little to slow the eye, and the space felt too exposed to the road. For clients who regularly host large-scale gatherings and fundraisers, the blank-slate entry didn’t reflect their warmth, hospitality, or flair for creating memorable experiences.
Creating a landscape that welcomes and connects
The homeowners had long envisioned adding a pond to the property, and it became the natural anchor for the entire redesign. At nearly 100 feet wide, framed with planting and stone, it brought both drama and tranquility.
We shifted from the original idea of a recreational putting green to something that better suited the property’s French country garden sensibilities. Instead of one large activity that potentially excluded guests that didn’t play golf, the front yard became a series of experiences: meandering gravel paths, intimate clearings for one-on-one conversations, and lawns flexible enough for casual evenings or standing-room fundraisers.
At the heart of the entertaining space, a wood-fired pizza oven sits under a covered pergola. It’s both practical and participatory, giving guests a place to gather around, shape dough, and share in the process. From there, pathways lead across a bridge over the waterfalls, past the original woodshed, and into shaded corners beneath newly planted trees.
Small details that make a big impact
The pond incorporates a wetland filtration system, using aquatic plants and fine aggregates to keep the water clear without chemicals. Bubbling fountains and the main waterfalls add both height and sound, softening traffic noise and deepening the sense of retreat.
A lot of front yards are designed to look good from one vantage point, the street. But because guests drive around this space in a loop, it was designed to look good from every angle, including the street, the driveway, and the home itself.
Trees were placed to filter, but not block, the view to the home. The gravel underfoot provides that quintessential crunch, making this front yard feel park-like. In the pergola, notice the recessed pot lights in the beams that cast functional, elegant light during events. And the pond, reflecting both home and sky, anchors the scale of the entire property when you enter through the gates. It must be that large or it would feel entirely out of place.
A yard that feels alive with possibility
Now, instead of a driveway leading through an empty field, the front yard is a series of moments that build anticipation for what guests will experience during their stay. The pizza oven fires up often, and the pond greets our clients with a sense of calm every time they return. The front yard finally mirrors the warmth, beauty, and presence of the home it leads to.
