Stone & Maple
Framing a home with permanence and flow
On a large corner lot in Coquitlam, Stone & Maple brings together two timeless landscape design elements to create a property that feels both grounded and refined. What began as a blank landscape around a striking West Coast contemporary home is now a space with rhythm, scale, and privacy, balancing the crisp lines of architecture with the warmth of planting and texture.
The challenge: softening edges and creating privacy
Though the home was beautifully built, the setting left it exposed. The front yard, wide and open to the street, offered little definition or sense of approach, while the backyard pool felt over-watched by neighbouring windows. For homeowners who valued entertaining and gardening, the property lacked the flow, privacy, and character needed to match their lifestyle. The complexity of height restrictions in the bylaws for corner lots in Coquitlam also made this project particularly challenging, ad it required a bit of problem solving.
Designing a landscape with balance and contrast
The design solution was to extend the home’s West Coast contemporary spirit out into its surroundings, blending clean lines with organic materials. A grand front entry became the starting point, defined by a horizontal slat wood fence and granite-faced columns that echo the home’s stonework. From there, the property unfolds with layers of texture and form. Evergreen magnolias to shelter the pool from view, narrow Spruce to lend vertical scale, and Japanese maples to soften the home’s architectural angles and bring seasonal drama.
Hardscape choices played equally important roles. Smooth concrete pathways with saw-cut patterns keep circulation crisp and contemporary, while rustic stone walls and steps add a touch of permanence and Whistler-inspired character. Together, they strike a deliberate balance.
Details matter
Much of Stone & Maple’s charm lies in the way the details were handled. Lighting was treated like punctuation, adding emphasis without overwhelming the home’s already strong exterior glow. Carefully placed fixtures highlight specimen trees, casting upward drama against foliage, while path lighting provides quiet reassurance underfoot. The result is a landscape that feels as inviting at night as it does in the day.
Equally, the mix of stone and planting choices creates subtle shifts in experience. Where the concrete feels sleek, the stone provides touchpoints of age and texture. The ornamental grasses add grace and movement to the garden, paired with perennials and groundcovers, to transform what would have been a vast, empty corner lot into a sequence of framed views, softened boundaries, and intimate garden moments.
A property with rhythm and permanence
Now, instead of a house sitting exposed on its lot, the home feels rooted—like home was actually built around existing landscaping instead of the other way around. The pool is private without being walled in, the front yard makes a strong first impression, and the punctuated maples carry through as a theme that grounds the entire property. For a family that entertains and gardens, it’s a landscape that finally feels as intentional and enduring as the home it surrounds.
