Suburban Living Reimagined

This property is located in Reston, Virginia on a wedge-shaped lot bordering the community park on one side. Former exurbs like Reston have become well-integrated within greater metropolitan areas and are increasingly attractive to a new generation of homeowners. Culturally ubiquitous, the 1980s split-level homes are sparking innovative revitalization. The owner of this particular home reimagined both the exterior and interior with Richardson & Associates extending his vision into the landscape.

The view from the street is striking with large white pavers of concrete contrasting the dark exterior. These bold elements are softened by the ornamental grasses and a billowing Japanese Black Pine near the entry. A new cedar pergola serves as a threshold between the front and rear yards with long beds of Panicum and a gravel pathway leading to the patio and up the hill. The wire basket wall stacked with stone divides the deck area from the upper garden and makes a strong visual statement. A gabion wall like this is typically found in more industrial settings, but here it adds a hand-wrought yet contemporary statement. Opposite the wall, a two-tier dining and entertaining deck is composed of cedar wood, which echoes the use of the same material in the eaves of the house and front door. The spa is likewise sheathed in cedar in warm comparison to the flagstone pavers and steps that lead up the grade to a boulder-encircled seating area and fire pit. Visual clarity comes from the Cherry Laurel hedge and dense beds of evergreens, hydrangea, ferns, and grasses, all of which guide the view from the house. A rain garden of native plantings captures run-off to complete a fresh outlook for suburban living.

  • Architect: Fowlkes Studio
  • General Contractor: Evolution Design Build
  • Landscape Contractor: LC Grounds Company
  • Photographer: Kate Wichlinski
A two-story dark wood and brick house with a bright orange front door. A stone path leads through a grassy yard to the entrance, flanked by small shrubs and ornamental grasses.
A modern house with black siding and a dark brick facade features a large orange wood front door. Three wide, floating concrete steps lead to the entrance, which is labeled with the house number 11051.
A modern two-story home with dark charcoal siding and brick, featuring a bright wood front door labeled 1051. A landscaped front yard with ornamental grasses, a pine tree, and a stone walkway leads to the entrance.
A wooden pergola stands over a gravel path in a backyard garden. The path leads from the foreground toward a green lawn, framed by the pergolas slat walls and overhanging tree leaves.
A black house with a multi-level wooden deck features an outdoor dining set, lounge seating, and a circular hot tub. A stone walkway leads from a gravel path across a green lawn toward the home, which is surrounded by large trees under a sunny sky.
A circular wooden hot tub sits on a deck next to a black house with outdoor seating. A horizontal wood-slat privacy screen shields the hot tub, and a stone patio edges the wooden deck.
A stone-filled wire gabion wall runs alongside a gravel path. Behind the wall, a landscaped garden features small evergreen trees and shrubs in front of a wooden fence.
A modern charcoal-colored house with a metal roof overlooks a backyard patio. Four dark curved chairs surround a circular fire pit on a gravel terrace, framed by large boulders and lush green trees.
Two dark gray lounge chairs and a circular fire pit sit on a gravel patio. In the foreground, green and orange ferns grow near a plant with patterned leaves and delicate stalks. Large boulders are tucked into the lush green foliage behind the seating area.

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