Museum District Project
This landscape design and installation project by Exterior Worlds is a powerful example of how vision, creativity, and site strategy can completely transform the livability and beauty of a residential property. What began as a standard urban backyard evolved into a modern private retreat when the client purchased the home located directly behind his residence. By removing the existing structure and commissioning Exterior Worlds to reimagine the site, the homeowner was able to extend his backyard footprint and create a timeless estate environment—complete with a pool, pool house, and guest accommodations. The result is a seamless blend of architecture and landscape, where indoor and outdoor living operate as one continuous, artfully composed experience.
The new pool house sits elegantly within the expanded setting, anchored by clean horizontal lines, soft architectural lighting, and expansive panes of glass that establish transparency between interior space and the surrounding gardens. The building is positioned to frame the pool terrace while maintaining privacy from neighboring properties, creating a sanctuary-like feel. The pool itself is crisp, geometrically defined, and bordered by lightly textured decking that steps thoughtfully across the grade. Its surface reflects the soft dusk lighting, adding movement and elegance to the environment as day transitions into night.
The planting design balances sculptural restraint with modern softness. Gravel beds, agave, golden barrel cactus, and drought-tolerant grasses create an arid minimalism that pairs beautifully with the architecture. Elevated steel and plaster planters act as structural elements in the landscape, generating height, shadow, and layered texture. Each planter is strategically placed to guide the eye through the space and reinforce circulation patterns without obstructing the wide-open feel of the backyard. Boulders and low plantings soften the geometry and warm the space, offering weight at the ground plane and a sense of permanence.
Wood decking platforms weave throughout the garden, connecting lounge areas, walking surfaces, and the pool edge. These boards contribute a natural tonal contrast against the metal and stone finishes, ensuring the space feels human, tactile, and welcoming. Modern outdoor furnishings complement the architecture rather than dominate it, maintaining a calm design language—clean, honest materials, simple forms, deliberate restraint.
Illumination plays a particularly meaningful role in this project. Brass sconces, up-lighting, and architectural glow make the space feel alive after dark. The subtle lighting on textured walls and plant forms creates shadow and depth, transforming the garden into a nighttime experience that feels elegant, intimate, and warm. Path and accent lights highlight movement while preserving dark-sky quality—a thoughtful nod to both aesthetics and lifestyle.
Exterior Worlds not only expanded a backyard—they redefined it. The design integrates home, pool, guest house, and gardens into one cohesive environment, elevating the property from a single-lot residence into a private compound with resort-level comfort and sophistication. This project exemplifies purposeful design—where every gesture, material, and planting builds toward a space that is functional, sculptural, restful, and enduring.
