Dublin Terraced Garden

Dublin Terraced Garden

For this Dublin residence, the challenge was to create a comfortable connection between an upper terrace off the screened porch and the walkout lower level without allowing a long run of steps to overwhelm the landscape.

While the change in elevation determined the number of steps required, it didn't have to determine how the transition would feel.

Rather than creating one continuous staircase, the steps were offset with a landing and integrated into a series of planted terraces. Breaking the elevation change into smaller sections allows the landscape to unfold gradually as you move between the upper and lower levels.

Layered plantings soften the grade change and help the steps settle naturally into the surrounding landscape. What could have been a dominant architectural necessity instead becomes part of the garden itself.

The result is a transition that feels comfortable, natural, and appropriately scaled to the property—turning a challenging change in elevation into one of the landscape's defining features.