By relinquishing part of the driveway, this homeowners solved two problems. They wanted a private outdoor place to enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. And they wanted a prettier view from the kitchen window than the strip of concrete driveway and bare wall that they were used to seeing. So they enclosed that section of the driveway with an 1.8 metre wall and turned the space into an inviting interior courtyard.
Rather than demolishing and removing the driveway, which would have been costly, the homeowners simply covered it. Granite pebbles cover most of the old driveway, transitioning to finer-textured decomposed granite as you near the courtyard. Broad stone slabs placed at the front of the passageway beckon guests to step inside. So do the two imposing clay pots planted with silvery blue rosettes of Agave colorata and feather grass.
The walls were painted with a neutral brown, a perfect foil for the agave but a shade that also works well with greens, pastels, and hot colours like the red-flowered crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii) in the courtyard. Behind this, a screen conceals a passage to the house.
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