A Landscape Renovation Takes a Property From Cluttered to Cool

Contemporary in the Garden

Author: Nancy Erdmann

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Issue: November, 2011, Page 138

Photos by Michael Woodall Accessed by raised pavers set in the pool, and accented with stainless-steel spheres, the spa is just one of several works of outdoor “art” on the property. Another is a resin/plaster statue of landscape architect Bill Tonnesen that appears to be drawing on a slab of granite (far right).

A Landscape Renovation
Takes a Property From
Cluttered to Cool



It may have taken a Carefree, Arizona, couple 20 years to fulfill their dream, but when they did, they say it was magical.

The original landscaping around their 30-year-old home had barely been touched since its construction, and was mostly natural rock and non-indigenous plantings. Problem spots included a front yard that did not have a pedestrian path, and the area lacked exterior lighting. The backyard consisted of cracked and faded pool decking, railroad ties and an unusable veranda.

“Our goal was to have strong visual impact, create street appeal and incorporate an extremely low-maintenance landscape with mostly native plantings,” says the woman of the house. “We hoped to achieve the philosophy that less is more.”

The pair chose to wait until they found a landscape architect who appealed to their design sensibilities. When they connected with Tempe-based Bill Tonnesen, they knew they had their man.

“The homeowners are very design-savvy people and knowledgeable about art. My idea was to calm the visual ‘pizza’ that was their yard,” says the expert. “There was just too much clutter.”

Cold weather conditions in spring encouraged this Argentine giant cactus to produce a profusion of blooms. Located on the south side of the property, the naturalistic setting also includes Moroccan mound cactus, blooming aloes and mature mesquites and palo verdes.

Beginning in the front yard, the landscape architect and his crew jackhammered through the boulders to create a channel, or pathway, to the home’s entry. “It was done to look as though it had been eroded by nature,” Tonnesen explains.

In the backyard, he expanded the patio space, removed the spa and replaced pool decking with the same type of slump block pavers already on the property. To update the pool, he squared the corners, filled in the deep end, resurfaced it in black plaster, and added an elevated in-pool spa. Tiled in white, the spa “is like an iceberg in the pool,” says Tonnesen. “It is meant to be a sculpture of its own.”

Today, the grounds are sophisticated yet offer Southwest appeal. “Our classic Arizona home has literally made a metamorphosis,” say the homeowners. “It went from being ordinary to being a complete architecture package that not only is visually pleasing, but adds value and drama.”

Hot-rolled steel plating was used for the swirled handrail and address marker in the front yard. The entry walkway was created by jackhammering through boulders that have been there for thousands of years.

Bill Tonnesen constructed a pair of square sculptures comprised of rusted hammers and nails to delineate a set of steps off the driveway. “The homeowner was a general contractor, and this was a way to honor his profession,” he remarks.

A large boulder, characteristic of this Carefree, Arizona, neighborhood, peeks out from behind the house. A simple palette of desert flora is repeated throughout the property. On clear, sunny days, the pool has a mirror-like quality.

The expanded back patio is a favorite spot for entertaining. The outdoor dining area, which is outfitted with teak furnishings, overlooks the pool and surrounding desert. Welded-wire fabric used for the guardrail keeps views open and is consistent with other steel elements in the yard.

A patio wall with unsightly cables was the inspiration for this artistic vignette. Bill Tonnesen says he wanted to construct something unusual and maintenance-free to hide the cables. “So I came up with these big steel pots and topped them with copper balls and other pieces that look like they came out of a mine,” he explains. Mirrors, lanterns, and a steel wall panel embellished with collected objects—including busts and the torso of a man created by the woman of the  house—speak to the homeowners’ love of artistic imagery.