One has to admire a home which harmonizes with the surrounding landscape.The Los Angeles Times Home of the Week is in Pasadena with an urban castle motif. Its central feature is a soaring 150-year-old giant sequoia which stands as a sentinel.
The house, built in 2007 by an architectural designer, is surrounded by 15-foot-high hedges and features a rooftop garden with rows of Italian cypress trees and succulent-filled planters.
"Somebody had to have loved that giant sequoia tree because it belongs up north," says the architect owner. "I designed the house vertically to give the tree some company. You can see the tree through the skylights, making the tree part of the house."
Having enjoyed the majestic sequoia on a recent U.S. national parks camping trek, I can appreciate why the architect wanted to spotlight and protect the vital tree.
He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
What brings you peace and enjoyment in your home? How has your home been harmonized by the landscape around it?
