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Studio John Sharp designed a family garden around a Pasadena Arts and Crafts home, combining a terracotta-striped pool, a rock labyrinth, edible planting and drought-tolerant species. Designer John Sharp says the aim was to make the landscape feel connected to the historic property while giving it a distinct, naturalistic character.
Landscape designer John Sharp created a family-focused garden that wraps around a historic Arts and Crafts home in Pasadena, California, bringing together a terracotta-striped pool, a rock labyrinth and drought-tolerant planting. The project, featured by Homes and Gardens, was shaped by the owners’ request for a landscape that could evoke childhood wonder while remaining practical for family life and respectful of the house’s architectural character.
The garden occupies most of the 11,700-square-foot property, which surrounds a house designed between 1909 and 1911 by architect Louis du Puget Millar. Mature oaks along the street and across the site provide shade and privacy. Sharp organized the landscape into separate outdoor areas, including places for family activity and quieter spots for retreat.
The pool was a long-held wish of one of the owners, according to the report. Working with the family, Studio John Sharp used striped terracotta tiles to connect the pool visually with the home’s interior. Elsewhere, a custom fire pit is surrounded by organic boulders that can serve as informal seating. Ceramic pendant lights and bells from the Arcosanti foundry add lighting and sound to the garden after dark.
The front yard was designed as a natural playscape for the owners’ two young daughters, with a rock labyrinth threaded through edible plants and herbs. Fruiting trees, including mature citrus and persimmon, sit alongside drought-tolerant species. The report says edible planting was included to support everyday cooking and encourage a hands-on relationship with the landscape.
A Garden Built for Family Life
The project shows how a residential landscape can serve several purposes without being divided into purely decorative and functional zones. The labyrinth, herbs and fruit trees invite play and practical use, while the pool and fire area provide settings for recreation and gatherings. Sharp describes the garden as both a place for childhood imagination and for adults to meet.
Its approach also speaks to the specific constraints and conditions of the property. The garden sits beneath mature oaks in a region where the report describes autumn temperatures as still reaching around 80°F. Shade, drought-tolerant planting and permeable materials are part of the design response, while the pool and fire pit give the landscape clear architectural features.
For readers interested in historic homes, the central design question is how to add a new landscape without making it feel disconnected from the house. Sharp says the aim was to respect the residence’s Arts and Crafts character while allowing the garden to have its own voice. The project offers one example of that balance, rather than evidence of a general design rule or measured environmental outcome.
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A Historic House and Its Landscape
The house was designed by Louis du Puget Millar during the years 1909 to 1911. The source identifies its architectural character with the Arts and Crafts movement, which provides the historical reference point for the garden’s material choices and its relationship to the building.
Sharp said the challenge was making the landscape feel like a natural extension of the historic residence, not a later addition that competed with it. The design uses terracotta, organic flagstone and decomposed granite, materials the designer says were selected for warmth, permeability and the way they can age in the landscape. The report also describes an interior that combines natural materials, vintage objects and art, creating a visual connection between rooms and garden.
The garden’s naturalistic appearance is paired with deliberate structure. Defined elements such as the pool and fire feature sit among looser planting and mature trees. That mix reflects the owners’ brief: a landscape that feels organic and imaginative but remains livable and intentional.
“The garden is organized as a series of distinct outdoor enclaves and wellness areas, designed to function as a collection of open-air rooms.”
— John Sharp, landscape designer
Project Details Not Reported
The Homes and Gardens report does not provide the project’s completion date, construction budget or exact planting inventory. It also does not quantify water use, maintenance needs or how much water the drought-tolerant planting saves. Those outcomes should not be inferred from the species description alone.
The account is based on the designer’s comments and the publication’s project coverage. It does not include interviews with the homeowners or independent evaluations of how the garden performs over time. The source also does not state whether the property is open to visitors or whether the owners plan to make it available for tours.
How the Landscape Will Mature
No next public milestone is identified in the source. Sharp says the planting was intended to evolve over time, with the materials aging naturally and the landscape’s organic elements growing around its more defined features. That is a design intention, not a reported long-term result.
Further reporting would be needed to establish how the garden changes as its plantings mature, how the family uses its different areas, and what upkeep the pool, edible beds and drought-tolerant planting require. The source provides no announced follow-up, opening date or additional project plans.
Key Questions
Who designed the Pasadena garden?
John Sharp and his team at Studio John Sharp designed the landscape, according to the Homes and Gardens report.
What makes the garden family-oriented?
It includes a front-yard rock labyrinth for the owners’ two young daughters, edible plants and herbs, a pool, and areas for family meals and gatherings.
How does the garden connect to the historic house?
Sharp says the design uses a grounded material palette and a terracotta-striped pool to relate the landscape to the home’s Arts and Crafts character, while retaining a distinct garden identity.
Which plants and materials are mentioned?
The report names citrus and persimmon trees, herbs and drought-tolerant species. Materials include terracotta tile, organic flagstone and decomposed granite.
Are the garden’s water use or maintenance needs known?
No. The report describes drought-tolerant planting and permeable materials but gives no water-use figures, maintenance estimates or measured environmental results.
Source: homesandgardens.com
