Scene Change

Interior designer Jeri Barchilon has front and back gardens that are as different as Trader Vic’s and the Hotel Bel-Air. In front, a refined gravel courtyard and fountain complement her 2,400-square-foot Westside cottage and its khaki green-and-black color scheme. She describes it as “Hollywood Regency meets California ranch.” In back, warm chartreuse and red enliven the space, evoking the Caribbean.

Santa Monica landscape architect Joseph Marek suggested the stylistic split to maximize the garden options for Barchilon and her husband, a successful screenwriter. “They wanted to use every inch of their lot at various times of day and for a range of activities,” he says.

Barchilon’s husband likes to work outside on his laptop, shifting from seat to seat around the property as the sun moves. Barchilon, who designed the interiors of the midcentury house they bought in 2001, grows herbs and vegetables. The couple enjoy dining al fresco and wanted gathering spots for parties. They also wanted a secluded setting for a new spa that would replace their backyard swimming pool.

Instead of the large front lawn, Marek created a quiet entry garden by regrading the sloping lot and screening it from the road with a Carolina laurel cherry hedge and a grove of purple-leaf acacia. Because they wanted low-maintenance plants, Marek installed a gravel carpet and added drought-tolerant Mediterranean-style borders and ornamental grass.

Leonotis, buddleia and echium surround a bench suitable for lounging, while a ceramic-pot fountain, set mid-path, blocks the sound of street traffic. In the fall, rosy plumes of muhly grass echo the pink-flushed acacia leaves; in winter, the grass goes dry as the acacia flowers turn gold. These, says Marek, are “California borders, in all the colors that harmonize with the light and sky here.”

In contrast to the more public front garden, the rear garden--walled and completely private--was a place to go wild. After filling in the pool, Marek terraced the space--a trick that makes it seem larger--and created a stone-floored outdoor living room that steps down to an oversized spa. He selected king palms, large-leafed elephant’s ear, ginger and bird of paradise to go with the yellow-green and red walls. Coleus and potted crotons, with their yellow and red leaves, add another hit of color. Barchilon designed the outdoor shower and framed it with striped curtains like a beach cabana’s. She mixed swap meet and high-end furnishings--teak loungers, an Indian tin table, Moroccan lamps--and had flame-red cushions made.

“Eclectic California tropical,” Marek calls the look. Adds Barchilon: “It’s very joyous to live with, and beautiful at night.”

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RESOURCE GUIDE

GARDENS: Joseph Marek Landscape Architecture, Santa Monica, (310) 399-7923.