LOCATION: Sunnyvale, California zone 9b

Before the studio — another Eichler in the founder’s history.

An Eichler courtyard model — a private lounge space that doubles as the entry to the home. As a rental, the modifications were limited, but a willing landlord facilitated a few improvements. Existing highlights to work around: a California Buckeye, magnolia, a wall of pink oleander, bird of paradise, and an incredible gardenia.

New foundation beds at the floor-to-ceiling windows brought the plantings inside and out at once. A sad circle of dead grass became a fire pit. The dream would have been to replace the back yard grass and weeds with garden planter boxes, but little feet and paws appreciated the open space to run and play.

Succulents and cactus in containers along the concrete patio and in the foundation beds made an outsized impact for the budget. Shadier spots took ferns; Kalanchoe and Echeveria soaked up the sun. This is also the home where I really leaned into indoor plant styling — though with those windows, “indoor” is debatable.