BERNICE WAHLER LANDSCAPES 2020
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About
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Project List
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Process
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Cape Casual
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Resort Living
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Stone Wall Orchard
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Paine’s Creek
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Terraced View
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Historically Speaking
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Coastal Woodland
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Pairing Down
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Bay Views
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Summer Camp
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Seam Less
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Coastal Compound
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Spa Day
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Nantucket Sounds
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White Out
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Publications and Awards
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From left: Ian Warner, Suey the dog, Praphulla Devanapally, Sandra Viera, Bernice Wahler / Photographer: Renee Bello Photography
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THE BWL STUDIO
ABOUT BERNICE
Founded in 2012, Bernice Wahler Landscapes specializes in the contextual design of landscapes throughout New England. We have a distinct appreciation of our client’s goals and priorities that provide the foundation of our designs. We consider collaboration an essential element to the design process and have a passion for problem-solving that guides discussions, seeking the best possible outcome.
With over fifteen years of experience, Bernice Wahler has developed and executed landscapes that are of enduring quality and celebrate the uniqueness of their surroundings. She has practiced with leading design firms in the United States and Asia, including EDSA Orient, Douglas Hoerr Landscape Architecture, Pressley Associates, and Stephen Stimson Associates.
We are responsive to the intricate process of collaborating with clients, communities, public agencies, and private entities. Through our experience, we have maintained a commitment to creating finely-crafted landscapes that are always culturally relevant and unique to the context.
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With many of her projects very near the coast, Bernice has a strong understanding of the regulations and approval process required in the development of these properties. She prides herself on listening to and collaborating with clients, architects, engineers, regulatory agencies, and contractors in the realization of these projects.
Boston
Providence Hartford
Atlantic Ocean
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PROJECT LIST Little Island Residence / West Falmouth, MA / In-Progress Dorchester Courtyard / Dorchester, MA / In-Progress Shimmo Pond Road Residence / Nantucket, MA / In-Progress Juniper Point Residence / Woods Hole, MA / In-Progress Great Woods Estate / Harwich, MA / Concept 2018 Great Marsh Residence / Falmouth, MA / Summer 2018 Gunning Point Residence / Falmouth, MA / Fall 2017 Paine’s Creek Residence / Brewster, MA / Summer 2018 Mount Vernon / Hyannisport, MA / Summer 2018 The Cottage House / Falmouth, MA / Summer 2018 Mill Pond Residence / Woods Hole, MA / In-Progress Provincetown Pr
Buzzards Bay Residence / Falmouth, MA / Summer 2017 Cotuit Bay Estate / Cotuit, MA / Phase 1: 2017
Plymouth
Valley Road Residence / Falmouth, MA / Summer 2017
Cape Cod Bay
Lombard Residence / Dorchester, MA / Spring 2017 Nemasket Residence / West Falmouth, MA / Concept 2017 Sea View Avenue Residence / Osterville, MA / Concept 2017 Chatham
Falmouth lmouth
Oyster Way Residence / Osterville, MA / Concept 2017 Woodland Retreat Residence / Osterville, MA / 2016
Hyannis annis
Wing’s Neck Residence / Bourne, MA / 2016 Nashawena Harbor House / West Falmouth, MA / 2016 Oyster Harbors Residence / Osterville, MA / 2016
Martha’s Vineyard Martha’ rd
Shawme Pond Residence / Sandwich, MA / 2016 Nantucket Nantuck
Wianno Residence / Osterville, MA / 2016 Adams Street Residence / Milton, MA / 2016 Snug Harbor Residence / West Falmouth, MA / 2016 Irving Avenue Residence / Hyannisport, MA / 2016 Sippewissett Residence / West Falmouth, MA / Phase 1: 2015 West Bay Residence / Osterville, MA / 2015 Bass River Residence / Yarmouth, MA / Permit 2015 Pine Hills Courtyard / Plymouth, MA / 2014 Sandy Neck Residence / Sandwich, MA / 2014 Stonewall Orchard Residence / New Canaan, CT / 2014 West Hyannisport Residence / West Hyannisport, MA / 2014 Coastal Woodland Residence / Brewster, MA / 2014 Charlestown Residence / Charlestown, RI / 2013 New Silver Marsh Residence / North Falmouth, MA / 2011
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OUR PROCESS
SUSTAINABILITY
We have signifi ant experience leading and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams of architects, civil, structural, geotechnical engineers, and soil scientists. For each project undertaken, we select and compose a group of consultants, according to the specific needs f the project.
Our approach to a project begins with a thorough understanding of environmental context and site ecosystems. Specific si e conditions are analyzed to determine which potential sustainable design solutions are most pragmatic, cost-effective, and appropriate for the site, project, and client. We also understand and advocate the LEED process.
Phase I: Conceptual Design Plan
Phase II: Design Permits
Phase III: Project Documentation
We take inventory and assess the existing conditions from a provided survey plan, architectural layout, and field equirements.
For projects situated along protected coastal bank or ponds, we will assist in preparing Conservation Commission filing .
CONCEPTUAL PRICING AND SCOPE CONFIRMATION
We then prepare perspective views, conceptual design plans, and imagery to convey the design intent and overall layout of proposed improvements.
The conceptual plan is refined and enriche with the mitigation planting specifi ations; this becomes the Landscape Permit Plan. We work together with the project engineer to develop and refine th se proposed improvements to the project. We then attend and represent the project, alongside the project engineer, at the required Conservation Commission hearings, and should any revisions to the plans be necessary; we lead the coordination efforts.
We prepare a rough cost estimate for the client review, which serves as a guideline moving forward in the design process. DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
We continue to develop the landscape package, enriching the conceptual plan to include paving pattern studies, material options, lighting selection, and detailed revisions. Material samples and imagery are sourced for client review with additional sketches and renderings produced if needed. PRICING
A 100% Design Development package is issued with a quantified pricing orm noting line items and quantities for outside contractor pricing. We coordinate with pricing contractors and compile price comparisons. CONSTRUCTION DOCUMENTATION
We make edits to the plans to reflect ag eedupon improvements resulting from the understood project budget. The Construction Document package includes a dimensioned layout plan, materials plan showing all materials and stone sizes, grading and drainage provisions, detailed planting plan, hardscape specifi ations, and soils specifi ations. We coordinate with others who document the required drainage, electrical, and all subgrade utilities.
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Phase IV: Bidding, Value Engineering, and Site Observation
SELECT COLLABORATORS Atlantic View Lighting
Jill Neubauer Architects
A 100% Construction Document is issued with a quantified bid orm noting line items and quantities. We work with the owner to provide all the information needed for the owner to select a landscape contractor. We will then attend meetings as necessary to instruct and inform bidding contractors and ensure all parties understand the project scope.
Beatrice Bunker
J.M. O’Reilly & Associates, Inc.
Blue Claw Associates, Inc.
John Dvorsack Architect
BJ’s Landscaping
Joyce Landscaping
BSS Design
M. Duffany Builders
Cape Associates, Inc.
McLaughlin & Son, Inc.
Cor-Metals, Inc.
Meredith Hunnibell
VALUE ENGINEERING
Coast to Coast
Patrick Ahearn Architects, LLC
Custom Quality Pools
Pine & Swallow Environmental
Dale Tree Movers
Pinsonneault Builders
Dan Cutrona Photography
Ponderosa Landscaping
EJ Jaxtimer Builder, Inc.
Ryder & Wilcox
Emeritus Development
Salt Architecture
Francisco Tavares, Inc.
Sea-Dar Construction
Holmes and McGrath, Inc.
Sullivan Engineering & Surveying
Hutker Architects
Suzanne Apellaniz
BIDDING
Suggested cost savings options are provided in addition to alternatives for client consideration. We incorporate agreed-upon suggestions into the conformed, for construction package. SITE OBSERVATION
We will review samples and submittals, coordinate with the installing contractor, and respond to requests for information to keep the construction process advancing efficie tly. We will also make site visits to review and confirm d sign intent, ensure the contractor is meeting contract obligations, and tag and assist the contractor in sourcing plant material. Finally, we will make site visits for plant material layout, and provide fiel sketches as necessary for contractor clarity.
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“A beautiful landscape is the reward. Each image in this collection represents a collaboration between our clients and a team of professions. I am most grateful each day for the opportunity to create landscapes and to have some fun in the process!�
Bernice Wahler
Architect: Salt Architecture / Photographer: Alissa Hike Harris
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CAPE CASUAL North Falmouth, Massachusetts
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Masses of native vegetation define ou door spaces and create depth within the ground plane.
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Sited to overlook a salt marsh, this yearround home maintains its connections to the surrounding landscape using bold masses of indigenous plants to reinforce the Cape Cod vernacular of this reinvented cottage home. Monolithic hedges of hydrangea and inkberry set up outdoor spaces that blur the lines between a traditional driveway and courtyard. The parking requirements and vehicular circulation occur within a greater arrival courtyard, seamlessly serving visitors, cars, trikes, and impromptu kickball games. The site is book-ended with native vegetation that nestles this active family’s home quietly into its wooded setting.
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2016 GOLD BRICC AWARD
Architect: Patrick Ahearn Architects, LLC / Contractor: EJ Jaxtimer Builder, Inc. / Photographer: Dan Cutrona Photography
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RESORT LIVING West Hyannisport, Massachusetts
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With views of famous Craigsville Beach, this seasonal house kicks into high gear in the summer. The recessed pool terrace and subtle paving pattern of the ground plane lead the eye across the landscape and out to the ocean. Additionally, the spa and wall create balance for the pool terrace within this formal setting and frame the horizon. Nestled in an area more protected from wind, an outdoor fi e pit keeps evening entertaining warm and bright at this beach retreat.
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Architect: Jill Neubauer Architects / Contractor: Fernando Neupmann Construction
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STONE WALL ORCHARD New Canaan, Connecticut
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This New Canaan property was transformed to provide a ceremonious arrival that builds off the existing domestic vegetation. The site design slowly transitions visitors through an entry sequence where native plants, stone walls, and hedges begin to be architecturally organized to create an arrival court reflecting the sur ounding wooded environment.
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Architect: Jill Neubauer Architects / Builder: Cape Associates / Contractor: Ponderosa Landscaping / Photographer: Jane Messinger
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PAINE’S CREEK Brewster, Massachusetts
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A simple plant palette highlights the modernity of the home and the broader beauty of the surrounding landscape.
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Sitting on a peninsula of land surrounded by marshes, ponds, and wetlands, this unique new construction required extensive environmental permitting championed by the Landscape Architect. The outdoor elements remain humble to the natural surroundings, giving a minimal aesthetic and maintaining unobstructed views to the Cape Cod Bay. Monochromatic sandstone paving supports outdoor living and provides casual transitions from inside to outside. Fast-growing natural material provides instant screening along the driveway, diffusing the view of a neighboring home. Attention to detail allows the built landscape elements to merge seamlessly with the architecture to create this Cape Cod vacation retreat.
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2018 GOLD BRICC AWARD
Architect: John Dvorsack Architect / Contractor: EJ Jaxtimer Builder, Inc. / Photographer: Dan Cutrona
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TERRACED VIEW Hyannis, Massachusetts
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The custom fla work and wall stones were created from a selected range of granites to reflec the warm sandy tones of the Cape Cod shores.
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Working with a signifi ant topography change of 20’ from the backyard to the front yard, the landscape plan for this seasonal family home utilizes walls and sloped banks to form level areas for circulation, dining, lounging, gardening, and lawn play. Upon arrival to the property, guests are greeted by a set of landscape steps cleverly incorporated into planted terraces to give the feeling of a garden walk-up from the lower garage level to the fi st-floor e trance. Inspired by Gertrude Jekyll, an English style cottage gravel garden was created at the base of the terrace wall. The terraces also function as oversized raised beds, allowing the homeowner to access and seasonally plant easily.
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Contractor: EJ Jaxtimer Builder, Inc. / Photography: Kyle J. Caldwell
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HISTORICALLY SPEAKING East Sandwich, Massachusetts
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A summer home with historic simplicity showcases classic coastal charm with hydrangeas, picket fences, and a shell driveway. This seasonal residence was extensively regraded to create level outdoor areas. Lawn steps and bluestone steppers are used to casually link lawn areas as readily available native materials are used throughout to create a timeless landscape.
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CERTIFIED LEED SILVER 2014 GREEN BUILDER AWARD
Architect: Jill Neubauer Architects / Contractor: Cape Associates, Inc. / Photography: Meredith Hunnibell
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COASTAL WOODLAND Brewster, Massachusetts
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Cape Cod Bay
Site
Bog
Myricks Pond
Old King’s Highway
The design takes cues from regional context, re-establishing the woodland link.
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Surrounded by coastal upland forest, this residence was designed to coexist with its surroundings. The house is situated on the southernmost end of the property, with the majority of the landscape consisting of contiguous restored coastal woodland. These layers of native plants in various sizes emulate the indigenous community of plants, allowing for natural succession and long-term stability with minimal management. A low-maintenance fescue lawn provides the canvas for outdoor games and functions as a sloped plane directing runoff to adjacent plantings for cleansing and infilt ation. A quarry end slab of bluestone is repurposed as a “sunning� block or a place to sit.
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A path leads from the beach through a restored wooded area to the outdoor shower, intentionally designed to replicate the look of a natural footpath.
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Shadow patterns from a nearby birch offer lacy interest.
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Architect: Salt Architecture / Photographer: Alissa Hike Harris
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PAIRING DOWN Falmouth, Massachusetts
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The site design for this home creatively sculpts functional level outdoor space from what was once a wooded knoll. The upper lawn maintains a strong connection to the lower play area through the use of lawn steps. The swimming pool and terrace are slightly depressed for discrete views from the main house. Working closely with the architect and owner, the building was sited to maximize the usable yard space and takes advantage of the site’s grade changes to provide a fully furnished walk-out lower level.
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Contractors: EJ Jaxtimer Builder, Inc. and Joyce Landscaping / Photographer: Dan Cutrona Photography
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BAY VIEWS Osterville, Massachusetts
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Situated with sweeping views of West Bay, the site design creates a waterside plinth that provides space for outdoor entertaining. Native stone walls abut restored coastal bank habitat, while a meandering path defined y stone steps weaves through the native vegetation leading to the lower dock.
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Architect: Jill Neubauer Architects / Contractor: McLaughlin & Son, Inc. / Photography: Meredith Hunnibell
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SUMMER CAMP Bourne, Massachusetts
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A family-friendly summer home in the woods encourages bare feet, grilling, evening fi es, camping, lawn games, and laughing. The simple site plan has a restrained style with functional outdoor spaces that are created from gravel and lawn. The proposed planting areas use material originating in the surrounding natural landscape and are meaningfully organized to enhance the outdoor spaces.
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2018 SILVER BRICC AWARD
Architect: Jill Neubauer Architects / Contractor: Francisco Tavares, Inc. / Photographers: Meredith Hunnibell and Peter Vanderwarker
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SEAM LESS Falmouth, Massachusetts
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Early collaboration with the design architect created a seamless transition to the outside.
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Located along the banks of a salt pond, this residence has tree-house-like responsiveness to the abutting native oak woodland. Working with the drama of the tree trunks backlit by Buzzards Bay, the building sits on trunk-like columns with decks extending into the surrounding landscape. Extensive environmental permitting was required to achieve this intimate relationship with the protected coastal bank. The project includes ongoing invasive species management and restoration of the native understory canopy.
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Contractor: EJ Jaxtimer Builder, Inc.
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COASTAL COMPOUND Cotuit, Massachusetts
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Anchored by a meadow, this collection of three single-family homes and a carriage house get a new life as a family summer retreat with privacy for all. Unity is created through the use of tree rows, stone walls, and clipped hedges. Materials are repeated consistently throughout the property to maintain the feel of a coastal village.
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2017 WORLD’S BEST POOLS
Contractor: EJ Jaxtimer Builder, Inc. / Photography: Meredith Hunnibell
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SPA DAY Oyster Harbors, Massachusetts
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The pool terrace was sized to accommodate this blended family’s growing number of family and friends.
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Setting up a dramatic view for summertime entertaining, this seasonaluse landscape emphasizes the site’s spectacular views to West Bay. The infini y-edge pool is situated off to the side of the main entertaining terrace, leaving open, unobstructed views from the main living room to the natural vegetation bank and bay.
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Architect: Emeritus Development / Contractor: EJ Jaxtimer Builder, Inc.
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NANTUCKET SOUNDS Nantucket, Massachusetts
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Located on Nantucket Sound, this seasonal home strives to make the most out of the summer season with an outdoor kitchen and dining space, a generous pool and lounging terrace, as well as covered porches. With signifi ant elevation changes from one end of the site to the other, the planning necessitates attention to grading to provide level areas for outdoor living. Currently, under construction, this project’s intimate relationships to the plan boundaries require the building and landscape contractors to work together to coordinate mobilization efforts throughout the production schedule.
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Architect: Jill Neubauer Architects / Builder: Coast to Coast Development / Contractors: Francisco Tavares, Inc. and Suzanne Apellaniz
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WHITE OUT Woods Hole, Massachusetts
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When designing a successful garden, one must consider not only color and bloom time, but also texture, leaf color, heights, winter interest, and the unique microclimates throughout the space. A blanket of soft whites infuses this Woods Hole cottage garden with classic charm. The garden gets its primary structure from multi-stem ornamental trees, and holly shrubs sprinkled among perennials and ferns. The sizeable line of oakleaf hydrangeas is used to reinforce the path to the front door and provides loose structure to this partshade garden.
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FIREPLACES
: GAS VS. WO
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OR DESIG NEW INTERICENTURY FOR A MID- AGE GUEST COTT
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PUBLICATIONS IN GARDEN DESIGN “Into the Woods,” Cape Cod Home, Autumn 2019 “Glamour + Camp = Glamp,” Boston Design Guide, August 2019 “Grounded,” Boston Design Guide, Summer 2019 “Cape Contemporary: Into the Woods,” New England Home, Summer 2019 “Incredible Outdoor Spaces,” June 2019 “The Artist’s Garden at Hyannis Port,” Cape Cod Home, January 2019 “Tree House,” Design New England, July/August 2018 “Hot Seats,” New England Home, Summer 2018 “Bernice Wahler Landscapes,” The World’s Greatest Pools, 2017 “A Whole New Level,” Home Remodeling, Fall 2017 “Partnership Forms to Create Attractive, Affordable Model Homes,” The Falmouth Enterprise, September 2017 “Flamethrowers,” Globe Magazine, April 2017 “Avalon of Osterville,” Cape Cod Home, Summer 2017 “Excellence in Outdoor Living Space Design,” Cape Cod Home, Summer 2017 “Top Landscape Architects of 2016,” Ocean Home, April/May 2016
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION 2019 Prism Award – Gold Winner 2018 Gold BRICC Award – Excellence in Landscape Design 2018 Silver BRICC Award – Excellence in Landscape Design 2017 World’s Greatest Pools Winner 2016 Gold BRICC Award – Excellence in Outdoor Living Space Design 2016 Gold BRICC Award – Excellence in Landscape/Garden Design 2016 Ocean Home Top Landscape Architect 2014 Green Builder Award
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128 MA Route 6A, Unit H Sandwich, Massachusetts 02563 bernice@bernicewahler.com 774.205.2184 bernicewahlerlandscapes.com