In Grandmother’s Garden

In Fayetteville, Daniel Keeley creates a lush, intimate retreat designed with the homeowner’s grandchildren in mind

When this Fayetteville homeowner moved to have more room for her family and young grandchildren, she called on landscape designer Daniel Keeley to bring his talents to her new residence. The goal was to feature dogwood trees, hydrangeas, and plenty of seasonal interest while keeping her grandchildren at the heart of the design. “She grew up in the country in Arkansas, and she definitely appreciates a lush landscape,” Daniel says. “She was really trying to create a beautiful place largely for her grandchildren, where they can go out and play, and there’s a sense of exploration.”

To make the most of the backyard, the designer and his client weighed their options between building a pool or adding a water feature. She chose the latter, and Daniel designed a fountain to complement the native stone used in the patio and covered seating area. “Our main goal was trying to make it look like it had always been there,” he says.

The water feature’s design was also influenced by existing stairs that draw the eye from the lower patio to the lawn beyond. “By centering the fountain on the stairs, it looks like it was all designed at the same time,” he says. “It’s essentially centered on a big wall of windows in the family room, so it’s very visible from inside the home.”

Another goal for the project was to create a sense of outdoor “rooms,” or distinct spaces within the garden. In this way, the fountain acts as a foyer from the patio to the lawn, which includes two benches facing each other surrounded by bountiful hydrangea blooms. “We were trying to maximize the size of the lawn as much as possible so that the kids would have room to play even though it’s a small space,” Daniel says. “We wanted it to feel like more than just a dead end. By placing the benches there, it becomes a destination to go sit and enjoy the garden.”

To this same end, Daniel and his team layered greenery at different levels to create more visual interest. By starting low with small boxwood hedges, then adding height with the hydrangea trees, they were able to make “a sense of enclosure and give intimacy to the lawn area,” he adds. The resulting garden is warm and welcoming, with plenty of space for a child’s imagination to run wild. “We love working with such wonderful clients who trust us and give us the leeway to create these spaces,” Daniel says. AH

Timeless Transition

Daniel and his team worked to seamlessly integrate the water feature’s design into the garden’s existing layout, which features steps leading from the lower patio to the lawn. Acting as a transition between the two areas, the fountain “helps divide the rest of the space,” Daniel says.

A "ROOM" WITH A VIEW

To create definition within the small lawn, Daniel placed wooden benches facing each other and surrounded them with bountiful hydrangeas. The area is now an ideal place to be present among busy children.

Cozy Comfort

Native stone provides a sturdy, earthy backdrop for outdoor living, and a built-in fireplace allows for more time spent on the covered patio throughout the year. “It definitely extends the season,” Daniel says. A wicker chair and ottoman featuring preppy windowpane plaid cushions offer a comfortable place to curl up by the fire on cooler evenings.

Southern Staples

Daniel says he wanted the client to be “comfortable and at home” on the patio, outfitting the space with high quality wicker chairs and a concrete pedestal table (opposite). He credits Little Rock interior designer Tom Chandler, both a friend and mentor, with the technique of using a pedestal table to create a cleaner sightline among chair legs. “You want to combine leggy with non-leggy,” Daniel says. “It’s very powerful. That’s one of Tom’s hard and fast rules, and it works.”

CONTINUING THE COLOR STORY

Daniel and his team carried the home’s interior color palette of creams, blues, and browns to the large covered sitting area, which connects to the primary bedroom. “We are always trying to establish an indoor-outdoor connection, so a very easy and common way for us to do that is to pull some of those colors outside,” Daniel says. Mixing materials—upholstery, wicker, and stone—creates a layered effect that is cohesive, yet casual.