Japanese Garden and Residence
Terrapin Island, South Carolina

This residence is one of a handful of exculsive homes on a narrow spit of land known as Terrapin Island, which lies on the landward side of Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

The homeowner had an appreciation of the classical Japanese garden, having spent some time living in Japan. He was anxious to imbue his home with some of its spirit.

The landscape plan was a cooperative effort between the homeowner and DesignWorks, and evolved to achieve a harmonious balance between the Japanese theme, and the unique surrounding landscape of marsh and pine forest. The craftsmanship of the house demanded a high level of sophistication and careful detailing in the landscape plan.

A gradient from the front to the back of the house provided a natural location for a series of small pools and cascades - a rare opportunity in the Coastal Plain. The lush planting in this area is contrasted with the stark simplicity of a raked gravel ‘Zen’ garden to the rear of the house, and the expansive view of the marsh beyond.

Hardscape and paving materials required careful selection. The large rocks in the gravel garden were hand selected and positioned, to represent a boat and a mountain range. These and a number of orignial stone artifacts from Japan were placed and installed under the joint direction of the homeowner and the Landscape Architect.