Wood, Water and Stone: Reclaimed Timber Grounds a Courtyard Retreat
Wood, Water and Stone anchors a contemporary house compound in St. Helena, California, United States, by ROCHE+ROCHE Landscape Architecture. Framed by courtyards and low-water planting, the project channels agrarian pragmatism with mid-century clarity across guest house, yoga barn, and a garage arranged around a central garden. Designed in 2025, the landscape ties new structures to a heritage walnut and an existing pool, setting a calm cadence for daily living and outdoor gatherings.
Soft light strikes limestone pavers and the water holds it. A quiet sequence moves from a shaded gate to decks of warm timber, past foliage that stirs even when people don’t.
This contemporary house compound in St. Helena is shaped by ROCHE+ROCHE Landscape Architecture through a disciplined palette of wood, water, and stone. The work threads courtyards between new structures—guest house, yoga barn, and garage—so materials do the binding and daily life spreads outdoors.
A heritage walnut and an existing pool anchor the plan. From these givens, limestone paving, reclaimed wood, and low-water plantings stitch the site, drawing mid-century restraint through agrarian cues.
Set the Ground
Limestone walks lead straight to the front door, then extend to form a broad pool terrace. Underfoot, tone and grain stay consistent, so transitions read clean and sure. Floating decks step off the stone at key thresholds, giving a soft edge where people sit, stretch, and gather. The continuity does the work: one material family, many duties.
Work With Water
A modern lily pond holds the courtyard’s center, fed by a custom eucalyptus water sculpture that adds a measured sound. The original pool, now flanked by limestone and wood, becomes the shared room between old and new buildings. Water isn’t backdrop; it organizes movement and light, cooling the ground plane on hot afternoons. Quiet, then a ripple.
Build With Memory
Decks and seating in reclaimed Monterey cypress bring resinous warmth and a live grain that catches sun. Fences formed from reclaimed redwood grape stakes nod to local agriculture, but they also filter views and breeze (a simple, durable screen). Restraint is the thread—few materials, well used, carrying both texture and story.
Plant for Resilience
Japanese maples, slender veldt grass, and fine-textured acacias compose layered edges that read calm from inside and out. The planting favors low-water habits and seasonal shifts, so courtyards feel alive without excess. A greywater-fed smart irrigation system manages scarce resources: efficient, responsive, and almost invisible to daily routines. Plantings do double duty as room makers and climate tools.
Tie Daily Life
Courtyards bracket work, exercise, and gathering, each with a distinct moment—shade under the walnut, morning sun on the yoga deck, evening light by the pond. Routes slip between buildings and garden edges, always giving a view to water or wood. Movement stays intuitive, and the material rhythm keeps it legible.
By dusk, limestone cools and the cypress deepens in tone. Water holds the last light while the walnut lifts the courtyard’s air—an everyday balance made by careful choices.
Photography courtesy of ROCHE+ROCHE Landscape Architecture
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