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Landscape designer John Sharp and Studio John Sharp created a family garden around a 1909–1911 Arts and Crafts home in Pasadena. The design combines a terracotta-striped pool, drought-tolerant and edible planting, and separate areas for play and retreat; the project details come from a Homes and Gardens report.
Landscape designer John Sharp has created a family garden in Pasadena that wraps around an Arts and Crafts house built between 1909 and 1911, combining a terracotta-tiled pool, edible planting and spaces for play and quiet retreat. Homes and Gardens reported the project as an effort to make the landscape feel connected to the historic residence while accommodating the owners’ family life.
The garden occupies most of the 11,700-square-foot property and sits beneath mature oak trees on an oak-lined street. Sharp organized it as a series of outdoor “rooms,” with areas intended for family activities alongside more private spaces. The owners’ brief, as described in the report, called for a sense of childhood wonder and a naturalistic Californian character without sacrificing practical, intentional design.
A terracotta-striped pool is a central feature, developed with the family to carry the home’s interior materials and style into the landscape. The report says the pool also drew on the owner’s childhood memories of a pool he had long wanted for the property. Elsewhere, a custom fire pit is surrounded by boulders used as informal seating; ceramic pendant lights and bells from the Arcosanti foundry add light and sound to the garden in the evening.
The front yard includes a rock labyrinth woven with herbs and edible plants, designed as a natural playscape for the owners’ two young daughters. Fruiting trees, including mature citrus and persimmon, are mixed with drought-tolerant planting. Terracotta, organic flagstone and decomposed granite provide a warm, permeable material palette, according to Sharp’s comments in the report.
A Historic Home, Built for Family Life
The project shows how a landscape can be designed to serve everyday household needs while responding to the character of an older home. Instead of treating the garden as a separate decorative project, Sharp’s approach links its materials and layout to the residence and gives the family different ways to use the site: play, cooking, swimming, gathering and retreat.
Its use of drought-tolerant plants alongside edible species also reflects practical priorities for a California garden. The report describes choices made for usability and a naturalistic appearance, but provides no water-use figures, maintenance estimates or performance data. The project therefore offers a design example, not evidence of quantified environmental savings.
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Designing Around the Millar House
The house was designed by Pasadena architect Louis du Puget Millar between 1909 and 1911, during the Arts and Crafts era. The report describes the home’s design as a point of reference for the garden, whose materials were selected to sit comfortably alongside the residence while allowing the landscape to have its own identity.
Pasadena’s reported autumn conditions also differ from the classic image of a garden dominated by fall foliage: Homes and Gardens notes temperatures can remain around 80°F. In this project, mature tree shade, lush planting and drought-tolerant species shape the setting. The design was led by Studio John Sharp, with photography by Joyce Kim, according to the report.
“The garden is organized as a series of distinct outdoor enclaves and wellness areas, designed to function as a collection of open-air rooms.”
— John Sharp, landscape designer
Project Details Not Reported
The Homes and Gardens report does not state when construction was completed, the project’s budget, or the garden’s ongoing maintenance needs. It also gives no measurements for the pool or details on water use, plant survival, or how the family uses each area over time. The garden’s design intent and listed features are attributed to Sharp and the report; independent assessments of its environmental performance are not included.
How the Garden Will Mature
Sharp described the planting as designed to grow and evolve over time, but the report does not identify a future construction phase, public opening or scheduled follow-up. The next observable development will be how the trees, herbs and drought-tolerant planting mature and how the family’s outdoor rooms function through changing seasons. No further project update or timeline has been announced in the source material.
Key Questions
Where is the garden?
It surrounds an Arts and Crafts house in Pasadena, California, on an oak-lined street.
Who designed the garden?
John Sharp led the landscape design through Studio John Sharp, according to the Homes and Gardens report.
What are the main features?
Reported features include a terracotta-striped pool, a custom fire pit, a rock labyrinth, edible planting, citrus and persimmon trees, and distinct outdoor areas for activity and retreat.
Was the garden designed for children?
Yes. The owners wanted a family-friendly garden, and the front yard’s rock labyrinth and edible plants were designed as a playscape for their two young daughters.
When was the project completed?
The source report does not give a completion date or construction timeline.
Source: homesandgardens.com
