Best Landscape Designs of 2023
Seamlessly Extending Home Into Outdoor Living Spaces
The start of a new year is an exciting time. We set goals for the year ahead and reflect on past accomplishments. Choosing our favorite designs from the previous year has become a New Year’s tradition at Ventures. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the work we do and to build momentum for the year to come. Our commitment to pushing the boundaries of outdoor design, and creating unique, beautiful, and functional outdoor spaces is what propels us forward as industry leaders in landscape design.
Join us as we unveil our team's selections for the best designs of 2023. We can’t wait to make these renderings a reality in 2024!
Maple: A Limited Space with Infinite Potential
Jake Steward’s Pick: Plymouth, MI
Selected as a standout design of 2023, our Maple project showcases how impactful outdoor living can be, even in smaller spaces. Nestled in a city lot in Plymouth, the Maple design seamlessly combines modern aesthetics with functionality.
Beyond the inviting outdoor living area, this project includes a meticulous redesign of the standard two-car garage. The innovative addition introduces a second-story private office with a balcony, offering a serene workspace separate from the main house—a valuable feature for those embracing remote work.
The garage's ground floor underwent a luxurious metamorphosis into a pool house, complete with a fireside lounge and a covered outdoor kitchen. The floor-to-ceiling glass accordion doors allow the space to transform from a covered extension of the outdoor living area into a cozy retreat, irrespective of the weather.
The contemporary gunite pool and spa serve as captivating water sculptures, enhancing the overall ambiance. The sculptural design incorporates a rain curtain and vanishing edge, creating a beautiful visual while ensuring a delightful and relaxing experience. Ingeniously designed, the water appears to spill over into the surroundings, only to be subtly captured in an underground basin for recirculation.
A custom shade structure covers the sunken fireside lounge, featuring a rain curtain that gracefully pours into the pool. The addition of ivy-covered walls provides an intimate and private outdoor haven for this urban dwelling.
The Maple Design is a testament to how thoughtful design can maximize utility and aesthetics, proving that outdoor living spaces can be transformative, even in smaller city spaces.
Balfour: An Outdoor Space with a Captivating Embrace of Curves
Loch’s Pick: Groose Pointe Park, MI
The Balfour design unfolds with radiating arcs, beginning from the deck and extending seamlessly to encompass the fireplace, patio, and pool. A harmonious blend of striking aesthetics and practical functionality, Balfour is a standout design from 2023.
The design begins with a steel-framed deck on the second story, offering an expansive view of the yard. Adorned with a lounge and cafe table, the deck becomes a delightful retreat for morning coffees or evening wind-downs. Below, the patio is elegantly sheltered with a finished tongue-and-groove ceiling, complemented by recessed lighting and a ceiling fan. The artful curvature of the masonry incorporates a double-sided fireplace, creating an inviting space for enjoyment in any weather.
Continuing from the covered section, the patio extends into an uncovered portion, divided into three wings by grass runners. Each wing has ample space for sunbathing, lounging, dining, or relishing the warmth of the fire. The grass runners break up the masonry, increase permeability, and soften the divide between landscape and hardscape.
The sophisticated gunite plunge pool and spa are designed for pure relaxation. The large spa features a 360-degree spillover, encircled by a shallow wading pool perfect for dipping feet or lounging on ledge chairs. Adding a touch of drama to this tranquil space, two large fire and water bowls complete the ambiance.
Nine Mile: An Outdoor Living Space Where Simplicity Speaks Volumes
Jake Lubig’s Pick: Novi, MI
At Nine Mile, clean lines and immaculate details take center stage. The expansive pool runs parallel to the house, adorned with stepping stone pavers bridging the divide between the pool and spa. The monochromatic patio, laid in long, pristine lines of white pavers, stands in striking contrast to the bold slate-colored coping, emphasizing the pool's edge. A rectangular gas-fueled fire pit at one end of the pool complements the black-and-white palette with black coping and white masonry walls.
Adjacent to the pool sits an elegant pavilion, housing a covered outdoor kitchen with a built-in grill and a show-stopping fire feature-dining table combination. The gas-fueled fire stretches across the back wall of the pavilion and extends down the center of the bar-height dining table. Mounted above is an all-weather TV for enjoying the latest Lions match!
The pavilion boasts a dormer, a vaulted tongue-and-groove ceiling, and exposed beams. With full electrical and gas connectivity, the pavilion offers recessed lighting, a ceiling fan, and amenities for the fire feature and kitchen, creating a stylish and functional outdoor haven.
Stanley: An Outdoor Living Space Where Fun Takes Center Stage.
Brandon’s Pick: Royal Oak, MI
Amidst our lineup of impactful designs, Stanley emerges as Brandon's top pick—a testament to the sheer joy of outdoor entertainment. This lively living space transforms your backyard into a private resort, offering all the amenities of a five-star escape. At the heart of Stanley is a custom gunite pool, complete with a swim-up bar, a spa, a tanning shelf, a swim-up fire pit, and a sheer descent waterfall cascading from the pavilion roof into the pool.
The wrap-around pavilion is a multifunctional haven, hosting a spacious dining area, a lounge with an outdoor fireplace, a covered outdoor kitchen and bar equipped with a built-in grill, refrigeration, and chef-grade appliances, as well as a bathroom and a changing room. The finished tongue-and-groove ceiling provides full electrical capabilities, featuring recessed lighting, heaters, and ceiling fans over the dining and lounge areas. Above the outdoor kitchen and bar, an open latticed-style roof with retractable ceiling panels adds a touch of versatility, allowing for seamless transitions between open and closed configurations.
Surrounding the pool, the patio offers generous lounge space and an L-shaped fire feature with poolside seating, inviting you to bask in the warmth of both the flames and the convivial atmosphere.
George: Reflecting Cubist Architecture in an Outdoor Living Space
Skye’s Pick: Birmingham, MI
The synergy between indoor and outdoor spaces is paramount in crafting a seamless design, and at Ventures, we understand that your outdoor living space should be a natural extension of your home. The George project is a testament to this philosophy, harmonizing with the modern, cubist architecture of the residence. Embracing clean lines, right angles, and a touch of fragmentation, our design ensures that the completed project becomes an indispensable part of the home's identity.
The outdoor living space is a study in contemporary refinement, featuring a sunken fire pit surrounded by a wrap-around sitting wall. A custom shade structure, with a slatted roof, shelters the sunken fireside lounge, where the elongated fire element graces the back wall, crowned by two water sculptures crafted from stacked black marble cubes.
Beside the fireside lounge are staggered step pavers, guiding the way to the knife-edge pool and spa. The pool and spa are meticulously designed to achieve a precise fill level such that there is no distinction between the level of the surrounding patio and the water’s surface. This effect is achieved with knife-edge granite tiling, a hidden gutter system, and an underground surge tank. Overhead, a custom-fabricated structure supports a captivating rain curtain, while a second fire feature stretches along the pool's side, the flames flickering through the cascading water.
Completing the design is an outdoor kitchen that mirrors the fragmented, cubist architecture. Extending past the house, this culinary space features countertops and a backsplash of the same black marble found in other fire and water elements. Equipped with a built-in grill, sink, refrigeration, warming drawers, and other chef-grade appliances, the outdoor kitchen stands as a seamless addition to the modern design of the entire outdoor living space.
Thank you for joining us in revisiting the standout landscape designs of 2023. Each project was a testament to the artistry, innovation, and attention to detail that define Ventures. As we eagerly step into 2024, we look forward to embarking on new journeys, transforming visions into reality, and creating outdoor spaces that continue to inspire. If you're envisioning your own unique landscape masterpiece, we're here to turn those dreams into realities. Reach out to us, and let's make your landscape dreams come alive in the year ahead.