Designed for a well-traveled family who previously called California home, this beautiful garden functions an extension of the house—an outdoor hub that can grow with their children and where the family can effortlessly entertain.
Written by Bek Mitchell-Kidd
Landscape Design by Karri Files Paul, KFiles Design
Photography by Jim Schmid Photography
A thoughtfully layered backyard brings West Coast cool to Charlotte, N.C.’s historic Eastover neighborhood.
Designed for a well-traveled family of five who previously called California home, the garden is an extension of the house—an outdoor hub that can grow with their three children and where the family can effortlessly entertain.
The property’s natural topography presented both a challenge and an opportunity. It backs onto a creek and watershed that divides the neighborhood. “Terracing the pool deck area and lower lawn allowed us to protect the pool area and create a slight vista in the backyard,” notes Karri Files Paul, owner and principal designer of KFiles Design.
Around the Hartstone made-to-order precast pool deck, lavender is paired with Little Blue fescue, Hoogendorn holly, and clipped boxwoods. Across the deck, Karri layered American Pillar arborvitae with Russian sage to create privacy, while against the house, hydrangea “Incrediball,” boxwoods, and penstemon soften the architecture.
The overall effect is a feeling of a collection of outdoor gardens, not a single expanse. Rather than leave any portion of the property underused, the landscape unfolds into a series of intentional retreats. “We like to create destination zones in an outdoor space. My biggest pet peeve is underutilized areas,” shares Karri.
The intimate kitchen garden occupies an otherwise overlooked, south-facing corner that receives full sun. A custom arbor positioned between the pool terrace and garden creates a visual threshold. The garden’s discreet placement allows it to remain functional without competing with the more formal entertaining spaces. Karri confides, “If the client is unable to tidy up or tend to it, it’s not visible from the rest of the space.”
The upper level provides generous space for entertaining and easy circulation, while the lower garden offers a quieter seating area and additional room for play. “We wanted to ensure there was plenty of room for play and incorporated the faux turf for a clean, low-maintenance look,” says Karri.
A covered loggia becomes a particularly inviting gathering place at the end of the day, with landscape lighting extending the experience well into the evening.
Existing Seiryu Japanese maples were preserved along the rear property line, creating a beautiful branching pattern, seasonal color and shade—and enhancing the garden’s view from the covered loggia.
The finished landscape feels less like an addition to the home than a natural extension of it: elegant but unpretentious, highly composed yet remarkably livable.
