Urban backyard landscape with a gravel fire pit patio, natural stone stepping stones, cedar privacy fencing, and a hot tub beneath a wooden pergola, with two people relaxing under string lights at sunset.

Unwind Downtown

This Chestnut Hill property asked a lot of a compact urban footprint: a garden retreat that feels expansive, beautiful, and fully usable. GreenRoots answered with a thoughtfully layered design that holds on to as much greenery as possible. Rather than filling the yard with hardscape, the plan leaves generous lawn for the homeowners and the four-legged members of the family, with stepping stones weaving through the grass to create a natural sense of movement.

The landscape feels effortless and organic, and that ease is the result of careful planning. From the placement of the paths to the relationship between materials and planting, every element was considered.

Location

Chestnut Hill,
Pennsylvania

Design/Install

GreenRoots
Design Firm

Photography

Mark Rutt
Creative

Urban backyard with a gravel dining patio, natural stone steps, and a stepping-stone lawn path beside raised beds of ornamental grasses, a wooden pergola, privacy fencing, and overhead string lights.
Backyard hot tub with illuminated blue water beside a wooden platform with inset access panels, framed by ornamental grasses and a wood privacy fence.

The Project Brief

  • A compact urban yard designed as a layered garden retreat
  • Lawn and greenery preserved for the homeowners and their dog
  • Stepping stones weaving through the lawn for natural movement
  • Material transitions and fine details that create distinct moments without dividing the space
  • A garden that feels cohesive, effortless, and highly crafted
Aerial view of a narrow urban backyard with a pergola-covered hot tub, circular gravel seating area, dining patio, and natural stone paths connecting lawn areas and planted borders within wood privacy fencing.

The Experience

Move through the yard and the space keeps unfolding. Stepping stones carry you across the lawn, past ornamental grasses and chartreuse plantings, toward a gravel gathering area where a steel fire bowl glows at dusk. Beyond it, a hot tub sits on a wood deck beneath a timber pergola, with string lights overhead and fencing that wraps the garden in privacy.

Material transitions and fine details do the quiet work. Stone, gravel, wood, lawn, and planting each form a distinct moment without visually dividing the small space, so the garden reads as one cohesive whole. Hardscape, planting, and architectural elements work together, and the result feels natural while being highly crafted.

Hot tub beneath a wooden pergola with string lights in a narrow urban backyard, bordered by ornamental grasses, a wood platform, and a natural stone stepping-stone path set into the lawn.
Timber raised garden bed filled with tall ornamental grasses beneath a wooden pergola, beside natural stone steps, flowering perennials, and a gravel patio, with backyard privacy fencing and overhead string lights.

Design and function don't have to compete.

Urban backyard gravel patio with blue Adirondack chairs and wicker seating around a covered fire bowl, a large umbrella, and string lights, leading to a pergola-covered hot tub bordered by ornamental grasses and wood privacy fencing.