Evening view of a covered brick porch with string lights, ceiling fans, and generous seating in a West Chester PA garden design, with a bubbling fountain urn, silvery artemisia, allium, and pink curcuma in the foreground

Downtown Haven

This West Chester backyard sits in the middle of town, and the goal was to make it feel anything but. GreenRoots turned the property into a private garden retreat that feels removed from the energy of downtown while staying closely connected to the home. The existing property had strong bones, so the work was about adding definition, character, and intention through circulation, planting, color, and carefully framed spaces.

The walkway became an important part of the experience, creating a more natural connection between the front and rear entries and guiding movement through the garden.

Location

West Chester,
Pennsylvania

Design/Install

GreenRoots
Design Firm

Photography

Mark Rutt
Creative

Herringbone brick paver patio beside a wood deck with steps in a West Chester PA garden design, with a large planted urn and string-lit trellis, a custom wood and steel storage cabinet, a timber pergola with string lights, and ornamental grasses
Bubbling ceramic fountain urn on black river stone in a West Chester PA garden design, surrounded by silvery artemisia, pink curcuma, allium, and white calamint, with a covered brick porch, bird feeder, and cedar fence beyond

The Project Brief

  • A downtown backyard transformed into a private garden retreat
  • A reimagined walkway connecting the front and rear entries
  • Generous covered porch seating for lingering and gathering
  • Screening and carefully placed trees for privacy without closing the garden in
  • A restrained material palette with one bold, unexpected pop of color
Timber raised vegetable garden beds with tomatoes, broccoli, and herbs on a herringbone brick paver patio in a West Chester PA garden design, with a cedar lattice privacy fence and string-lit pergola`

The Experience

Move through the garden and the city fades. A brick-paved walkway leads you past softly layered plantings, and brick steps step down to a lawn framed by grasses, small trees, and perennial borders. Beneath the covered porch, generous seating makes an outdoor room for lingering and gathering, while screening and carefully placed trees give the space its privacy without ever closing it in.

A restrained palette of materials lets texture and form take the lead. Against the home's brick and architectural character, the shed doors are painted a bold blue, an unexpected moment of personality that becomes the focal point of the garden. Trees and plantings were chosen to complement the exterior architecture, bringing softness, seasonal interest, and depth to the composition. As evening settles in, string lights and a bubbling fountain make the whole space feel like a world of its own.

Bold blue shed door with a brick paver landing, cedar shingle siding, and a vine-covered steel trellis in a West Chester PA garden design, framed by a cedar privacy fence, white calamint, and lawn
Pink curcuma, purple allium, and silvery artemisia in a layered perennial bed with a fountain urn, and a couple relaxing on the covered brick porch beyond, in a West Chester PA garden design

Steps from downtown, a world away.

Dusk view across a West Chester PA garden design with a young specimen tree and low-lit evergreen plantings in the foreground, a glowing covered brick porch, a fountain urn, an open lawn, and a blue-doored garden shed beyond