Creating a balanced hillside garden that embraces distant vistas is an art unto itself. The essential challenge always comes down to one question: how does the garden bridge the space between house and landscape? Tasked with designing the grounds for a hillside villa, the Solingen-based practice Landschaft + Garten took a bold approach—reshaping the terrain on a sweeping scale. The result is a landscape park that transitions seamlessly into the rolling Bergisch countryside, while also harboring intimate, secluded leisure spaces waiting to be discovered.

A newly redesigned driveway meanders through a wooded parcel before arriving at the villa. Here, expansive panoramic windows frame the entirely reimagined park-like garden—complete with terraces, pool, and play zones. The sloping site demanded complete terrain remodeling, which the designers used strategically to establish sightlines that draw the eye outward toward the surrounding landscape. Spanning more than a hectare, the garden was conceived to offer unobstructed panoramic views from both the villa's interior spaces and its terraces, while carefully hiding the garden's various zones from direct view. Play, lounge, and swimming areas nestle into green alcoves—invisible from the terrace, inviting leisurely exploration. These spaces weave seamlessly into the natural landscape through thoughtful planting schemes and material transitions. Near the building and pool, evergreen shrubs mingle with roses, hydrangeas, and perennials in a refined palette of white, blue, and violet. Throughout the landscape park, layered tree plantings underscored by evergreens create visual depth, resulting in a serene, richly textured composition that evolves beautifully across the seasons. Come evening, subtly integrated outdoor lighting—with carefully orchestrated zones of illumination and shadow—casts an atmospheric glow while maintaining the panoramic sense of openness.

www.prj-landschaftsarchitekten.de

Photography Credits:

Udo Jochems

(Published in CUBE Düsseldorf 01|23)