APLD International Design Awards 2026
The Diamond Enfilade - Edgemoore Residence and An Artist's Garden - Falls Church Residence each won a Silver Award at the 2026 APLD International Landscape Design Awards.
We're thrilled! Both gardens started as compact, tricky yards behind houses their owners had loved for decades. One was a patchwork of lawn and failed paving. The other had been squeezed by a new studio addition and a canopy of tall tulip poplar roots.
In both, the story came straight from the house and the people in it. Even our littlest gardens are no less detailed or cared for, and it means a lot to see the judges notice.
The Diamond Enfilade: Silver Award, Residential
After 30 years in their Tudor home, with six kids grown and a fresh interior renovation done, these homeowners were ready to finally live outdoors. A must-have item: a place to keep their very, very large Leonberger separate when friends came over.
We borrowed the diamond-mullioned windows and turned them into "carpets": diamond-patterned patios in layered frames that ground each little garden room. Classic bluestone meets crisp contemporary pavers, echoing the mix of traditional and modern inside. TOBE Design Group not only reconceived their interiors (which also won several awards!), but also supported with furniture selection on the exterior as well. McHale Landscape provided landscape General Contracting.
A welcoming front entry. A cramped stoop became a wider landing with curved cheekwalls that follow the home's curving rooflines, and a custom handrail traces the curve.
A gate with a wink. A new fence closes off the side yard for the dog, and the custom gate has its own diamond peek-through window.
Depth in a very small backyard. A vine trellis, a seat wall of locally quarried Carderock stone, and a three-column curving pergola each shape one side of the room.
A haven all year. Ferns, anemone, and foamflower give near-evergreen cover, with camellias, junipers, stewartia, and maple adding structure.
The judges called it "a sophisticated residential garden that successfully derives its design language from the architecture of the home," and loved "the detailed use of masonry carpets to define each intimate seating area."
An Artist's Garden: Silver Award, Residential
A fine artist and her husband had cared for their cottage-like home for 25 years. Then a major addition with a new art studio took a big bite out of the backyard, and the tall tulip poplars' roots left little room for anything new.
Our inspiration came from her own work: mixed-media sculpture built from abstract forms layered into one another. We noticed the curving front beds already echoed her pieces, so we left the plants alone and added stone paths and careful pruning to draw out that connection. Moore Architects designed the new addition and decks, and Planted Earth Landscaping provided landscape General Contracting.
A patio that works like her art. Subtle brick arcs and arcing masonry walls layer over a field of large, irregular flagstone, pairing flowing shapes with clean geometry.
Bricks that belong. We chose brick to feel like the house's original, down to its tones and flashing, with subtle corbeling that nods to details around the windows.
Nothing wasted. We reused and relaid the 40-year-old driveway pavers, replacing only the handful that had failed.
Four seasons in deep shade, despite the deer. Hellebores and crested iris open spring, her favorite astilbe takes over in summer, fothergilla turns gold and ruby in fall, and American holly berries carry winter.
The judges wrote that "the designer's translation of the client's own sculptural process into the brick arc inlays, curving seat walls, and flagstone geometry is inventive and well-executed," with a "strong planting palette for a challenging shaded, deer-pressure site."
Small Yards, Big Stories
These two gardens show what we love most: small doesn't look complex, but it needs special care. Every patio pattern, brick, and plant here was chosen to tell the story of one house and the people who live in it.
Thank you to both families for trusting us with homes they've loved for decades, and to the builders and craftspeople who brought every curve and diamond to life.
Do you have a tired or awkward yard, or a renovation underway? We'd love to hear about it. Reach out through our contact page. Architects and interior designers, we'd be glad to join your next design meeting.