White bungalow and brick motor court at the Cherokee residence in Five Points, Athens, Georgia
Five Points, Athens · Completed 2025

Cherokee Residence

A family landscape shaped by crafted masonry, generous planting, and everyday play

A generous lot asks for more than a collection of features. It asks for order—a clear relationship between arrival, garden, and the ways a family moves through each day.

Here, a brick motor court gives the home a settled arrival. An open lawn holds breathing room at the front, while a curved stone terrace and integrated putting green turn the rear garden toward gathering and play. Brick, stone, bluestone, and layered planting repeat with enough restraint to make the landscape feel as though it has always belonged.

Client
Private Residence
Property
Residential Landscape · 1+ Acre
Scope
Landscape Architecture · Planting Design · Construction Administration
Status
Completed 2025
01 · Arrival

A motor court with the character of a garden

The largest paved surface on the property is treated as part of the landscape—not simply a route to the house.

Brick motor court and open lawn in front of the Cherokee residence
Patterned brick gives the arrival texture, scale, and permanence.
Planted concrete tread strips beside the Cherokee residence
Planted joints soften the transition from drive to garden.
Brick drive leading toward the white bungalow in Five Points
The paving reads as a court shared by house and garden.
Layered flowering garden beside the brick motor court
Layered planting keeps the formal geometry from feeling rigid.

Open at the center. Generous at the edges.

The lawn remains deliberately simple while the perimeter carries depth, bloom, and seasonal movement. That balance allows the front garden to feel expansive without asking turf to fill every available space.

02 · Gathering

Fire, stone, and a curve that holds the room

The rear terrace gathers the strongest masonry moves into one calm outdoor room.

Curved stone seat wall surrounding the brick fire terrace
A thermal bluestone cap turns the retaining wall into permanent seating.
Circular brick fire terrace behind the Cherokee residence
Radial brickwork gives the rear garden a clear center of gravity.
Curved fire terrace framed by layered planting
The wall resolves the grade while planting softens its outer edge.
Round gas fire feature set within patterned brick
Stone, flame, and brick meet in one precisely detailed focal point.
The terrace is both destination and hinge—connecting the house, lawn, planting, and recreation spaces without asking any one element to dominate.
03 · Recreation

A putting green that belongs to the garden

Recreation is integrated into the composition through contour, planting, and careful alignment with the surrounding rooms.

Contoured backyard putting green at the Cherokee residence
Curved edges and multiple cups give the green real playability.
Planting edge and bluestone step beside the putting green
The green meets the garden as naturally as a lawn edge.
Putting green connecting to the rear porch
The recreation space remains visually connected to the house.
Putting green, mature tree, and curved stone terrace
Canopy, planting, and masonry hold the green within a larger garden composition.
04 · Materials

One palette, many roles

Each material changes expression as it moves through the property, creating continuity without repetition.

Bluestone-capped seat wall and radial brick terrace
Thermal bluestone provides a quiet, durable edge above textured stone.
Gas flames within the round stone fire feature
The fire feature brings warmth without interrupting the terrace geometry.
BrickMotor court and fire terrace
Rockface stoneSeat wall and fire feature
BluestoneWall cap and stepping pads
PlantingSeasonal structure and softness
The garden today

Designed for the rhythms of home

A landscape for arrival, gathering, play, and the quieter moments between them.

Open front lawn and flowering borders at the Cherokee residence
Fire terrace framed by planting and mature trees
Bluestone stepping pads through the rear garden
Rear porch overlooking the curved stone fire terrace
Layered side garden beside the Cherokee residence
Curved bluestone-capped seat wall detail

Project team

Landscape Architecture · SPG Residential Studio
Designer · Kaylin Kittle, PLA
Firm · SPG Planners + Engineers
Builder · Athens Building Company
Photography · Kirstin Karch

Residential landscapes, considered from the ground up.

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