Private Milwaukee Residence

revealing a native Wisconsin retreat

Located in Milwaukee on a 7-acre site that borders Lake Michigan, the landscape design for this private residence was driven by the Client’s passion for nature and desire for a lifestyle that was immersed in it. As landscape architect, Omni Workshop™ restored native ecosystems of the Southern Wisconsin region, transforming the property into a magical calming retreat. More than 90 trees were planted, including 30-foot-tall oak, birch, maple, and beech trees, along with upwards of 70,000 understory plants.

The diamond shaped property has treasured ravine and bluff ecosystems, which converge into the head of an ephemeral creek on the lake. At the property entry leading to the house and perched over the ravine and bluff, a new one-acre native prairie was reintroduced. A serpentine driveway made of porphyry setts was woven through the upper edge of the ravine where prairie emerges from forest, maximizing the entry experience.

Inspired by hardwood forests vernacular to Southern Wisconsin, the house was nestled around stands of newly planted mature birch, oak, and pines with woodsy understory plantings. Within steps of the kitchen, is a more curated vegetable and cutting garden in raised beds. To deter deer, the kitchen garden was fenced with a wall constructed of local limestone and 100-year-old salvaged hand-hewn Wisconsin barn beams.

A whimsical folly and playscape was designed and constructed solely from cedar and black locust trees selected and harvested on site.

Black locust was carried through into the permeable courtyard paver surfacing to soften and naturalize the functioning turnaround off the forecourt and front entry. The end grain wood pavers contribute to a warmth that harmonizes with the architecture of the cedar shake house.

Location
Milwaukee, WI

Type
Residential

Size
7 acres