A Japanese garden can be read topographically, from the landscape; it creates an archipelago that rises from rocks. Together with other elements – water, pavilions, trees – it establishes a balance that delights the senses. As its individual architectural objects are integrated within an ensemble, we have taken inspiration from its foundations in order to design the garden of our Casa Bellavista. In our garden, beauty is not in the essence of elements, but rather flows from their interplay and juxtaposition.
The path to contemplate the garden begins at the entry stairway and winds around the house; the wall marks the limit of the natural landscape. Shakkei-zukuri – or borrowed scenery, as this principle is traditionally called – means to merge the garden with the background landscape. Of course, this is only possible when natural vegetation grows close at hand. The final highlights are the different filters that enclose the central living space and preserve the intimacy of the complex, such as the fence and the wooded area.