Clinton Hill Garden

Completed 2024
Photographs: Matthew Williams and Pia Ulin
Architecture and Interiors Bangia-Agostinho
Landscape Design Julie Farris, XS Space
General Contractor Showcase Construction
Landscape Contractor DigitNYC
Landscape Lighting and Irrigation Sosa Irriscape

The Clients had lived in this landmarked building in Clinton Hill Brooklyn for 10 years prior to their renovation. The challenge for both the house renovation and the outdoor space was to update while preserving its character and history, as well as ensure the client's strong emotional ties to the existing home and garden, and memories in the space were not lost. Both needed to feel like "home" and familiar.

The renovation of the house carefully balances the sense of the original while creating a new fabric that feels timeless and yet familiar. Bangia-Agostinho took a carefully balanced approach—maintaining historical integrity while integrating modern elements. A two-story rear extension was added to create additional living space. The new volume is wrapped in historically appropriate brick, blending seamlessly with the original structure. Large floor-to-ceiling openings dissolve boundaries between the interior and exterior, enhancing natural light and garden views.

The approach to the garden preserved the grade change to the back and integrated a subtly terraced garden that unfolds in naturalistic layers, accessible via weathered reclaimed granite stepping stones that meander through soft patches of clover lawn. The design celebrates a naturalistic meadow-like aesthetic with drifts of shrubs, and ornamental grasses punctuated by perennials—that create seasonal interest while requiring minimal maintenance. Reclaimed stone planters and carefully placed anchor the plantings, while the additions of Crepe Myrtle trees provide canopy and structure, while also providing some screening from neighboring properties. The garden's multi-level design offers both intimate nooks for quiet contemplation and open lawn areas where children can play, all framed by thin cedar-slat fencing that ensures privacy while maintaining the space's connection to the surrounding neighborhood. Rather than a complete redesign, the project aimed to magnify and refine beloved aspects of the previous garden with a commitment to reclaimed and sustainable materials, and native plants throughout—designed to be as regenerative as possible while creating a space that feels both effortless and deeply rooted in place.