Yura Lotonenko 6/7/21 Yura Lotonenko 6/7/21

Heaven Del Mar Sanctuary Garden – A Coastal Landscape of Harmony

“Heaven” is a sanctuary garden in Del Mar, San Diego, inspired by Claude Lorrain’s pastoral visions. With contemporary structures, lush planting, and timeless philosophy, the design creates unity between people and nature.

Blending Sustainable Design, Native Planting, and Coastal Living

The design centers on a sleek lap pool aligned with a geometric pavilion, creating a serene balance between water, architecture, and lush Mediterranean planting.

The Heaven Del Mar Sanctuary Garden transforms a coastal property into a living sanctuary where architecture, ecology, and lifestyle seamlessly connect. Designed by LASD Studio, this project balances California coastal resilience with a refined garden aesthetic, creating spaces for relaxation, biodiversity, and sustainable living.

A cinematic video tour of the Heaven Del Mar Sanctuary Garden in California, showcasing outdoor living areas, pergolas, water features, and coastal native planting that supports biodiversity and sustainable living.

Project Description

Nestled in the coastal town of Del Mar, this sanctuary garden is designed to embrace both the natural rhythms of the ocean and the refined character of a private residence. The design integrates multiple functional and ecological layers, making the garden both timeless and forward-looking.

The project is divided into interconnected zones:

Entry Garden

A welcoming approach framed by native and drought-tolerant planting, setting a serene tone.

Living Spaces

Outdoor dining under pergolas, a BBQ island, and family lounge areas that extend the indoor lifestyle into the garden.

Water and Biodiversity

Reflecting pools and planted slopes that attract pollinators, birds, and butterflies while managing stormwater.

Coastal Plant Palette

Native California and Mediterranean plants selected for resilience, seasonal color, and ecological function.

PROJECT DESIGN DOCUMENTATION

Detailed planting plan for the Heaven Sanctuary Garden in Del Mar, showing tree species, shrubs, and layout around the pool and pavilion. — The plan integrates Mediterranean and California-native species, including olive trees, manzanita, and Ginkgo, designed for resilience, biodiversity, and timeless beauty.

3D Landscape Design Perspectives - Del Mar, San Diego, California.

Perspective – Pavilion by the Pool

The pavilion, designed as a shaded retreat, offers an artistic counterpoint to the pool’s linear geometry, fostering moments of reflection and relaxation.

Perspective – Poolside Relaxation

The lap pool becomes both a recreational feature and a reflective surface, bringing light, movement, and tranquility to the sanctuary garden.

Perspective – Pavilion Gathering

The pavilion serves as a social hub, offering shade and intimacy within the larger open space, designed to connect people with art and nature.

Perspective – Pavilion and Lawn

The design merges minimalist geometry with ecological planting, creating a sanctuary where leisure, biodiversity, and design coexist harmoniously.

Perspective – Lounge Zone Design

Rendering of the pavilion facing a green lawn and lap pool, framed by olive trees and drought-tolerant planting.

By weaving together these layers, LASD Studio created a sanctuary where people and wildlife thrive side by side. The garden is not just designed for today—it is a living, evolving system that will continue to mature, adapt, and give back to the land for generations.

Yura Lotonenko 3/19/21 Yura Lotonenko 3/19/21

Contemporary Garden – Del Mar, California

A contemporary garden in Del Mar, California, inspired by abstract design and freedom of expression. Asymmetry, natural textures, and ecological planting create a landscape that balances modern living with timeless coastal beauty.

“A Modern Garden Inspired by Movement, Ecology, and Ocean Proximity”

Landscape design is more than decoration—it is the art of shaping land and living systems to enrich daily life. From private gardens to city parks, every designed landscape reflects the dialogue between nature, architecture, and people. In Del Mar, a coastal town where the ocean meets modern living, this Contemporary Garden was conceived as a living artwork: abstract, asymmetrical, and ever-changing.

Exterior rendering of Contemporary Garden in Del Mar with modern architecture, elevated infinity pool, coastal planting, stone pathways, and abstract desert-style landscape design.

What is Abstract Landscape Design?

Abstract landscape design breaks free from traditional symmetry and rigid geometry. Instead of identical hedges, mirrored axes, or a central focal point, the design embraces curvilinear lines, contrasts, asymmetry, and layered textures. A tall hedge may balance a short one; a curved pathway may guide the eye toward unexpected plant groupings. Every space tells its own story.

This approach creates a garden that feels alive, fluid, and dynamic—more like a forest or meadow than a structured parterre. Plants are not lined up in rigid rows but arranged in natural rhythms, with intentional randomness that mimics the patterns of wild landscapes.

Interior rendering of shaded lounge area beneath elevated pool in Del Mar Contemporary Garden, with spiral staircase, seating, lush planting, and filtered ocean light. — Lounge Area Under the Pool with Glass

Abstract Garden Elements in Del Mar

Curved paths and fluid geometry that invite movement and discovery.
Asymmetry and contrast—each corner is distinct, offering new perspectives rather than uniformity.
Planting palettes with Mediterranean and native species, resilient in Del Mar’s coastal climate, reducing water use and supporting pollinators.
Play of textures and colors, from ornamental grasses to bold architectural shrubs, creating depth and visual rhythm.
Outdoor living zones, designed for relaxation, gatherings, and the enjoyment of sea breezes.

Ecology Meets Art

This garden is not just for beauty—it is sustainable and ecological. By selecting drought-tolerant and pollinator-friendly plants, the garden thrives with minimal maintenance while restoring balance to the coastal environment. Water management and soil health were carefully considered, ensuring the garden adapts and evolves with time.

Video presentation of Contemporary Garden in Del Mar, California, featuring abstract landscape design with asymmetry, sustainable Mediterranean planting, and modern outdoor living inspired by the ocean.

A Garden That Grows With You

Unlike static architecture, landscapes live, change, and transform. The Contemporary Garden in Del Mar captures this truth: plants grow, seasons shift, and light plays across pathways and textures. The result is a timeless garden—modern yet rooted in ecology, structured yet free, intimate yet expansive.

At its heart, this project reflects LASD Studio’s philosophy: landscapes as evolutionary intelligent systems, where people, art, and biodiversity evolve together in balance.