Design for fire, stay for the hangout

In Agua Dulce, we were asked to create a fire-safe landscape around a rural home and farm—part insurance mandate, part common sense. But instead of just checking the boxes, we took it as an opportunity to design something beautiful, functional, and resilient.

The result is a hardscape perimeter that does double duty: it slows fire and invites people in. Crushed rock zones and strategically placed fire-resistant plantings shape a defensible edge, while gathering spaces—built from non-combustible materials—create moments to linger, not just escape.

It’s a landscape that takes risk seriously, without looking like a bunker.