Urban Outdoor Bathhouse Sanctuary

This urban backyard sits in the heart of the bustling North Oakland flatlands, within the Temescal Creek watershed. The small backyard garden is sheltered on all sides by neighboring properties so it is fairly protected from wind, and enjoys a moderately warm and sunny microclimate year-round.

We installed this garden in the Spring of 2022, and were excited to go back for a visit in the Summer of 2023. It’s amazing to see how the garden has really settled into itself within a year of growth and care! 

We were inspired to make the most of this ‘urban oasis’ and maximize the use of space by stacking functions. We wanted to soften the surrounding structures with vibrant + diverse living screens to unify the busy built environment, and give our artistic client space for creating artwork in the garden. Self-care and nature connection was also a huge inspiration for the outdoor bathtub + shower, as well as the ‘napping meadow’ for lounging, reading, or enjoying time outdoors. And finally, increasing biodiversity and food production took a forefront, with space for container vegetable gardens and the living food forest fence.

Huge thank you to Brooke Porter photography for beautifully capturing this garden space!