Classic materials and soft curves
elevate this Ward Parkway backyard.

Words
Andrea Darr

Photos
Hattie Kennedy

Designer
The Greensman
@thegreensman.7213

N

ina and Marc Hollabaugh’s stately home off Ward Parkway is every bit as impressive as the neighborhood it resides in—big, beautiful, and grand. But after years of living there, the couple realized their exterior spaces needed a refresh to better suit their lifestyle as empty nesters who love to host friends and family, especially their grandchildren.

Their pool was first on the list for repair—new plumbing and filters were essential, a service easily handled by Swim Things. A second opportunity emerged with the building of a new carriage house after they had converted the original garage into a family room years ago. With these upgrades in mind, the Hollabaughs called on longtime garden designer Kristopher Dabner of The Greensman to reimagine the backyard with a sense of cohesion and timelessness.

“The key was to make everything look appropriate for the house,” Dabner says. “They love their home and wanted to ensure that anything new would feel like it had always been there.”

The premise was simple, especially in this older home, where formality rules: it needs to look appropriate with the style of the house. Brick is the obvious starting point. Dabner likes to stick with the existing palette—usually one or two materials only—and use patterns to denote special spaces and wayfinding.

Paving brick, laid in an elegant herringbone pattern, forms the main material palette, while Ashlar bluestone marks transitions with circular motifs that naturally guide movement through the space. Drawing inspiration from the home’s raised stone foundation, Dabner also incorporated limestone touches on features like the grill island and fire pit zone.

New bluestone pavers were laid across the entire backyard expanse. Brick pavers act as paths that direct users to different places, such as the new carriage house and the side sleeping porch. Circles at those doorways define points of transition.

Colorful trim details, cafe lights, and a wind spinner bring light-hearted spirit to the majority sophisticated brick and stone structures.


Dabner prefers to keep the material palette to one or two choices, but added a third—natural stone, the same as the foundation of the house—to the base of the grilling station, located just outside the door to the family room and kitchen. Its curves soften the look, and the double-height bar counter offers a place for guests to linger


The formality of the house lent itself to formality in the landscape, which Dabner executed with boxwood-lined beds filled with hydrangeas.

Right off the kitchen and family room, the outdoor grill island overlooks the refreshed pool, its stone base a near-perfect match to the home’s exterior. Nearby, a wood-burning fire pit with a gas starter, semi-encircled by a stone bench built by Meyer Masonry, provides a cozy gathering spot. Custom cushions make the seating both stylish and comfortable.

Soft curves and circles balance the formality of the architecture, giving the landscape a relaxed, welcoming rhythm. Visitors will encounter one at each directional turning point, such as at the corner of the house.

Traditional boxwoods frame the planting beds—a suitable choice for the era of the house and are often employed to add structure and define high-maintenance planting beds.

“I really like boxwoods,” Dabner notes. “They give a nice framework for certain areas.”

Dabner filled these beds with hydrangeas and other perennials for seasonal color and bouquet making. Along the back property line, hornbeams planted four years ago now provide privacy and lush greenery.

At night, landscape lighting highlights key features like a Hinoki cypress and a Lyman Whitaker wind sculpture, while café lights cast a warm glow over the entire yard.

“It’s super user-friendly, entertainment-friendly, family-friendly,” Dabner says. 

Updates required for the existing pool had a domino effect on the whole backyard, resulting in a much more user-friendly experience for the homeowners.


Though not visible from the front exterior, the backyard takes cues from it. “It’s a big, beautiful, grand home,” Dabner says, “and we wanted the backyard to be just as nice with the same level of details.”


Circles and curves define the fire pit seating area, with added texture and “softscaping” from the greenery behind it.