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Winner of Bronze Excellence in Landscape Design Award from the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association, 2007

Baker Creative received a Bronze Excellence in Landscape Design Award from the Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association (PLNA) in the “Residential Installation Up to $15,000” category, for the makeover it gave to the home of Anna and Phillip Silkoff in preparation for their daughter’s Bat Mitzvah. Although the guests at the Silkoffs’ celebration were none-the-wiser, the work was forced to be completed in the span of just one week due to delays with contractors for other types of work on the property.  Yet even in this compressed timeframe, the design successfully married aesthetics with practicality and budget.

One of the most common times for families to renovate their landscape is prior to a large family event, according to Brad Baker, president of Baker Creative. These projects have a special meaning to the homeowner, but also can be fraught with anxiety as they depend upon the timelines and estimates of various contractors managing pre-event projects. It is not unusual for Baker Creative to be in the situation that occurred here, where a non-affiliated contractor backed out and we had to take over their part as well as ours … and complete the installation quickly.

Our design for this Narberth residence enhanced its natural beauty by redefining spaces and unifying stone and teak materials to create a harmony that provides both splendor and purpose. Previously, the house’s stone façade dominated the design so Baker Creative added plant materials whose range of color, shape and texture – and well-designed proportions – added the balance needed to ensure the warmth that transforms a house into a home.

In addition, heavy traffic flow on the street and obstructed site lines created a hazardous situation when backing out of the narrow driveway. Baker Creative redesigned the proposed parking area to create flow and movement from all angles and provide needed drainage.

The combination of fine design, solid engineering and proper installation technique made the project worthy of its recognition by PLNA.

With lots of family coming from overseas – many of whom love gardens – the Bat Mitzvah became the Silkoffs’ impetus to carry out plans to reconstruct the front garden and driveway. They expected their guests to celebrate on the rear deck and were pleasantly surprised that family drifted to the front yard to enjoy the beauty of the new garden.