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The Landscaping Artistry of Lockwood de Forest Maria Churchill Illustrations: Carol Geyer (continued) The Meeker Estate Whereas Val Verde forced Lockwood de Forest to plan ways in which to integrate the parts of a huge estate, Constantia- built on 3.2 acres as a winter home for Chicago's Meeker family- presented the opposite problem: making the relatively small grounds appear much larger. The location and view were both splendid, and the house, designed by Chicago architect Ambrose C. Cramer, was a lovely version of the South African-Dutch colonial style. To solve the problem, de Forest exercised one of his special talents: creating the illusion of space through simplicity, symmetry and tricks of perspective that have been used by artists for centuries. To this end, the house, the garden below it and the large reflecting pool were both connected and separated by a series of stepped terraces between them. The large terrace closest to the house became an "outdoor living room," an effect that had become increasingly favored in California. The only garden areas he used for Constantia were the large one in front, centered by the pool, and two smaller gardens at the side and in the back of the house. A clipped hedge frames the narrow garden and pool area drawing your eye toward the mountains in the distance- an arrangement de Forest used increasingly in his designs (see front cover paintings as an example of this view of Constantia). At Constantia, de Forest's thoughtful attention to detail included his use of plants typical of South Africa wherever possible, and incorporating Mrs. Meeker's favorite shell pattern in to the edging of the flower beds in the Dutch garden west of the house.
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