Set in a crowded subdivision, this tiny waterfront lot and everything on it have been transformed to capture the view.

Landscape architect John T. Gutting of Church Hill redesigned an existing rectangular pool surrounded by a 5-foot-wide concrete walk. The landscape design was part of a larger redesigning effort that included removing an existing ranch house and building a new house on site. The property owners wanted a design that would provide screening from close neighbors, yet take advantage of spectacular views north, up the Chesapeake Bay and South River.

Mr. Gutting used indigenous plantings to provide screening from neighbors, and trellises to cover and surround the pool area. "In addition to providing shade, trellises frame views, offering structure and delineation," he says. "They focus the eye to points of interest which otherwise would blur into the larger vista."

Mr. Gutting says that in designing he tries to be aware of the whole space and what is appropriate to each specific location. He places "an emphasis on light and space as with any art form," he says.