Q-Street - Moody Graham

living — Washington, DC

Q-Street Garden

The Q Street Garden is a curated space for outdoor furniture, neon artwork, and layered green textures.

The clients are avid collectors of mid-century modern furniture. While most pieces live inside the townhouse, a select group of outdoor furnishings needed an intentional setting. An ipe deck provides a warm, durable platform for the Walter Lamb table and chairs, and discreetly integrates a new pneumatic access hatch to the lower-level storage area.

A new neon sculpture, RISE by Ivan Navarro, creates a luminous focal point along the rear brick wall. To expand planting opportunities, the existing brick planter was removed, and the wall was painted white to reflect more light into the space and heighten contrast with a richer palette of trees, shrubs, perennials, and climbing vines.

At the lower level, new granite pavers form a flexible seating terrace and connect back to the deck via a series of floating platforms, strengthening circulation and creating multiple moments to pause, gather, and engage with the garden.

Photos by Kate Wichlinski unless noted otherwise.

Existing Conditions

The existing conditions were anchored by a mature Japanese maple, a small fountain that no longer functioned, and a narrow brick planter bed. The garden had limited planting opportunities and lacked a clear focal point.

Concept Sketches

As part of our design process, Moody Graham studies several Schematic Design alternatives for the layout and organization of the garden.

Layered Garden

Winner of the Land F/X Residential Photography Contest, this urban garden uses layers of planting and lighting to create a dramatic atmosphere, prompting one judge to note, “I’m impressed by the depth and variety in a very small space.”