LIFE BEYOND FIRST CLASS
DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE
SANTORINI
TIDES
A Santorini-inspired landscape transforms a Southern California backyard into a resort-like sequence of outdoor rooms, where fire, water, and light create a daily sense of escape.
SAMANTHA GREENE
PHOTOGRAPHY: JERI KOEGEL
Whitewashed surfaces, blue water, and firelight work together to suspend time. In Southern California, a once-conventional backyard at a luxury single-family residence has been transformed into a resort-like landscape inspired by the relaxed elegance of Santorini and the tactile warmth of coastal Mexico.
The project serves a 5,715-square-foot home set on a half acre in coastal Orange County. Rather than treating the outdoor space as a backdrop to the house, the design reframes the backyard as a destination in its own right, one that extends the feeling of travel into everyday life.
Designed by Foxterra Design, the landscape, titled Santorini Tides, draws from the crisp architectural clarity of the Greek isles, white stucco, restrained blue accents, and sunlit geometry, while incorporating the organic textures and relaxed materiality associated with Tulum. The result is not a literal translation, but a composed atmosphere that feels transportive, calm, and contemporary.
The layout unfolds as a sequence of immersive outdoor rooms organized around water, fire, and movement. At the center of the yard is a sculptural fire-feature island set within the pool. Clad in Santorini-blue tile and surrounded by water on all sides, the island integrates a fountain, fire element, and sunken seating into a single focal composition. Floating steps lead down to the seating area, where oversized lounge cushions encircle the fire, evoking the intimacy of a beachside bonfire.
Behind the fire island, a hidden spa introduces a quieter, more introspective layer. Defined by smooth plaster pillars, a statement arch, and a candle wall that glows softly after dusk, the spa is partially enclosed to create privacy and separation from the rest of the yard.
Firelight, water, and shadow converge here to create a retreat within the larger landscape.
Oversized floating daybeds further reinforce the resort sensibility. Positioned directly over water and accessed by a floating walkway, they are framed by slatted patio covers, fabric accents, and rattan pendants. Their generous scale lends a sense of ease and indulgence, encouraging lingering rather than movement.
A covered outdoor kitchen and dining area anchors the social heart of the yard. Designed for year-round use, it includes a long dining table, statement lighting, and textured tile surfaces that subtly enrich the predominantly white palette. Custom lighting throughout, lanterns, candle walls, tree lighting, and concealed LEDs transform the landscape after dark into a series of softly illuminated rooms.
Executed with a construction budget of approximately $1 million, Santorini Tides demonstrates how landscape architecture can elevate a residential backyard into a fully realized resort environment. It is a project defined not by the house itself, but by the experience created beyond its walls, where atmosphere, ritual, and daily life converge.
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