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PARK AND
RECREATION
At this Livingston home, outdoor living
doesn’t end with summer
WRITTEN BY CINDY SCHWEICH HANDLER PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF HEATHER KNAPP
T
he Livingston family of six had
enjoyed their home’s parklike setting
for years, but as the kids grew, so did
the family’s ideas on how to use their
acre-plus property. It was time for a
serious update, for which they hired
Mitchell Knapp, president and owner of Tapestry
Landscape Architecture, Scenic Landscaping LLC
and Tranquility Pools in Haskell. Along with land-
scape architect Richard Zimmer, Knapp opened up
the front yard, updated the pool, created a new area
for sports and altered the home facing the backyard
to enable a country club-quality lifestyle without ever
leaving home.
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A WARM WELCOME
(Right) Knapp expanded the front court
of the home to make more room for park-
ing. He installed Norwegian buff quartzite
paving stones that in cold weather are
warmed by a “massive” heating system
beneath the driveway to prevent slipping,
he says. Variegated boxwood, spirea and
other plants brighten the entrance; the
family of concrete bunnies at lower right
stand in for the parents and four kids.
(Above) The stone wall, which was built
to accommodate the parking court, sports
potted pink Mandevilla vine. Flowers in the
three pots are changed with the seasons.