Rebuilding a garden after a fire means deciding what to carry forward and what to imagine anew. At Malibu Crest, surviving succulent groupings give the front garden a point of continuity as the landscape around them is reworked for a home being rebuilt and a steep, exposed site.

The design replaces lawn with gravel, stone, and a richly textured planting palette. Boulder groupings will feel like natural outcrops in the slope, with sculptural succulents and softer planting woven between them. The aim is a garden that feels full and welcoming without losing sight of the realities of building and living in a fire-prone landscape.

The project is moving from design into construction planning. As the details develop, the garden’s central idea remains the same: to make a place shaped by loss feel grounded, generous, and alive again.