Design & Build
build/ THE STORY
Tucked into Hidden Hills, California, Jed Smith is the largest hillside landscape Imagine has completed to date. Named in reference to the famed mountain man, the property spans just under one acre and negotiates an extreme 40-foot elevation change. The project represents nearly a year of planning, a 68-day build, and a 40-person crew. Due to the steep grade and limited access, machinery could not be used; over one million pounds of material, 5,000 plants, and multiple mature Olive trees were carried up the hillside by hand. All railings and metalwork were custom-designed and fabricated on-site, underscoring the level of craft and coordination behind the build.
The concept explores the tension between the natural and the formal, beginning at the ground plane. A signature Imagine arch introduces a sequence of “floating” concrete steps, detailed with Creeping Jenny embedded within the joints. Along the stair runs, integrated drip irrigation supports planting performance in the dry climate while maintaining a clean architectural expression. The material palette of concrete, wood, and grasses, is framed by vineyard-style Ficuses that define the ascent.
The journey up the hillside is organized into a series of distinct landings, each serving as a destination within the overall composition. The first introduces sculptural Blue Agave, establishing a drought-tolerant planting strategy carried throughout the site. Synthetic turf is used selectively across terraces to maintain a lush visual quality while responding to the environmental constraints of the region.
At the second landing, a California Pepper tree provides canopy over a custom metal daybed, finished with walnut slats and framed by Wisteria on either side. Blue Fescue at the base is arranged to suggest movement through the landscape, evoking the impression of water flowing beneath a bridge and down toward the entry level. The third landing serves as the project’s focal point, a cantilevered double-nest hammock that extends the usable footprint of the hillside and creates a suspended moment of pause. Framed by Olive trees, it overlooks the surrounding California landscape.
To unify the experience, lighting is woven throughout the site, suspended from native Eucalyptus and integrated at grade within low plantings, and emphasizing depth and guiding movement after dusk. On the opposite side of the hill, a Malibu Pier–inspired path and stair system completes the circuit, returning to the main residence and reinforcing the project’s continuous flow between ascent and descent.
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