STYLE : OUTDOOR LIVING : The Lazy Days of Summer

Lay out the beach towels, light up the barbecue. Lounging around the pool with friends may require only summertime basics--a swimsuit, a chaise longue, a couple of paper plates--but true Southern California style is back-yard entertaining with alfresco flair. The idea is casual elegance in everything from setting a table to dressing up for dinner at sunset.

This Brentwood garden offers two lush levels: the first a pair of terraces--one covered and palm-shaded, the other secluded between a brick barbecue and a fountain-splashed fishpond. From there, a flight of steps leads upward, under an arbor for climbing roses, to the swimming pool seen here. Around the pool, the walls are green and rustling--constructed of weeping Chinese banyan trees, queen palms, tree ferns and giant bird of paradise. The ceiling is a slice of sky.

The garden was designed by landscape architect Garett Carlson of Landarc Inc. in Beverly Hills. Carlson’s goal was to transform a flat, uninteresting space into a “series of discreet outdoor rooms--each with its own function and feel--that blend together into a larger whole.” Repeating plants and paving, as well as a narrow wash of lawn, tie the pieces together and give a sense of movement. Which, Carlson adds, makes for the kind of “therapeutic setting” people want in landscapes today. “If a space is designed well,” he says, “it will give you energy and peace. If not, it can set your teeth on edge.”