JC Miller

MAKING A PLACE FOR ART:

COLLABORATION BETWEEN EDITH HEATH AND ROBERT ROYSTON

Edith Heath seated near the garden room, Heath Collection, EDA, UCB. 215

4 , ), a robust,), . Architectural Record 3 , Heteromeles arbutifolia House Beautiful , and Arts & Architecture , House & Garden , home. As an improvised structure, the an houseboat-turned-home lacked So began a collaboration that garden a remarkable that generated Like his design peers, Royston space asregarded the primary medium Sunset design vocabulary and cubist spatial concepts the to suburban California innovative landscape design,garden. Royston’s with emphasis its on art and abstraction, the to was matched well creative Edith of approach Heath, who was similarly pushing the boundaries ceramic of design and production. Heath Garden, Tiburon, California, 1951 was downslope located home Heaths’ The from the nearest road. Because theof unique nature the of structure and situation its an of on the side embankment, was practical not it build to the to home. a garage adjacent In response the to Royston topography, situation the of house and the site’s parking,located a carport, and storage an on that upper was significantly level the from hide view automobiles the of the houseabove and house. garden, To a vertical placed he screen the at the top of picket slope and planted the side ( slope heavily with the Toyon evergreen regionally native shrub suited microclimate. well the to bayside A broad, slopinggently path concrete and equally a set of stairs garden broad moved and guestsresidents from the parking area the to living terrace and the entry to the so inobvious the front door, initial concept drawing Royston guided visitors theto entry by means screen another of that picket angled dynamically reflected both Royston’s modernist designreflected bothprinciples creative Heath’s and Royston’s talents. garden, the the Beyond pair Heath’s collaborated on tile art in the landscape and on furniture design. as a result Perhaps their of friendship and shared design, to approach Royston specified Heathfor tileby allmade the designed he gardens throughout his long career. Robert Royston, Landscape Architect In Robert Royston, Heath found a kindred creative spirit as whose a work landscape architect was becoming known well in California and nationally. Royston began his landscape design career working part-time Thomas for Church, a prominent California landscape architect, while still at a student the University California, of After service Berkeley. in the Pacific in Theater II, War Royston returnedWorld San to Francisco join to the of generation new landscape modernists, partnering with Garrett Eckbo and Edward Williams formto Eckbo, Royston & Williams By they the had mid-1950s, (1945–1958). leading modernist the landscape of into one nation’s developed architectural firms. put They design vocabularythe of grids, arcs, biomorphic and shapes practicalto use, creating engaging, functional living. outdoor for spaces during work thisRoyston’s period was frequently featured in such publications as Architecture and Engineering and hisof respected profession the intrinsic qualities materials. of Certainly, spatial manipulation in postwar concept developed was a new not California gardens. Baroque The 17th-century of gardens France, the villa made gardens by aristocrats the of Italian Renaissance, prehistoric and such as even sites spaces, enclosed controlledStonehenge, views, and manipulated perspectives. was approach the application a modernist of inWhat Royston’s was novel

Edith Heath: Philosophies Making a Place for Art — JC Miller 217 – 216 secured to bayside . Dorothea ca. 1951, Heath Collection, EDA, UCB The California, embankment, Tiburon,

1 , with another couple, 2 Dorothea Shortly after relocating their business, the Heaths also their relocated Many of the state’s new residents were creatives: architects, were residents new designers, Many the of state’s embankment that dropped into San Francisco Bay. an extraordinary on land. Edith residence Heath turned Robert to Royston planning site for and design a garden. of In dishes, a set of exchange for he design a garden created that anchored, quite the literally, houseboat a steep to Eral and Kenny Leek, and living remodeling provide to it spaces. In 1951, the bargewaterfrontto a was floated parcel on the TiburonPeninsula and then lifted during a high position a stable tide to turning on shore, the into vessel domestic life Marin, to purchasing a barge, the and his wife, Evelyn, and they became lifetime friends. to a leased workspace in a leasedto workspace Sausalito. Heaths The immediately joined in the creative and somewhat bohemian social circle in that Marin had developed County. Through that circle, they landscape met architect Robert Royston homes inhomes the hills wooded Marin of County the to north San of Francisco. midwesterner EdithTransplanted Heath and husband, her Brian, among were these, relocating their business, Heath Ceramics, from in San 1947 Francisco educational opportunities funded bythe G.I. Bill Rights. of artists, and performers vitality. prospect The drawn an by of the region’s suburbanideal life enticed many cross to Bridge the and Gate build Golden This postwar boom was nourished by an increase in high-paying in jobs the commercial, manufacturing, and professional sectors, a home-building boom fueled by mortgages secured Housing by the Administration Federal and Area. Thousands in the to State work wartime to moved Golden industries and returning veterans further the swelled numbers as they chosestay after to discharge from military service the at ports Oakland of and San Francisco. The years following World War II extraordinary yearsThe War saw following World growth in California. front effort home The brought industrial productionto California coastal cities on an scale. unprecedented This was especially true in the San Francisco Bay Royston Heath–Leek site plan by Robert Royston, 1951, Collection, EDA, UCB. ’s west end and east side. Given the and and Given decks end east west side. ’s Dorothea The propertyThe had a stunning unimpeded view the of looking bay Spanning the entire width the of terrace, south north, to the trellis Edith Heath embellished the space with tile murals plywood (the panels north and east from that the was enjoyed vantage point the decks of Heaths constructedon the location the of Royston home, resisted the impulse incorporate to the view into the composition. garden was an There initial glimpse the of from bay the top of the stairway garden that disappeared as the into the visitor garden’s descended self-contained world. terminated in room a garden that in Royston collaboration developed with the Heaths. room garden The functioned the to house, as a foyer defining a space theoutside glass entry with open grids and steel of wood. in was roofed It retractable canvas in shade panels provide summer. to seen in the accompanying photos this article would eventually in be covered tile) and a kinetic sculpture ceramic of rings. was furnished It with a number of designedpieces by Royston, including sled” a “sun lounger and plant tubs. The structure Chinese red, color, and trimmed favorite was painted in Royston’s with construction accents. wooden to This black extended scheme color throughout the garden.

Edith Heath: Philosophies Making a Place for Art — JC Miller 219 – 218 The Heath garden looking east, photograph California, Tiburon, by Robert Royston, ca. 1951, Royston Collection, EDA, UCB. Royston’s plan cut slightly into theRoyston’s upslope bank the of hill and used the The open center of the garden was a generously scaled level space paved space paved the scaled of open wasThe garden a generously center level embankment and retaining wall or structures, the central the space of garden was inward focused and protected from chilling breezes off bay. the the and west south the of terrace. sides decking The that ran the length the of terrace northern on its was in side reality a wide bridge that spanned the gap between the sloping ground and the building. on all by upslope Bordered sides material fill to downslope, generated by thismeans expanding for the area paving and turf. As a result this of retaining cut, a seat-height wall defined also large art. of works In a Royston-drawn plan, garden the compositional strategies fine of artpainting are unmistakable. paintingin a Conversely, by Robert landscape Royston, to the design reference is obvious. complementary biomorphic shape furtherdefined the groundplane. Royston often mixed paving types and irregularly shaped lawn panels with shadow patterns structures from overhead large-scale create to abstract ground paintings. first These were foremost and functional spaces, but were they pattern the of paving, concrete a combination asymmetrical of rectangular sections with contrasting and colors surface finishes, suggested subspaces that might be used sunbathing for dining. or outdoor A lawn panel with a an angled lawn panel, and a dramatic trellis. in a mix materials, of including concrete, turf, brick, and wood decking. The across the central terrace. This screen divided that terrace into two spaces, presumably allocate to share both to private zones for the were who couples dwelling. As built, Royston highlighted the entry with a strong paving pattern, Edith Heath sitting on gardenwall near entry, Heath Collection, EDA, UCB.

Edith Heath: Philosophies Making a Place for Art — JC Miller 221 – 220 Similar Similar .). This .). 5 Musa spp Musa 6 These fragments offer 7 ) provided a dark Quercus agrifolia By Royston’s account, EdithBy Heath was Royston’s enthusiastic and knowledgeable As was often the case with in previously sites Marin undeveloped The combinationThe the of upslope screens the at carport and the at south To the east the of room garden was a sunkenby a To reached garden the garden. attention the to aesthetic qualities plants, of especially color and flower time.bloom painterly planting to approach Her accounts the for great variety and colors of textures, the mosaic planting, of that in is of evident photos about gardening and the varied and colorful plant palette certainly reflects planting. to approach detailsher included notes on the Her cultural needs of certain plants asas well their anticipated size and form. paid She particular the managed his typical likely followed garden, he approach, choosing and combining structure evergreens create to and define spaces. County, native California oaks live ( frameevergreen the garden. for new Royston was the an of advocate Japanese borrowed of landscapeidea and the so likely hillside considered oaks visible from the interior the of a part garden the of Within scheme. the bounds of a glimpse into the process making of the and, garden in combination with close study period of photographs, allow analysis for the of planting design. Unfortunately, construction no planting or plans the remain for garden from office, but papers nurseryEdithHeath’s include Royston’s receiptsand a handwritten shopping list supplies. garden needed of Planting the Heath Garden four integration The years earlier. architecture of and landscape was always a fundamental Royston goal for and this device anchoring of walls into nearby visualslopes for effect it.was way achieved one he that to theto Heath garden, that project was also an property east-facing the at edge. wood The and screens concrete in the set bay’s Heath were garden perpendicular hillside the and to terminated adjacent into it, a design move seen in other Royston gardens, including his Mill constructed home Valley of theof designed he gardens in the early 1950s. first The example of this structural controlling to approach breezes can be seen in design his of 1949 the Standard Oil Rod and Gun in Club Richmond, Point California. from the chilling was use hesitant to not He built breezes from the bay. structures functional achieve to results in his gardens, and vertical picket screens similar those to originally in the Heath are garden found in many end of the of end with intention to garden planting dense its Royston’s revealed space protected from a secluded create being viewed from the street, and more private area and the vegetable beds. Two wood-frame screensprivate withmore area beds. andthe solid Two vegetable staggered panelsconcrete were and set off other each from in this area. These screens stopped the the wind, blocked eye, and a vertical created plane the at east the of edge property. pattern and garden in laundry area a gravel that ended a vegetable included drying area. room garden The and trellis functioned asvisually a permeable divider separating the open publicand social the of spaces from garden the microclimate and exotic species included such as banana ( typically not was a choice seen in Royston-designed and gardens likely reflected paving input Heath. from Beyond the sunken garden, Royston’s stairway the of dwelling level and that a second a lower stairway to led the to shoreline. planting The inthe sunken took advantage garden the of protected . Royston . Royston Collection, Collection, Royston bridge deck with Edith and Brian Heath, Evelyn Royston, background, the in others and photograph by Robert Royston, EDA, UCB View across the walkway towards the studio attached to the carport, photograph by Robert Royston, Collection, EDA, UCB View to the west across the

Edith Heath: Philosophies Making a Place for Art — JC Miller . 223 – 222 View looking east across turf and patio toward garden room, photograph by Robert Royston, Royston Collection, EDA, UCB ), ) ), ), and ), Echium ), California), ), and sun), roses Cytisus scoparius ), and yellow flowering and yellow ), Ceanothus thyrsiflorus Prunus ilicifolia Heteromeles arbutifolia Festuca ovina Festuca ) with unique its true-blue ). Late winter). floweringplants Ajuga reptansAjuga ) and the shiny sharp the of leaves Stachys byzantina ), holly), cherries ( ). The rich The mosaic). planting of continued to ). Plants). in Royston-designed tubs wooden ), purple), floweringof ( pride Madeira Plumbago auriculataPlumbago Syzigium paniculata ), carpet), bugle ( ). More gray-leafed plants dusty gray-leafed included More ). millers Teucrium frutescensTeucrium ), wooly lamb’s ears ( lamb’s wooly ), ) in the garden, which contrasted with the soft gray foliage Callistemon Leucophyllum sppLeucophyllum Zantedeschia aethiopica Juncus patens ), and plumbago ( ), Gazania rigens Supplementing the large evergreen Toyon ( Supplementing the large Toyon evergreen Helianthemum nummularium Helianthemum Phormium tenax Senecio cineraria Senecio ( gazania ( ( of bushof germander ( Australian bush cherry ( theincluded cheerfulof broomScotch flowers ( yellow red bottlebrushred ( fastuosum severalwere varieties flowers. There of strap-leafed New Zealand flax ( shrubs that Royston introduced screening for on the upslope embankment, medium plant list added andHeath’s smaller-scale shrubs embellish to the the of edges garden. California These included lilac ( gray rush ( calla lilies ( bushescone ( the ground plane with low-growing fescue ( blue . Royston designed table - A Royston set for breakfast with Heath dinnerware, photograph by Robert Royston, Collection, EDA, UCB The entryThe courtyard a screen included integrated into the architecture As with the they garden the almost created planting earlier, a decade of San California. Diego, was as marketed it the There Era group New within the collection furniture redwood of company’s known as Solar-Rest. furniture The venture was a commercial not success and only a small number the of Heath tile-topped thebefore project made was discontinued were tables in 1960. Heath Ceramics Sausalito, Factory, California, 1960 constructionThe the of Heath Ceramics factory in Sausalito in 1960 offered Royston and Heath a second opportunity collaborate to on the creation a of illustrated concept sketch two courtyardgarden. Royston’s flanking spaces Residentialan in scale, interior in lobby. a mix the paved were spaces brick of and with concrete contrasting finishes. The asymmetricalpaving pattern was definedredwood by varyingof dividers width.Planters raised 12 above inches surfacethe paved further articulated the ground plane. separationfor from the street. freestanding Royston often employed screens in his spatial for gardens definition and of the display art. In Heath factorythe courtyard, the screen in was simpler construction than many his of designs, composed a series of vertical of posts joined by panels embellished with tiles.Heath-made time A review taken photos of over indicates that the tile occasionallypanels were updated and changed. produced locallyproduced in the Sausalito Luther of workshop “Bill” the line Conover, would eventually by be the made John Hancock Manufacturing Company in

Edith Heath: Philosophies Making a Place for Art — JC Miller 225 – 224 published furniture furniture published - - Excerpts from Eckbo, Royston & self Williams sales brochure, ca. 1955, Collection of JC Miller. ), and jade and jade ), ), citrus,), Nerium oleander While is difficult it to make 8 Leptospermum laevigatum ), oleanders ( oleanders ), ) was positioned the retaining above low ). Juniperus torulosa Punica granatum The TT-42 coffee table was part coffee TT-42 The table of a furniture collection 9 .), was set across the.), path from the room garden and a small Crassula ovata Prunus spp Prunus The pairThe collaborated directly the on production a tile-topped of table Royston recalled busy that despite professional lives, art and art-making Apart from the fruittrees incorporated on the garden into the vegetable in the mid-1950s. designed and by the promoted office ofEckbo, Royston & Williams. Initially done by Royston,done both utilize asymmetrical grids in contrast with irregular zigzag lines. If recontextualized the pattern on paper, by Heath could made be the of irregularsketches paving that Royston garden. her designed for a direct connection between their personal creative efforts,especially as they in differentmediums, worked comparison contemporane produced work of ously indicates that they shared about graphic ideas composition. patterns The inthat glaze Heath rendered and tiles on plates and the paintings and plans where theywhere can still be seen today. integralwere both to his and Edith lives. Heath’s shared meals and wine. red Royston would bring his children the to Heath they where tilesfactory, would decorate and cups be to fired along with the dinnerware. Many those of tiles found their into the way Royston garden, County during the dynamic postwar period often stories included about Edith and husband, her Brian. As couples, the Roystons and the often Heaths were they homes, where talkedguests politics, other’s each at history, and art over Friendship and Collaboration friendshipThe between Robert Royston and Edith Heathspanned decades. In interviewsrecollections in late conducted about Marin his life, Royston’s pomegranate tree ( wall in the afternoon provide to edge west terrace. on the shade center east there end, trees are few in the garden. A patio-scale tree, likely a flowering plum ( arrayed trees tea on the included ( deck ( junipers Hollywood plants ( . Collection, EDA, UCB Heath Ceramics factory courtyard,1960, Heath (San The San Francisco Bay , no. (2019): 19 2–9. Eden: Journal of the California Garden & Landscape , 2nd ed. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985), 250–251. Modern Public Gardens: Robert Royston and the Suburban Park View: Library of American Landscape History 21, no. 4 (Fall 2018): 14–25. details For on the Harris garden, see JC Miller, “Royston in nearly 50 percent in a decade, the greatest increase in the nation. See Mel Scott, Area: A Metropolisin Perspective with them when invited to dinner. He acknowledged that over time a large collection of dinnerware accumulated in the Royston cupboards, but given the piece-by-piece delivery, he was never sure it was anything like a full set. This anecdote is from my recorded conversation with Royston, July 16, 2006. executed 60 years later, in 2008, the Harris garden in Palm Springs, California. a detailed For description of Royston’s garden, see JC Miller, “In His Own Backyard: Part 2; The Evolution of Robert Royston’s Mill Valley Garden, 1947–Present,” History Society Palm Springs,” description of the Heath garden is based on my conversations with Robert Royston in a series of interviews recorded between June and September of 2006, as well as a review of plans and period photographs in the Robert N. Royston Collection, Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley. Francisco: William Stout, 2006), 89. and November 1951, and Edith written Heath’s notes included with nursery receipts, n.d. This material included in The Brian and Edith Heath/Heath Ceramics Collection, EDA, UCB. by Edith Heath. Comparison of census data from 1940 to 1950 reveals that the urban population of California grew by In interviews later in life, Royston recounted this story, joking that the Heaths would bring dishes Early Heath tile can be found in Royston’s home and garden in Mill Valley and in his last project The innovative garden designed by Royston and nurtured by Edith Heath no longer exists. The Reuben Rainey and JC Miller, JC Miller, “In His Own Backyard: Part 23. 2,” Receipts for plants and garden materials from Pacific Nurseries in Colma, California, dated October This anecdote is from my recorded conversation with Royston, July 16, 2006. The tiles were not manufactured by Heath Ceramics; rather they were hand-painted with a custom glaze ——— 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Edith Heath: Philosophies Making a Place for Art — JC Miller 227 – . 226 Royston Heath Ceramics factory courtyard plan by Robert Royston, 1960, Collection, EDA, UCB ), Eucalyptus ). The The ). ) and tree Trachelospermum jasminoides Trachelospermum Camellia japonica Tetrapanax papyriferTetrapanax ) provided a taller planting of layer and ), and camellia), ( Philodendron selloum Philodendron ), provided a vertical), element. ) was punctuated by star jasmine ( Agapanthus orientalis Beyond friendship,Beyond the collaboration between Edith Heath and Robert Vinca minor large, broad leaves of the of ricelarge, paper plant leaves ( broad areas, ground planting cover fine-textured of dwarf evergreen periwinkle ( Nile lily ( the courtyards a framework included structural of plants chosen by Royston, texture,with plants color, selected and for variety by Heath. In the planting garden spaces in spaces garden particular stood apart from other landscapes the of period in that they guided were by a shared artistic vision that the saw both garden as an important functional space and as an opportunity art. for objects that they a unique show made combination modernist of sensibilities. was anThere appealing spare quality their to and gardens objects that reflectedin moment a time stillheavily influenced by wartime frugality.The Royston’s work, including work, dynamicRoyston’s planning andsite flexible well as as spatialcomplex relationships within the garden, all enhanced with exuberant planting and colorful tile by Heath. Similarly, the furniture and decorative polyanthemos Royston each offered the opportunity places The they to grow creatively. many togethercreated include the of design innovations characteristic of philodendron ( foliage contrast. A patio-scale tree, dollar likely silver eucalyptus (