“A succulent garden can look quite lush, not just drought tolerant,” insists Stephen J. Suzman, a landscape designer from South Africa who planted this remarkably organized rooftop containing $10,000 worth of seedum, aeonium and echeverria.

The resulting masterpiece is wowing visitors to the 2009 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, which runs from April 25-May 25 at a mansion in Pacific Heights (2830 Pacific Avenue).

The contemporary design Suzman conceived with associate Paula Erickson, of Suzman & Cole Design Associates, includes a deck and walkways of wood and stone that allow access to the garden’s nooks and crannies filled with low-maintenance succulent plants, Nomow Fescue grasses and seedum, as well as lightweight pots and outdoor sculptures.

The composition is so masterful that it easily holds its own with the breathtaking bay and city views on all sides.

When asked if these plants can hold up to wind, rain and frost, Suzman is quick to sing their praises, adding the only caveat to the low maintenance look is being sure to hydrate when necessary, but not over-water the rugged genera, or else they will turn yellow and might droop.

Otherwise, you can go to a nursery and buy the succulents, grasses and South Arican restio and make your own garden arrangement, selecting plants of different ages and sizes for an interesting composition.

“We’re not close to replacing the front lawn with these yet, but having seedum instead of lawn would be wonderful,” he tells me, adding you cannot walk on it or play on it, but it will save water and power.

Seedums can withstand a freeze, he points out, as evidenced with the rooftop gardens in Germany. “This garden is the tip of the iceberg of what succulents can do.”

Adding to the green scheme is the lighting by Lindsley Architectural Lighting, which installed recycled fixtures with an output of only one to ten watts.

Images: Luanne Bradley

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Not simply an art-infused yoga retreat, this green getaway in a 1910 San Francisco mansion was conceived with the most advanced philosophies circulating in the world of new design: integrate the expertise of eco-minded artisans and foster a sense of well-being in the home and on the planet.

Kevin Hackett and Jessica Weigley of Siol Studios are committed to to an approach that bypasses the old method of sub-contracting various consultants to remodel a space.

“We practice integral design hoping to create one sustainable mind with experts from every realm hired by our firm to work together in the same language and philosophy,” says Hackett, an Irish architect. “It’s happening elsewhere in medicine, business, law and education. ”

It’s also happening in the 2009 San Francisco Decorator Showcase (April 25-May 25), where the team was given a space in the basement to forge this sustainable retreat.

The designers borrowed the name A Sacred Space to Dwell from a book by Polish ecological philosopher, Henryk Skolimowski.

“He taught us we need to go through a process of frugality to understand space,” says Hackett. “We’re in the midst of that change. We need to understand meditation not just as an individual practice but a global one.”

The major focus of the space was filtered natural light through 5-inch thick pivot walls of fly ash concrete flanking tempered etched glass windows. The walls open and close as needed to allow a delicate diffusion of light for meditation, reading, relaxation or reflection.

The ceiling light is all LED illuminated, as the designers argue conventional fluorescent lights contain mercury and don’t make sense.

“We are pushing the idea that LED is superior because it’s not as blue as in the past and lasts hundreds of hours,” says Hackett. His partner adds that LED is extremely efficient.

“Every light here combined is what is needed to fuel one conventional light bulb,” says Weigley.

Local eco art colors the inventive room, including an acacia carving by Sam Perry of Oakland, a series of paintings on plywood by Rex Ray, and a zen diptych by Max Gimblett, a practicing Buddhist.

Other elements include a Peace Industry felt rug, salvaged pine from old barns for flooring and a vintage Ming table from Hackett’s past.

One aspect less visible is the psychology of the space which is all part of the firm’s modern tact in getting it right.

“We actually have a psychologist on our staff who is the conduit to understanding a client’s demands,” shares Hackett. “We designers coming out of design school don’t have to play that role. You can hire a professional. Some people don’t understand how much that plays into what we do.”

Kevin Hackett and Jessica Weigley of Siol Studios

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