A grand flight of stone steps descends from the house to the street. The plantings are loose. The design of the stucco terrace walls provides a private rectangle of lawn on the upper level.Photography Credit: Maxine Schnitzer Photography

A lush, flowering garden spills into the pre-existing swimming pool in the back yard of this Washington, DC, residence. The raised stone terrace is hidden by a row of crape myrtles, alternating with azaleasPhotography Credit: Maxine Schnitzer Photography

The clients had recently bought an undeveloped green roof space next to their apartment. To connect to this space, they opened a wall of their library and added large sliding doors and windows. Our work together resulted in a Japanese-style garden that gives the family a world of their own, remote from the bustle of the surrounding city. This space is designed to be directly experienced or viewed from inside and outside the home.Photography Credit: Maxine Schnitzer Photography

A screened, pavilion near Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC, overlooks a sweeping dry streambed surrounded by ferns and carex. The stream bed is constructed to absorb all the water that passes through during rainstorms. The rain garden captures water from the house downspouts and the driveway, feeding native plantings of iris, red twig dogwood and ninebark.Photography Credit: Maxine Schnitzer Photography​

The Jewish Primary Day School needed space for its students to run and play. The school purchased the neighboring split level home built into a steep slope. After receiving approvals from the U.S. Fine Arts Committee, the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission, and the Board of Zoning Appeals, the home was razed, and a new playfield was cut into the slope. The amphitheater seating and upper garden now provide a multi-level play space, with overflow water absorbed by a rain garden.