An Architect’s Slim Home Emphasizes the Outdoors and Aging in Place

Gently graded steps covered in pine needles wander through the home’s L-shaped garden, designed by landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh. A six-foot-tall wooden fence shields the garden from the street, adding to the feeling of refuge. "The idea behind the garden is the opposite of minimalism," says Van Valkenburgh. "It’s about complexity and a range of experiences and shifts. These are what make it absorbing."