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Michael Schultz designed the multilayered backyard garden, framed by towering cedar, Douglas fir, and palms.

“We love the hot tub, and usually try to jump in it every afternoon,” says Leah. “In the warmer months, we don’t heat it, and the kids use it as a post-beach pool and love to play in it for hours.”

A healthy budget for landscaping allowed Leah to achieve a natural, wild look with plants. “I wanted to look out and see just lush plants growing wild,” she says. The collage of native vegetation was also used to soften the transitions between surface materials and backyard zones.

Although Leah, a landscape designer, often travels to project sites and works on the go, she draws inspiration from working outside on the days she is home. “When I’m home and working on actual designs, I love to work out back where it’s peaceful and sunny,” Leah says. “It helps me be productive.”

The ADU's compact kitchen features an eat-in island with a double sink that can be accessed from either side. Rammed earth is used on the end of the island. The pendant light is by FLOS.

The primary bedroom features a built-in banquette with additional stoarge. The knitted dropped pendant light is by Ariel Zuckerman.

The primary bedroom in the main house features a porthole window and curved ceiling, both of which are visible from the exterior.

The kitchen features a marigold yellow zellige tile-clad island, the color of which was inspired by yellow desert flowers spotted during a rammed earth workshop in Arizona. The bar chairs are vintage Jeanneret.

The home's rammed earth walls are featured mainly on the west-facing side, to regulate heat gain during warm days and maintain temperatures inside during chilly desert nights.

The single-valve fixture delivers water at the temperature we set it to on the tankless heater. The backstop, which has a sealant, will silver with time, and the copper will patina, too. The shower will feel more and more private as the hedges continue to grow in.

I fixed a tankless water heater to the side of my house out of sight. The unit has temperature and flow controls, and a season toggle that tells it how many burners to use.

I had two levels on hand, so I taped them to the planks, adjusting the stakes to plumb the backstop. You can buy a specialized level that works in both directions.

The ceramic pendant above this cozy corner bench is by local studio Notary Ceramics; the wood table is by Vince Skelly.

Furniture and art were sourced from family and artist friends, with a mix of high and low, old and new. Artists that contributed to the project include wood sculptor Vince Skelly, ceramicist Sarah van Raden of Notary Ceramics, and furniture builder Nick Tretiak.