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By making their new home in a suburb of Amsterdam much smaller than the maximum allowed, architects Arjen Aarnoudse and Farah Agarwal managed their energy needs while increasing their outdoor space.

“The idea was to make the house a string of pavilions so there could always be air flowing through them,” explains Marc. Behind the greenery sits custom chaise longues by Jaime Nuevo.

The palette and furnishings are inspired by nature and the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi. "We wanted people to feel relaxed right when they walked in, so we kept the interiors noble and focused on texture and subtleties in design," says Elaine. The living room features the Neva sofa by Sixpenny, a 19th-century Naga coffee table from India, and leather side chair from Restoration Hardware.

When the couple purchased the home, there was no landscaping besides some local shrubs and Joshua trees. They decided to give the backyard a calming vibe with a saltwater hot tub. "It’s an invigorating experience, showering and soaking under an open sky so close to nature," she says. The saltwater uses fewer chemicals than chlorine, and helps relieve swelling and aching joints for hikers.

The couple added a coat of black paint and cedar siding to give the home a cleaner, more modern look. "The house already had wide and low eaves, providing protection from the sun, and we added new spray-foam insulation, so the black exterior actually does not pose too much of an issue with the desert heat," she says. A new Cor-Ten steel fence blocks the view of the neighbor's roof, but doesn't interfere with the landscape.