This Architect Successfully Grows His Own Secret Garden

A family doesn’t have to travel far for a private oasis away from the busy city.

David Howell had his work cut out for him and his eponymous firm, David Howell Design (DHD), when he took on building his own home equipped with its own garden. The loft, which he shares with his wife, interior designer Steffani Aarons, twin daughters, and Abyssinian cat, Isis, not only offers all the public amenities of the nearby Gramercy Park, but is also a few minutes away from Howell’s firm. Howell explains,“Once [the patio] was planted and started to grow we felt like we had created a secret garden in the middle of a concrete city. We live out there when the weather permits.”