This lovely property in Alexandria appears from the street to be a charming cottage, which belies the surprising scale of the house and grounds at the rear. The owners, a couple who entertain frequently, requested a significant outdoor kitchen, reorganization of the backyard, and a comprehensive planting scheme. The new plan also formalized the front entryway, added paddock-style fencing around the perimeter, and completely transformed the back garden.

Comprised of a steep grade divided by a creek, a three-level garden flows from the rear elevation of the home, which permits views from a roof terrace, a wrap-around porch on the main living area, and a ground-level, semi-circular dining/entertaining patio. Boxwood, fothergilla, hydrangea, and liriope fill the beds and add a cultivated texture to existing native trees and shrubs. The cooking area rises above an elegant lawn terrace, which is encircled by a serpentine retaining wall. Below the wall, stone paths with grass or ajuga-filled joints circumnavigate through the lower woodland parts of the garden and up along the sides of the house. Distinctive but discreet lighting shows the way.