Enfolded within a topographically challenging wedge-shaped parcel, this new limewashed house and its landscape are nestled beautifully into the hillside. Tailored inside and out for a young family with refined contemporary tastes, the steep accent to the formal front entry is eased by pavers leading to landings that step up to the entrance. Elegant handrails reveal custom detailing upon contact, but the slender metal forms disappear at a distance. Layers of plantings — Boxwood, Oak Leaf Hydrangea, Hollies, and Rhododendron — are in keeping with the cultivated suburban neighborhood.

At the sideyard, clusters of fern (Dryopteria erythrosora ‘Autumn’) hold up a deep slope while a hedge and retaining wall create a screen for privacy and a backdrop for the rear entertainment scheme. Climbing hydrangea (Schizophragma hydrangeoides ‘Moonlight’) will creep and green up the six-foot-high surface. Here again, the shape and grade of the property create unusual geometries, which are put to good use. A bench finds a vantage point in the irregularity. A triangular, sculptural fireplace contains a deep niche for wood storage on one side and a ledge that serves as an additional seat on the other. Painted black, the firebox is an ingenious foil for the hidden-in-plain-sight television above. In spite of the small yard, raised planters, the lounge area, and a dining platform of Pennsylvania bluestone adjacent to the outdoor kitchen are all components neatly integral to the program and the space. 

Landscape Architect: Richardson & Associates Landscape Architecture; Architect: Thomson Cooke Architects; Interior Designer: Ali Budd Interiors; General Contractor: Banks Development; Landscape Contractor: Chick Landscaping; Photographer: Jennifer Hughes