Ahna Pietras-Dominski has always been artistic ― she designed colorful reversible neckties while living in San Francisco during the 1980s. So it's no surprise that she also took an artist's approach to designing her backyard in Pacifica.

The garden's most dramatic feature is what Pietras-Dominski calls a "double Archimedes' spiral," with two paths that swirl around a rock border accented with ornamental alliums. "It's a mini labyrinth that has both a spiritual and a physical presence in the garden," she says.