A Hillside Backyard on Three Levels

This is the part of the yard nobody wants to leave. A fire-pit lounge ringed by curved benches sits up top, a sport court occupies the level below, and a dry-stacked boulder wall holds it all in place, with bluestone steps cut clean through the middle. A sloped lot scares most people off — done right, it's the best thing that can happen to a backyard, because every space gets its own level. The lounge feels tucked away, the court stays out of the main view, and a dry-stacked fieldstone wall creates raised, well-drained beds where a golden Japanese maple and a low shade garden thrive. Build the wall right and the planting takes care of the rest.