Tiburon, CA ― Visitors would never guess that the elegant walkway leading to Judith Thompson and Cindy Brooks's front door contains a hidden message: stones, arranged in gravel like braille dots, spell out the poem "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by Christopher Marlowe.

It's like a special secret between friends, says designer Topher Delaney.

DESIGN: T. Delaney Inc./Seam Studio, San Francisco (415/621-9899). The firm also won in Small Space category for a children's garden in San Francisco.