My Approach on Landscape Design

1. The Narrative – “What is the story we are trying to tell here?” Those were the words of an interior designer I once collaborated with on the design development of a large pool and pool house project. Her simple statement resonates with me every time a begin designing a new project “what is the story we are trying to tell here?”. It’s been my observation that any successful design be it landscape, interior, architectural or even fashion design, or the design or a new model of automobile can be defined as successful by the designs ability to convey a narrative in a quick glance.
2. The “Floor Plan” – It’s easy to make any space simply look pretty with beautiful stonework and plantings but that’s frankly a waste of money if the locations, positions, proportions and flow of the spaces don’t work for you. Within the overall narrative of the landscape design are the individual pieces which must be planned to fit together sensibly; that is to say the constructed parts of the design must function schematically in order for the design to be a success.
3. The Nuts and Bolts – If this part isn’t 100% dead on than all the above is for naught. Decades of field experience combined with formal training have taught me what actually works and what does not in regards to grading and drainage, detailing masonry construction that can withstand the stresses of nature, and knowing the difference between plant material that merely looks pretty the day of the install vs. plant material that still “works” 15 years after the planting crew has gone.