--- title: "Olander Garden Design — Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/olander-garden-design-pfvwus-pf~1921129422 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~1921129422.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Olander Garden Design" category: ["Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/dd838bfb007e42e6_5719-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "Seattle, Washington, United States" latitude: 47.6036 longitude: -122.3256 phone: "(310) 351-3058" website: http://www.olandergardendesign.com rating: 5 review_count: 10 best_of_houzz_awards: 4 followers: 236 last_updated: 2026-09-24 --- # Olander Garden Design Original Houzz profile: [Olander Garden Design](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/olander-garden-design-pfvwus-pf~1921129422) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers - **Location:** Seattle, WA - **Serves:** Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Shoreline, Bothell, Bainbridge Island, Clyde Hill, Medina, Yarrow Point, Beaux Arts Village, Hunts Point, Ballard, North Beacon Hill - **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (10 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 4 awards (2017–2021), for Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Houzz Influencer - Recommended on Houzz - 1,000 Ideabook Saves Olander Garden Design is a Seattle-based landscape design business focused on creating outdoor spaces that find the intersection between timeless and contemporary, modern and organic. After a 10 year career as a trend researcher and photo editor, she not only has a keen eye but has a particular interest in staying abreast of new trends in the outdoor living and horticultural industries, including; design, materials and new plant introductions. Living in several metro areas on the West Coast, including - Vancouver BC, Seattle, the Bay Area, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, she can't help but be drawn to all things "West Coast style". ### Services Provided - Landscape Design - Garden Design - Hardscaping - Landscape Plans - Patio Design - Custom Water Features - Outdoor Lighting Design - Deck Design - Project Management - Container Design - Planting Plans ### Areas Served - Seattle - Bellevue - Kirkland - Shoreline - Bothell - Bainbridge Island - Clyde Hill - Medina - Yarrow Point - Beaux Arts Village - Hunts Point - Ballard - North Beacon Hill ### Typical Job Cost $50,000 - $200,000 Design fees vary depending on the size and complexity of the project, but typically range between $2,500 and $6,000. ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Olander Garden Design | | Address | Seattle, Washington, United States | | Phone | (310) 351-3058 | | Website | http://www.olandergardendesign.com | | License Number | 603-504-631 | | Followers on Houzz | 236 | **Social profiles:** - Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/OlanderGardenDesign - X (Twitter) — https://twitter.com/ckolander - LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=12182484&trk=nav\_responsive\_tab\_profile - Blog — http://olandergardendesign.com/ ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Olander Garden Design](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/olander-garden-design-pfvwus-pf~1921129422) - **Website:** http://www.olandergardendesign.com - **Phone:** (310) 351-3058 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - BA Environmental Studies - University of California Santa Barbara - ATA Landscape Design - Certified Professional Horticulturalist - WSNLA - **Best of Houzz:** 4 awards (2017–2021), for Service. **Affiliations** - [Association of Professional Landscape Designers](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/professionals/schools-and-organizations/association-of-professional-landscape-designers-pfvwus-pf~92795973) ## Reviews **Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 10 reviews** ### All 10 reviews **★★★★★ — Sabiha Barot, Aug. 2020** > Courtney helped us completely overhaul our front and back yards, including rock work, patio, deck, and fencing design. She was AMAZING to work with- from design conception, to helping us find the perfect contractor to do the job, to overseeing all aspects of the work. The end result? The perfect outdoor sanctuary. We worked w/ Courtney in the summer of 2019, and we were thrilled by how everything turned out. BUT we had no idea what was coming... And the work she helped us do last year has absolutely been responsible for our sanity this year. I’m sure we would be reveling in our new outdoors regardless, but given Covid19, and the increased amount of time we’ve all be spending at home, the yards/deck/garden have been 99% responsible for keeping us happy and sane. Sometimes even when you know something is a work of beauty, you don't realize just how special it is until life goes sideways. Courtney's work is superb on all levels, even ones that are unforeseeable at the time. **★★★★★ — Jana Jarvis, July 2020** > I cannot say enough about the work that Courtney did for us! Her attention to detail, her knowledge of plant life and her desire to get us the backyard we really wanted made her a dream to work with. When she mentioned the word "woodland" in reference to what I was trying to describe, I said, "That's it! Exactly!". I knew right then that we were working with someone who "got me". She communicated clearly throughout the process, gave us various options and continually asked for our input. As if that weren't enough, she is warm and has a good sense of humor which always makes a project more fun! > > I would very highly recommend Courtney to anyone who is looking to transform their yard space. She will educate you along the way, if, like us, you don't know much about botany. The pictures she gathers and the plans she draws up capture perfectly what is presented in the final product! And, thanks to Pinterest, you can send her anything that catches your eye that you'd like to incorporate. :-) > > With our backyard oasis complete, we can now enjoy a space that was once unusable. > > Thank you, Courtney! > > Jana Jarvis **★★★★★ — LaVonne Wilson, July 2019** > We purchased a home near the water that needed a landscape overhaul. Courtney listened to our wishes and came up with a design for the landscape that met our needs and budget. Once the project had begun, she made sure everything was done according to plan. > Our landscape looks fabulous and we can hardly wait to see it progress through the seasons. > We would highly recommend Olander Garden Design for whatever size project you have. Courtney was a pleasure to work with throughout the entire process. **★★★★★ — Karyn Knebel, May 2019** > Olander Garden Design saved my project! After bad experiences with two other professionals, we reached out to Courtney Olander at the recommendation of a neighbor. Courtney worked with what we had already begun in terms of hardscaping, and saw us through the planting plan all the way to plants in the ground. She actually listened to what we wanted and was able to put a plan together that was even better than we imagined. We are extremely pleased with how it turned out! Courtney is a true professional, always delivering what she promised in the timeframe proposed. She was responsive to email and phone calls, and is just a pleasure to work with. Her knowledge of plants and landscaping in general is very impressive. I whole heartedly recommend Olander Garden Design, no reservations. **★★★★★ — Kristen Capka, April 2019** > Courtney at Olander Garden Design was wonderful to work with on our front and back yard remodel. Not only did she present us with design options , she served as the project manager for both projects. She listened to our visions and included them in the designs. She also had helpful suggestions so that our projects could have the modern flare that we wanted but kept them within our budget. As the project manager she was very helpful during the biding process and has a great relationship with the contractors that we ended up using for the projects. Courtney was very communicative providing updates and helping to trouble shoot any issues. She was very attentive to our needs and made our projects her priority. We highly recommend Olander Garden Design and feel that Courtney's knowledge and expertise in outdoor spaces is exactly what we needed. We receive so many compliments on our front and back yard and it is because of Olander Garden Design! **★★★★★ — HU-703417761, Sept. 2018** > I would give the highest recommendation for Courtney - she is the visionary for our front and back yard transformation. Working within the constraints of our space and accounting for how we planned to use our yard, she created a design that maximized our limited budget. She is also very knowledgeable about plants native to the NW and a year later our new space is thriving! **★★★★★ — Raymond Hummel, Aug. 2017** > We first began working with Olander Garden Design in August 2016. That relationship began with an email with this subject line: “Help! Couple in Shoreline need help with challenging yard!” > > We have been slowly remodeling the house for many years, but the backyard, surrounded by trees and heavily shaded, utterly confounded us. We had a sense that it could be “something”, but we had no idea what or how to get there. > > Enter Courtney Olander. From the beginning, we were pleased with her professionalism and the excitement she brought to the project. The backyard, which for us had become something of a torment, was for Courtney an exciting opportunity. > > Over the next several months, amidst a flurry of Pinterest and other links, Courtney helped us understand what it what was that we wanted—what appealed to our aesthetics but would also fit in our lifestyle. That was a great educational process, but we still could not quite “see” how to apply it. > > Then Courtney produced three detailed plans. Suddenly, we really could begin to see it. That was a fun moment. In truth, we could have picked any one of Courtney’s three plans and been very happy; she had a good sense of what would appeal to us and what would work for us. But we took some time to really think about it. In the end, we combined elements from each of Courtney’s three plans. > > Flash forward several months-- The project was finished at the end of July, and the result far, far exceeds our expectations. It is a beautiful space that is easy to live in and with, and we are excited to see it evolve through the seasons and over the years. There is still some work for us to finish— more deck, a pergola over the patio, etc.—but we have already moved into the space and begun living in it. > > We could not have imagined this space without Courtney, let alone known how to get here. I cannot recommend Courtney highly enough. > > A before-photo and a couple of after-photos (you have to imagine a boardwalk deck leading out to the deck around the shed and a pergola over the patio). **★★★★★ — Julie G, Jan. 2017** > Courtney helped us to envision what our backyard could become and then worked tirelessly on our behalf to make our vision possible within our budget. I really appreciated how she listened to us, asked all the right questions (even ones that I had not considered) and then brought us two design concepts for our consideration. We picked our concept and Courtney continued to refine the design. We absolutely loved the final design and our backyard is now a really fantastic space. I have already recommended Courtney to friends and relatives! **★★★★★ — Tani Stenfjord, Dec. 2016** > Courtney came up with a few designs for our backyard. She is very thoughtful when considering everything, extremely professional, kind, and easy to work with. **★★★★★ — Kim Spadafora, Dec. 2015** > Courtney, owner of Olander Garden Design was one of our best decisions regarding design and helping with the execution of our landscape project...When she first meets you, she has you do a short survey of your likes and dislikes of plants and flowers ,and then comes up with a landscape palette for you...she respects your budget and needs, and gives you several options...Courtney worked so well with the landscaping company that we hired to do the physical execution. She is so thorough, that she caught construction mistakes before they came to fruition. Her choice of tree and plants was phenomenal... she would go to several nurseries to find the perfect specimens. I feel that Courtney can do any landscape design, whether it is a small garden or a complete remodel of property as we did. ## Selected projects - [Classic Cool](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/classic-cool-pj-vj~2547550) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 9 - Description: The owners of this garden were looking for a sense of simplicity, continuity and functionality for their garden. A backyard, split in two by a wall of basalt boulders running through the middle and mix and match plantings, failed to draw the owners out in the space. A new stone wall and stair case, ipe deck for dining, dimensional Pennsylvania blue stone patio with furniture and a Paoloform fire pit for entertaining and a classic calming plant palette of evergreen magnolia, Annabelle hydrangea a… - [Modern Details](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/modern-details-pj-vj~1463717) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 15 - Description: A beautifully hardscaped back yard, including a series of terraced decks and steel planters was in need of plants. That's where I came in! Container plantings and a deep red bubbler fountain were included to echo the red outbuilding from Modern Shed. - [Sunset Hill Edible Garden](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/sunset-hill-edible-garden-pj-vj~6548882) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 10 - Description: Raised steel planters, pots, espaliered fruit trees and trellises maximize every inch of growing space in this Seattle front garden. A mix of evergreen ornamentals and edibles such as cabbage, kale and leaks provide year-round color and interest. Bulbs (crocus, daffodils and alliums) and flowering perennials (echinacea, salvia and geum) provide unexpected pops of color and food for pollinators through spring and summer. A lime green front door and pots contrast with the dark house paint and prov… - [Covered Outdoor Living](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/covered-outdoor-living-pj-vj~6306516) - Location: Bothell, WA - Photos: 3 - Description: A corner of this Pacific Northwest woodland garden gets transformed into a cozy space to sit by the fire in the evening and drink coffee while listening to the birds in the morning. - [Windermere Color](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/windermere-color-pj-vj~1471414) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 31 - Description: If a garden is meant to reflect its owner’s personality, this is it. What started as a backyard project, morphed into a full property design. A shady front, overgrown with bamboo and mature camellias was transformed into a full sun garden with colorful metal framed exterior polycarbonate gates flanking either side. One side garden, equipped with a pizza oven, colorful pots, bright furniture and new pond is meant for entertaining. The other side garden, once an overgrown passageway with drainage… - [Sandpoint Country Club](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/sandpoint-country-club-pj-vj~2723352) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 11 - Description: A newly built contemporary home gets a splash of low-maintenance year-round color and interest. - [Broadview Mid-Century Makeover](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/broadview-mid-century-makeover-pj-vj~5415457) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 9 - Description: BROADVIEW MID-CENTURY MAKEOVER A mid-century modern home with loads of potential, ready to be updated in a big way! All that existed was an uneven flagstone pathway, three mountain hemlocks, two vine maples and a lot of weeds. I knew instantly, I wanted to keep the hemlocks and use them for the basis of the design, a “modern mountain theme”. The weeds could go. Our first goal was to change the entry experience. In place of the flagstone path we installed a series of concrete pads that zig zag ar… - [Modern Woodland](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/modern-woodland-pj-vj~5668735) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 5 - [Life Outside](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/life-outside-pj-vj~2635785) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 6 - Description: A small space maximized to the hilt! A space for dining, lounging, preparing food, picking flowers and play. - [Modern Outdoor Living](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/modern-outdoor-living-pj-vj~5668754) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 - [Edmonds](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/edmonds-pj-vj~5415466) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 4 - Description: The front entry of a full yard make-over. A transformation from over grown trees and shrubs that blocked the house to clean open lines and colorful plantings that create a welcoming entrance experience. - [Seattle Contemporary Planting](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/seattle-contemporary-planting-pj-vj~1211256) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 4 - Description: I was asked to come up with the planting plan for an existing landscape. The space was incredibly inspiring, so of course I jumped at the opportunity. The owners liked "California-like" plants. Lots of succulents, and drought tolerant plants. It was my job to interpret their vision using Seattle appropriate plants. - [Shady Border Planting](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/shady-border-planting-pj-vj~1456697) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 4 [See all 13 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/olander-garden-design-pfvwus-pf~1921129422) ## Ideabooks - [Modern Front Door](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/148688759/list/modern-front-door) — 10 ideas - [Concrete vs Pavers](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/148165862/list/concrete-vs-pavers) — 17 ideas - [Armstrong lights](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/109268903/list/armstrong-lights) — 2 ideas - [How to Spruce Up Your Patio for Summertime Fun](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/48222556/list/how-to-spruce-up-your-patio-for-summertime-fun) — 10 ideas - [Choose Complementary Colors for Dazzling Container Gardens](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/51541362/list/choose-complementary-colors-for-dazzling-container-gardens) — 6 ideas - [Gardens for Children](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/48223115/list/gardens-for-children) — 13 ideas - [Firewood Storage](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/26598777/list/firewood-storage) — 16 ideas - [Night lighting](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/39082553/list/night-lighting) — 20 ideas - [Turn up the Heat (and Style) with an Outdoor Gas Fire Feature](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/51219397/list/turn-up-the-heat-and-style-with-an-outdoor-gas-fire-feature) — 9 ideas - [Corten steel planters](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/31799045/list/corten-steel-planters) — 17 ideas - [Simple Chic - Minimalist container combos](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/51541328/list/simple-chic-minimalist-container-combos) — 6 ideas - [Corrugated metal](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/39082697/list/corrugated-metal) — 19 ideas - [Pebble mosaics](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/47155115/list/pebble-mosaics) — 2 ideas - [Maple in Pot](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/51541800/list/maple-in-pot) — 11 ideas - [House Number](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/39083908/list/house-number) — 3 ideas - [Trees for Pots](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/51542878/list/trees-for-pots) — 5 ideas - [Outdoor lights](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/39083645/list/outdoor-lights) — 3 ideas - [Laser cut metal](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/39083346/list/laser-cut-metal) — 15 ideas - [Connecting Indoor & Out](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/39084550/list/connecting-indoor-out) — 6 ideas - [Davis](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/74040346/list/davis) — 21 ideas [See all 53 ideabooks](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/ckolander) ## Community Q&A **Q: Pergola roof material?** *(in Photo Questions)* What is the roofing material used here on the pergola/patio roof? Thanks! A: This is https://www.3-form.com/materials/koda-xt You can also use twin-walled polycarbonate panels https://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/plastic\_rolls/polycarbonate-twinwall-panels-sheets **Q: Where is the gate from?** *(in Photo Questions)* Thanks! A: It' s a custom built gate. The colored polycarbonate material is called KODA XT from 3Form. The frame is powder-coated metal **Q: love the planter boxes! who did the stacked stone?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: Is this drystack? What is it capped with? **Q: Cladding** *(in Photo Questions)* What is the cladding made of? A: These walls in the front are slightly curved, correct? **Q: Name of plant.** *(in Photo Questions)* What is the name of the spotted plant on the right with the large leaves? A: What is the name of the strappy plant, growing in a large clump, behind the bench? --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-09-24.*