--- title: "Erin Lau Landscape Design- Seattle — Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/erin-lau-landscape-design-seattle-pfvwus-pf~914581832 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~914581832.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Erin Lau Landscape Design- Seattle" category: ["Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/3f5309bf0ff77d4c_9532-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "Contact for Appointment, Seattle, Washington 98118, United States" latitude: 47.5412 longitude: -122.275 phone: "" website: http://erinlaudesign.com rating: 5 review_count: 43 best_of_houzz_awards: 8 followers: 316 last_updated: 2026-09-08 --- # Erin Lau Landscape Design- Seattle Original Houzz profile: [Erin Lau Landscape Design- Seattle](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/erin-lau-landscape-design-seattle-pfvwus-pf~914581832) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers - **Location:** Seattle, WA - **Serves:** Seattle, Renton, Burien, SeaTac, Mercer Island, Tukwila, White Center, Normandy Park, Beacon Hill, Columbia City, North Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley, Seward Park, West Seattle - **Houzz rating:** 5.0 out of 5 (43 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 8 awards (2013–2024), for Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Star Houzzer - Houzz Influencer - Recommended on Houzz - 25,000 Ideabook Saves Please see erinlaudesign.com for complete description of Services. Contemporary, Modern, Lush, Sustainable and Edible Landscape Design for residences & commercial properties in Seattle, WA. Certified Professional Horticulturalist (CPH) and Permaculture Certified. ### Services Provided - Landscape Design - Garden Design - Hardscaping - Landscape Plans - Patio Design - Drought Tolerant Landscaping - Site Planning - Custom Fire Pits - Pool Landscaping - Custom Water Features - Swimming Pool Design - Design Consultation - Outdoor Lighting Design - Deck Design - Project Management - Organic Gardens - Shed Design & Construction - Edible Gardens - Greenhouse Design & Construction - Potted Plants - Permaculture ### Areas Served - Seattle - Renton - Burien - SeaTac - Mercer Island - Tukwila - White Center - Normandy Park - Beacon Hill - Columbia City - North Beacon Hill - Rainier Valley - Seward Park - West Seattle ### Typical Job Cost $30,000 - 200,000 (Typical job costs are for construction) ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Erin Lau Landscape Design- Seattle | | Address | Contact for Appointment, Seattle, Washington 98118, United States | | Website | http://erinlaudesign.com | | License Number | ERINLLD878D9 | | Followers on Houzz | 316 | ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Erin Lau Landscape Design- Seattle](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/erin-lau-landscape-design-seattle-pfvwus-pf~914581832) - **Website:** http://erinlaudesign.com ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - Certified Professional Horticulturalist, Bachelors in Landscape Architecture, Permaculture Design Certificate, Certificate in Sustainable Business - **Best of Houzz:** 8 awards (2013–2024), for Service. ## Reviews **Overall rating: 5.0 out of 5 — 43 reviews** *Aspect averages:* - Work Quality: 50.0 - Communication: 50.0 - Value: 50.0 ### Reviews **★★★★★ — Rhodes Architecture + Light, Feb. 2024** > We are an award-winning Architectural firm in Seattle Washington. We have had the pleasure of working with Erin Lau for more than a decade and can highly recommend her. We usually require good, thoughtful, creative and detailed Landscape Design for all of our residential and commercial projects. We turn to Erin Lau first and foremost for landscape design, plant selection, hardscape design and site layouts and for her thoughtful coordination and management. > > Erin Lau is a pleasure to work with. She is detailed, serious and thoughtful, and creates amazing landscapes for and with us and our clients. Erin's knowledge and her drawings, both conceptual and permit/construction documentation, are also amazing and superior to any landscape designer we work with. Her knowledge of plants, seasonal landscaping and the layout, colors, and textures of the sites we work on is always pleasing and our clients love working with her. > > We recommend Erin Lau to all of our clients and to other professionals. You will enjoy working with Erin and her abilities, creativity and documentation is always worthwhile on any landscape project, small or large! **★★★★★ — HU-262621076, June 2023** > We were so fortunate to find Erin Lau Design! Erin not only developed creative and innovative ideas for our soft and hardscaping home design project, but she was flexible, diligent, responsive and reliable. She follows through with exactly what she says she will do. Erin is also efficient and direct, but also listened to our ideas. > Having successfully completed our complex project, we are very happy with the final result. Erin was very patient with us, even when we made a couple change orders in the middle of the project. > We highly recommend Erin Lau Design for any landscaping and garden/patio design project. **★★★★★ — Jackie Lum, Jan. 2019** > Prior to finding Erin we had hired another firm to develop a plan for our backyard. It was not very imaginative and the estimate was extreme. Erin was very attentive to our needs and tastes. We are absolutely thrilled with her design for both the back and front yards. Our neighbors have rated it the best on the block! Our next door neighbor refers to the back, when the lights are on, a fairy land. We can’t recommend Erin highly enough. **★★★★★ — Alex Frank, Dec. 2018** > Erin did such a great job with our front yard project! From design to permitting to bidding to project management, she was communicative, clear and did excellent work. We're so happy with it! **★★★★★ — Stephanie Shadbolt, Dec. 2017** > Great experience! Erin is very professional, friendly, creative, and does beautiful sketches. She is a great listener and helped make the redesign of our back yard an enjoyable process! She is very knowledgeable about plants, decks, structures, permits etc. I had some idea about the types of plants I wanted - Erin put together a one-page shortlist of plants with photos and descriptions, which was just what I needed. Together with her detailed landscape design it was easy to visualize the final outcome. Erin has excellent connections and we were also very happy with the deck contractor she recommended. The entire project worked out very well and we now have more outdoor space that we enjoy. I highly recommend Erin's work and would definitely hire her again. **★★★★★ — Tera Johnson, Dec. 2016** > I hired Erin to design a plan for my large backyard--she listened to my ideas, wants, and dislikes and after a few drafts came up with something I adore! She also recommended (and project managed) a wonderful landscaper who just might be the hardest working person I've ever met. I'm very happy with how everything turned out, and if I ever move to a different house, I'll definitely be contacting her again! **★★★★★ — Lauren Lindheimer, Dec. 2016** > I thoroughly enjoyed working with Erin on my backyard project. I had put a great deal of thought into what I wanted and had met with a number of landscape designers before meeting Erin. She just "got it". She listened to me and then came up with creative options to accomplish everything I wanted. She also worked with me to stay within a defined budget and was not proposing ideas that I could not afford (like many others tend to do). She is very responsive and kept to her timeline. I would definitely use Erin again and I absolutely love my new backyard! **★★★★★ — Frank Abadi, Dec. 2016** > The reason I chose Erin from amongst all the Landscape Architects presented in HOUZZ, was her peaceful simple designs that enhanced the space without clashing with the surroundings. From my very first contact with Erin I found her to be very easy to work with. She was always prompt, a very good listener, with good ideas and cheerful solutions. Whatever she promised to accomplish she did superbly and in time. For me it was astounding how readily she would turn my expectation into virtuosity of fine designs during many sit down visits she had with me before the presentation of the final design. I highly recommend Erin Lau and plan to use her immense architectural talent in any upcoming projects. **★★★★★ — Jim Broulette, Dec. 2016** > We hired Erin Lau to design and landscape the front and side yards, two small off-room decks, and roof deck for our new home (2014 construction) in Columbia City in south Seattle. Erin landscaped our neighbor's yard and decks and we were impressed with her work. We met with Erin at our home for a design meeting. Erin was easy to communicate with and her knowledge and experience were valuable in picking plants. We received her landscape design plans a few months later. They were spectacular! We were impressed with the selection and layout Erin proposed. We participated in the selection of small trees and ground cover. Erin completed the front and side yards and the deck off the family room in November. We are thrilled with the result and trust Erin for all of our future landscape projects. **★★★★★ — Erin Treanor, Dec. 2016** > We purchased a new build home in West Seattle with great potential for outdoor space, but bare minimum new construction planting and thus in need of some landscaping love. > > We met with a number of potential designers about our project, and ultimately picked Erin for her professionalism, ability to listen to what we wanted while also providing recommendations where needed or when asked, as well as her practical approach to the project - we knew it would be an investment, but Erin was great about helping us decide where to spend the budget and where to save vs. letting costs run crazy. > > Erin ultimately provided full design services of our backyard space and front planting spaces, as well as referred us to contractors that were fantastic in making it all come to life with her help. She also provided drawings and recommended plantings for our rooftop space, which we installed ourselves. We love our new outdoor spaces and now find ourselves spending tons of time outside enjoying them. **★★★★★ — Attia Miller, Dec. 2016** > We have a small yard, and the previous owners had put down lava rock. I wanted to do most of the work myself, but it was tough for me to come up with a vision of what to replace the rock with, so Erin came and did a two-hour consult. > > During the two hours, she converted my rough ideas and goals (low-water, low-maintenance) into a beautifully sketched concept, including a suggested plant list. It was far beyond what I expected and gave me exactly the information I needed to get started, and our yard now looks great. Erin is knowledgeable and professional, and it was an absolute pleasure to work with her. **★★★★★ — Ann Rosato, Dec. 2016** > I hired Erin to draw up plans and select plants for a major backyard remodel. Erin was great to work with. She accomplished everything that I wanted and had several ideas for how to make the space better and more livable. At the end of the project, I felt like we added 2500 square feet to our house. I highly recommend Erin! ## Selected projects - [Lush Modern Firepit Corner](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/lush-modern-firepit-corner-pj-vj~3028483) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 12 - Description: A lush modern backyard nook in Seattle, complete with gas firepit, dining area, built-in wood bench, corten retaining walls, and concrete pavers. - [Compact Urban Deck- Seattle](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/compact-urban-deck-seattle-pj-vj~1416680) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 12 - Description: Situated in a narrow side yard between two tall townhouses in Seattle, this compact urban deck provides shade and sanctuary during the heat of summer. Yes, even in Seattle we need to find refuge from the sun during the middle of summer! And its amazing how much of a micro-climate is created within this space, where the temperature can be several degrees lower from the rest of the yard. Because utility companies still need access to all the meters, those are not hidden, but rather become part of… - [Full Sun and Herbs Front Yard](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/full-sun-and-herbs-front-yard-pj-vj~1844658) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 18 - Description: A Seattle front yard with edible herbs, berries and street appeal at the same time. A full sun exposure allows brilliantly colored flowers to thrive along with herbs such as sage, thyme, rosemary, chives and more. Other plants include Miscanthus 'Morning Light', Helianthemum 'Henfield Brilliant' and Thymus 'Pink Chintz'. - [Concrete Gas Firepit Backyard](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/concrete-gas-firepit-backyard-pj-vj~1234734) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 18 - Description: This Seattle back yard had a lawn and an old vegetable garden separated by a picket fence. Erin Lau Design made the yard feel more open and created a firepit area as well as a concrete paver dining area. The 24"x24" concrete pavers are separated by 3" of dark gravel, and the firepit area has a formed in place concrete fire pit with a gas insert. Design by Erin Lau Design, Installation by NW Landmark. - [Front Yard Patio](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/front-yard-patio-pj-vj~1416242) - Location: Normandy Park, WA - Photos: 9 - Description: A spatious Normandy Park front yard is transformed to include a contemporary concrete paver patio framed by colorful northwest planting. - [Shady Madrona Front Patio](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/shady-madrona-front-patio-pj-vj~5525196) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 9 - Description: A shady front yard paver patio in the Madrona neighborhood of Seattle under a large Sequoia tree. Corten steel planters with Creeping Jenny and Carex spilling over. The steel gas firepit brings warmth to the seating area wrapped by a cedar built-in bench. - [Mt. Baker Landscape](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/mt-baker-landscape-pj-vj~125471) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 5 - [Inverness Landscape](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/inverness-landscape-pj-vj~811308) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 10 - Description: A modern front yard with layers of grasses leading down into a sunken patio, surrounded by corten steel retaining walls. Designer: Erin Lau Design Contractor: Greener Living Solutions - [Fall Colors Front Yard](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/fall-colors-front-yard-pj-vj~813418) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 7 - [South Seattle Landscape](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/south-seattle-landscape-pj-vj~63636) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 16 - [Kenmore Landscape](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/kenmore-landscape-pj-vj~63637) - Location: seattle, WA - Photos: 7 - Description: Pennsylvania Bluestone patio with northwest planting and urn water feature. Shaded patio under tree. - [Wallingford Vegetable Beds](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/wallingford-vegetable-beds-pj-vj~421189) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 12 - Description: A basalt dish rock is surrounded by stepstones, irish moss, woolly thyme and other stepable plants. Juniper raised vegetable beds flank this welcoming entrance. Sited in a public parking strip. - [Inverness Gravel Garden](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/inverness-gravel-garden-pj-vj~1739963) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 9 - Description: Lush and full of color, this garden is private and secluded, yet has a full view of Lake Washington from the upper deck. Gravel paths wind around a mixture of northwest ornamental plants and many edible berries. The Hugelkultur bed (4th photo) keeps plants moist throughout the summer. Installed by Taggert Design and Mountain High Gardening over several years. - [Ballard Landscape](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/ballard-landscape-pj-vj~125478) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 8 - Description: A slender sideyard is transformed into a series of outdoor rooms, including a lawn for playing, a chiminea area for relaxing and a flagstone patio for dining. - [Capitol Hill Landscape](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/capitol-hill-landscape-pj-vj~212801) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 14 - [Idlewild St.- San Diego](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/idlewild-st-san-diego-pj-vj~125456) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 5 - [N. Greenlake Landscape](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/n-greenlake-landscape-pj-vj~232012) - Location: Seattle, WA - Photos: 7 - Description: concrete paver patio, chiminea, raised beds - [Mercer Is. Landscape](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/mercer-is-landscape-pj-vj~421223) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 - [Birch Tree Sidewalk](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/birch-tree-sidewalk-pj-vj~1416121) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 11 - Description: A parking strip in Seattle is re-imagined with a row of birch trees and colorful northwest planting. - [Various Planting](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/various-planting-pj-vj~2271831) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 [See all 20 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/erin-lau-landscape-design-seattle-pfvwus-pf~914581832) ## Ideabooks - [Permeable Patio](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/142411479/list/permeable-patio) — 15 ideas - [Modern Hardscape](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/84000130/list/modern-hardscape) — 11 ideas - [Curtis O. Inspiration](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/113143550/list/curtis-o-inspiration) — 18 ideas - [Scored Concrete Patio](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/113648038/list/scored-concrete-patio) — 5 ideas - [House Addition](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/32786895/list/house-addition) — 7 ideas - [Jacquie B Inspiration](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/111550186/list/jacquie-b-inspiration) — 1 idea - [8732 Landscape](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/96880192/list/8732-landscape) — 10 ideas - [1242 Planting](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/45796734/list/1242-planting) — 9 ideas - [Fence on Wall](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/95822841/list/fence-on-wall) — 3 ideas - [Modern Fences](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/71569814/list/modern-fences) — 7 ideas - [Steel Planters](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/90004965/list/steel-planters) — 5 ideas - [Container Planting/Window Boxes](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/84507292/list/container-planting-window-boxes) — 7 ideas - [Retaining Walls](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/56751723/list/retaining-walls) — 8 ideas - [Terraced Gardens](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/83578058/list/terraced-gardens) — 2 ideas - [E&S](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/71061779/list/e-s) — 11 ideas - [Low-Medium Fences](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/81468882/list/low-medium-fences) — 11 ideas - [Water features](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/11177859/list/water-features) — 7 ideas - [Privacy Screens](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/5178862/list/privacy-screens) — 8 ideas - [Address displays](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/79485956/list/address-displays) — 6 ideas - [L-Fauntleroy](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/77954613/list/l-fauntleroy) — 18 ideas [See all 69 ideabooks](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/erinlaudesign) ## Community Q&A **Q: Anyone have any experience w/Yardzen for landscape design? Opinions?** *(in Landscape Design)* Considering hiring Yardzen for landscape design around our house/flowerbed planning, etc. Has anyone had any experience working with them? Good, bad or indifferent? I would love to hear your experiences! We would ideally love to implement the plan ourselves w/some help from a professional landscape contractor (but when it comes to digging holes and putting plants in I'm pretty capable!) Thanks in advance! A: I can certainly remove the link to the blog post by Water and Earth Landscape Design, however, the blog post easily comes up on the first page of Google when you search for 'Yardzen reviews'. So it's not exactly hard to find. Best of luck to homeowners who use Yardzen and best wishes to all the other designers out there! **Q: What is the name of those broad leaf bushes in the foreground?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: The largest green plants in the foreground are actually Daylilies (Hemerocallis). Surrounding them are Carex testacea and Helianthemum 'Henfield Brilliant'. **Q: Can you source the red lounge chairs?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: Hi- yes the chairs are from Loll Designs- https://lolldesigns.com/products/adirondack-chair-curved/ **Q: Love the exterior house colour - what is it?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: I'm sorry but I don't know, nor does my client. It was painted like this before they bought it. **Q: What are the purple and green groundcovers?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: The purple ground cover is a Thymus 'Pink Chintz' and the there is also Scotch moss, and another cultivar of Thymus, probably 'Elfin' in the foreground. These are all step-able ground covers that take light foot traffic. **Q: Love the chairs! Who makes these & where can I get them?** *(in Photo Questions)* A: Aren't they fun? They are from Loll , which has a whole range of colorful chairs made from recycled materials. I think you can order them straight from their website. --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-09-08.*