NC Designs

If you are looking for clean and timeless, modern but warm, and unique but highly functional design for your outdoor living space, you should definitely work with NC Designs. Working with Nicole was a dream. The process was remarkably simple: Nicole came to our house and we chatted about how we want to use our outdoor space. We shared what was working for us and what wasn’t. She asked smart and thoughtful questions and then got to work. When she presented our first design plan, we were shocked! She had so many ideas for space design and placement of various elements that we never could have imagined ourselves. Best of all: these clever and creative ideas ALL WORKED PERFECTLY. Beyond the gorgeous hardscape she helped design and select, she carefully chose plants that would grow in to soften and bring the garden to life, keeping our California drought-tolerant needs top of mind. Now that the work has been completed, we feel like the front and back yards were always supposed to be this way. Nicole has made it so our outdoor “rooms” are the best rooms in the house.

Nicole was wonderful to work with! When we reached out to her after living with our uninspired and dying lawn for five years, we only knew that our front yard needed to look better. Nicole listened to our scattered list of wants and ideas, and developed a plan that checked all of our boxes. She gave us a beautiful, low maintenance, budget conscious design. We worked with a landscape contractor to install the hardscape, but did the remainder of the installation ourselves. We really appreciated working with Nicole because she stayed on board for the entire installation process- from helping us to source the plants, to guiding us through the planting, to helping us to decide on a ground cover that worked best for us. Would work with her again in a heartbeat!

The landscaping at our new home was tired, old fashioned and consumed too much water. Nicole developed a plan, both hardscape and landscape, that expanded our patio and installed a beautiful array of natural grasses and plants that worked seamlessly into the native oak tree area that abutted out property. The plants have developed nicely over the year since installed and our water consumption has dropped dramatically. We could not be more pleased with the results. Our neighbors were also impressed and a number of them have been motivated to upgrade their landscaping with low water usage native plants.

We have worked with Nicole collaboratively on numerous occasions with her designing projects for Gardens By Gabriel Inc. Nicole is easy to communicate with on the detailed needs of a design/build project, and is responsive to changes that come up along the way. She has a great sense of style, and executes mixing of materials well to suit the tastes of our clients. Well-versed in designing both hardscape and planting plans, I believe in her vision and commitment to the craft.

I would recommend NC Designs without hesitation. 2+ years ago we purchased a 50+ year old house that had its original landscaping( all rose bushes and white rock). Nicole Cook of NC Designs completely transformed both our front an back yards. She spent time figuring out what our needs would be and presented amazing ideas we would have never considered. Both the landscape and hardscape were completely transformed and we are thrilled. We have lost count how many times people drive or walk by and compliment us on the transformation, as well as take photos. Excellent work.