Landscape Architects & Designers Near Alameda

“We worked with David on our landscaping redesign - a complete refresh after 30 years. He’s excellent to work with, creative, practical, and listens to what you want to accomplish. Our design process was quite smooth and his organized approach (he identified all steps of his process in advance) lets you know what’s next and how he will approach your project. He even assisted in suggesting some contractors and reviewing bids to ensure we were getting good quotes. We’re now in the implementation stage and will be engaging David to help us realize his beautiful design. I highly recommend Stroke of Nature for your landscaping project.”

“Christine, of Garden Wise, created the plans for our front and backyard landscaping. Both the front and back yard space is rather large. She did a wonderful job with the design. Everyone who has seen it is impressed. She worked with us by listening to our vision, asking us to submit photos (from the internet and from around town) of features and plants we liked. She asked us what type of garden we wanted (we wanted a water sustainable drought tolerant garden) and even the colors of plants and flowers we preferred. She drew up a plan that we then discussed and tweaked to our liking and then we approved the plans. We then decided to have the backyard done first since we like to entertain and we spend more time there. She has a contractor that she works with who has a fabulous crew. Christine came to check on the progress and to approve what changes had to be done when necessary. The project was finally complete at the end of summer. Christine has made several visits to check the garden and to make sure that we understood the water system. We have now asked her to do quarterly visits to guide us through the fist year of the maturity of the plants (they have filled in their spaces very well). We will definitely have her orchestrate the work on the front as well in the future.”

“We've been in our house for many years and have lots of experience interviewing, selecting, and working with landscape architects. Without a doubt, our most successful landscaping undertaking has been the recent rehabilitation of our front yard. This project's design was the work of Andrea Sessa of Studio M Merge. It included, among other things, solving the tricky slope issues and upgrading all of the hardscape to eliminate sagging steps, broken pavers, and other problems. We also requested a planting plan with (i) an interesting variety of textures and colors--but not so much variety that it would look fussy or cluttered and (ii) drought-resistant plants that didn't look like desert plants. We could hardly believe our good fortune in finding Andrea. She is in a class by herself. She combines her technical expertise with an exquisite sense of design. (She designs interior spaces as well as landscapes, no doubt contributing to her sense of proportion and attention to detail). She subtly and seamlessly incorporated architectural detailing of our 1926 house into the landscaping. She cleverly arranged the space so that it doesn't feel like you've climbed 22 stairs from the sidewalk to the front door (although you have). During construction, she made regular site visits, making minor (but important) adjustments, as needed. She worked well with the contractor and subs. The result far exceeded our expectations: we could not be happier with our beautiful, fragrant, and inviting front yard. A significant component to Andrea's success was her approach to working with us as clients. She listened carefully and took notes. We had as many meetings as it took to work out the details. She welcomed input from us throughout the design, construction, and installation phases. She was respectful of our ideas and preferences, she did not rush us to make decisions and always, always maintained her sense of humor. It was a pleasure working with her.”