General Info

Design Ideas for a San Francisco Entry Garden

I have been doing a handful of small projects in between preparations for my class, bookkeeping, and marketing tasks (oh the joys of a small design shop!). These little packets of design recommendations are great for home owners with limited budgets who want some professional guidance, but can't afford to divert too much of their overall budget into design.

Not sure where you fit in? Think about a grand total budget for your project. Design services shouldn't exceed 10% of that amount. Now, good design takes time: it is never mindless, easy and fast (damn you, HGTV). But don't despair. A package of well considered plant recommendations, quick perspective drawings and a simple plan can often be done in less than 20 hours.

Summertime!

Well, almost. I just finished my semester teaching at UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design, and had a wonderful time. An amazing group of students, of diverse ages, interests and backgrounds, I hope they got as much out of it as I did. It's a great challenge to think about how to teach the design process; it was an education for all of us.

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A teaching appointment at UC Berkeley

Starting the week of January 17th, I will be teaching an undergraduate landscape architecture studio at UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design, and will have limited availability on Mondays and Wednesdays. I am thrilled to be teaching this semester and look forward to helping a great group of talented undergrads find their voice in a complex field. We will be working on two site design projects in San Francisco and I will be sure to share our progress and bits of our syllabus as the semester progresses.

Happy New Year to all!

At Home with Third Nature Studio

The small apartment that I share with my daughter and hubby was recently featured in the San Francisco Examiner. Stephanie Stillman, a fellow landscape designer, has been writing a series of At Home articles exploring how designers and artists arrange their home spaces. We were honored to be included, and it was a refreshing challenge to try and put my design philosophy into words and relate it to interior spaces.