Landscape Architecture
Business Member Profiles
Studio foliosa
We aim to create deeper connections with our outdoor context by way of planting design.
Specialty
Regionally appropriate planting design with a twist
Region Served
California
In Their Own Words...
Member Spotlight
Inspiring Beautiful Gardens, Supporting the Role of Nature in Human Health, Climate Resilience, and Supporting Biodiversity
What's the best gardening advice you ever received?
K.I.S.S: Keep It Simple, Stupid! For people who love plants, it may seem difficult to control the urge to incorporate them all (at least for me, this is true!). We sometimes try to do too much with any given space, or overcomplicate things. However, some of the strongest gardens and projects have a clear and usually simple theme regarding planting design. This also trickles into not trying to reinvent the wheel; if something works well, why mess with it?
Where do you find Inspiration?
Travel. Primarily exploring the world’s natural wonders and, of course, observing the worlds best designer: mother nature. Traveling is one of the best forms of growth, seeing things in a new light and experiencing different cultures, landscapes, cities, and gardens. If more people traveled outside their comfort zone, I think we could really appreciate and respect the things that are different from ourselves more.
What is something surprising about your history?
Although I may sound and look like a Californian- I am actually a Dutchman and moved to the US of A to begin highschool in sunny California. Perhaps my roots are why the ‘new wave’ planting design movement feels inspirational to me, and why I try to incorporate some of its elements into my practice when it comes to the planting approach.
What are you most proud of?
Two somewhat related things. Primarily observing or hearing about how clients have developed a better connection, deeper understanding, and more special relationship with their outdoor spaces that we helped design or facilitate. Secondly, seeing clients take ownership in the ongoing maintenance of their projects. Once the baton has been passed off from design to implementation, the garden’s success often lies in proper and appropriate maintenance. If the client is then also doing the maintenance hands-on themselves (which we hope and assume is from pure passion for the garden), then we’ve really scored a hat-trick!!
What educational resources do you share?
This is something we hope to do more of in the near future. We’re working on some collaborative blog and podcast content around getting more folks into sustainable ways of dealing with their outdoor space, making it more accessible to the average person, and convincing homeowners to delete or shrink their lawns. More on this soon.