Kathleen Shaeffer Design, Exterior Spaces

Kathleen approached my backyard landscape project with an open ear, open mind, and tons of creativity. She took the very basic concepts that I presented, and worked them into a functional, fun, and beautiful design. I found her easy to work with, and she always presented alternative ideas and found great solutions to any problems that came up. When it came time to recommend someone to install the landscape, she pointed me to an excellent person. Now that the project is done, I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. She transformed a bare yard into a beautiful, inviting place that I enjoy every day. I know it will only get more beautiful and private as the plants mature. I give Kathleen my highest rating, and would recommend her unreservedly to anyone looking for a real pro.

I first met Kathy after seeing one of her landscape plans. What I noticed was her plan didn't have that same generic design look that I had seen over and over. What was immediately apparent was the scale, her material choice and plant palette. They were well thought out and unique. I could see that it was going to be a great garden and I wanted to build it. That was over 15 years ago. Project after project, Kathy has produced absolutely beautiful gardens which have been a joy to install. Her clients come to the building process well informed, very enthusiastic and involved with the project. That's what makes a spectacular garden experience… teamwork. Kathy stays involved from the beginning to the end. Working with her energizes and inspires me to produce the best garden I can. She has a true gift and talent, and I love working and collaborating with her.

Kathleen designed my inner courtyard. She designed everything the fountain, the tile to color of the walls. She was a pleasure to work with, very professional. I love the result!

My experience with Kathleen in designing and implementing our garden was excellent. She had a great process for understanding our needs and desires and likes and dislikes early on, but also guided us gently to be open to new ideas. She is creative and thinks of the site and environment as part of the design. She gently challenged us to think out of the box all while maintaining a calm easy going demeanor. she is very knowledgeable about what fits well in a site throughout each season. I was not a fan of succulents before Kathleen opened my eyes to the many different varieties that fit my aesthetic. My courtyard garden is now stunning due to Kathleen's vision. She is also very open to new ideas...my husband was looking at her plans and threw out a few brainstorm ideas on changes to a wall/planter bed/seating and Kathleen combined his ideas beautifully. She also took great inputs from our landscaper/gardener on implementation. In addition, we had few challenging HOA guidelines that she was able to manage through and work around. There is no doubt that Kathleen designs and implements beautiful gardens...just look at the photos and the real life landscapes. But that she does it with grace and sustainability and thoughtfulness and caring and collaboration is what sets her apart. She is a gem to work with.

Kathleen worked with me to design a beautiful garden several years ago. She is and was a thoughtful partner in this. She listened to our needs and desires and came up with a variety of suggestion for making this a workable and useable space. She produced beautiful drawings that guided the installation and she remained involved throughout the installation process. We reoriented our entire yard during this process keeping some of the plants that worked as the bones of the yard and adding many more that have made our yard the beautiful space that it is today. I have recommended her to many friends and I would definitely have her design future gardens.

Kathleen Shaeffer has designed several landscaping projects for me over the years and we are currently working on a new plan. For the first project, my favorite, she drew beautiful plans showing how my backyard would be transformed into several lovely outdoor rooms. She designed two levels of flagstone patios - one an intimate dining area, and the other an inviting sitting area featuring an adobe fireplace of straw-bale construction. There is a reading nook under a hand-hewn arbor and a pocket lawn. Please check out the pictures on kathleenshaefferdesign.com under "Work" and "New Mexico Influence" to see my great garden. She hired skilled contractors and landscapers, met deadlines and budgets, chose wonderful plants, is eminently talented, and is a joy to work with.

We have had the pleasure of working with Kathleen Shaeffer Design on several occasions for large landscaping projects. Kathleen always takes the time to listen and understand our goals. She is very knowledgeable about plant materials (especially local plants), and thoughtful about working within our budget. Kathleen has designed some amazing outdoor spaces for us, and we continue to enjoy her work, years later. I highly recommend Kathleen Shaeffer Design.

Kathleen designed a beautiful english garden for us several years ago. She really got our vision and needs, ensured the landscape contractor installed it to our wishes and followed up with us on its care. The garden and design really added tremendous value to the property and we really enjoyed it. She is the best!

I am an interior designer in Santa Cruz, California, and have experienced Kathleen's exterior designs first hand...they are simply inspiring. Kathleen treats the "outside" as an extension of the "inside" and achieves great beauty that is inviting and engaging.

Kathleen is such a wonderful designer to work with. She met with us with a clear process of how we should proceed. She asked us great questions which we hadn't even considered. She also then presented us with a binder of wonderful inspiring ideas--for materials, furniture, lighting, and textures. Kathleen was also willing to work collaboratively, and clearly respected our aesthetic, so we we felt like the design really reflected our home as well. Kathleen was really able to bring out the best of what was possible. Her knowledge of plants, succulents, and her ability to create amazing textural compositions, really made the garden come together. When we bought our new home, our original garden was very different from what we wanted. Kathleen had the vision and creativity to see a very different exterior space, that came to very beautiful fruition. We are so happy with the results! As the garden has grown in, it just gets more beautiful!