Home with Lisa Quinn Episodes
Recycled Materials in Your Garden
Lisa Quinn discovers new ways to use recycled materials in her garden.
- Spend time at a salvage yard to come up with our so-called pallet and let your imagination go. We went with no idea of what our design or garden was going to be until we spent two hours looking at all the possibilities at the salvage yard.
- Steel is one of the most sustainable materials. Since most of it was going to be melted back down and become something else, you can use it as a star material in your garden. Screens, focal points, supports and retaining walls are just a few uses.
- Repeat a material or shape don't use to many. Less is more.
- The other big material still utilizing the circular shape are the corrugated drain pipes that are cut offs from the drainage/construction world. So they are waste that you can utilize as planters and retaining walls as well.
- Remember to have fun or you are not doing it right.
Jeffrey earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Landscape Architecture from Cal Poly in 1989. From the firm's inception in 1992, the philosophy of Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture has reflected Jeffrey's passion for unique plant material and meticulous attention to the projects overall design concept. As a result, Jeffrey's designs are distinct in blending his unparalleled plant vocabulary, compelling concepts and thoughtful design solutions to provide each client with an extraordinary landscape. Initially, Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture's projects focused on high concept residential designs in the San Francisco area. In 1999, the firm expanded and relocated to San Luis Obispo, CA where he continues to specialize in site specific designs for both residential and commercial projects.
Jeffrey's designs strive to marry architecture to site and develop a cohesive landscape design that looks like it belongs. He has a strong conviction toward a "regional style", encouraging the owners of his designs to celebrate where they live and create a stronger connection through their landscape.
Throughout his career, Jeffrey has designed everything from residential to institutional projects both nationally and internationally, and received several awards along the way. Most recently he received A "Best of California Design" Award from California Home + Design Magazine.
Jeffrey is currently teaching residential landscape design in the Environmental Horticulture department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA and has been tasked with developing and implementing a new curriculum in order to better prepare the graduating students with the necessary skills and graphic capabilities needed to become successful landscape designers. In Jeffrey's personal life his talents and ability to design supersedes landscape architecture. He can transform an impromptu afternoon gathering into an epicurean experience. He is a full fledged foodie and his creations in the kitchen can be just as beautiful and mouth-watering as his landscapes.
The philosophy of Jeffrey Gordon Smith Landscape Architecture has always reflected Jeffrey's passion for unique plant material and meticulous attention to the projects overall design concept. Our landscapes are distinct in blending Jeffrey's unparalleled plant vocabulary, compelling concepts and thoughtful design solutions in order to provide each client with an extraordinary landscape
Using plants as our medium we are able to soften the sometimes harsh lines of the hardscape. As designer's, we must think of every transition because it is at those edges where some of the most critical and important elements are fashioned.
The main objectives of our designs strive to marry architecture to site and to develop a cohesive landscape design that looks and feels as though it belongs in the overall context of its surroundings. This concept is sometimes referred to as regionalism. Our office has a strong conviction toward a "regional style" which advocates an exploration of the site and specific geographic location in order to find the genius loci, or "the spirt of place." Part of this strategy means encouraging the owners of our designs to celebrate where they live and create a stronger connection through their landscape.
Keeping continuity in a project makes for a strong and cohesive design. Viewing a project as a whole composition means considering landscape, architecture, distant views, materials, colors, textures, shapes, forms, and client. Quality workmanship, genius loci, and continuity is what ultimately makes our clients cherish their spaces, giving them that feeling of connection to place.
For more information visit jgsdesigns.com.