She holds a certification from NYBG Gardening and has furthered her education in Landscape Design, driven by a strong commitment to sustainability that she aims to incorporate into her projects.
With her diverse background and training from Parsons School of Design and NYBG, she brings a distinctive approach and viewpoint to her work.
About You:
Can you tell us a little bit more about you and how your journey in the gardening world began?
I’ve been a fan of gardening since I was a kid. On weekends my mother and I would visit the garden center to pass time. She was always very intuitive selecting plants for our home garden. When I lived in NYC I ached for green space. I had a terrace with vegetable beds made from upcycled bunk beds that proliferated with heirloom tomatoes, strawberries, and perennials. The passion followed me to Connecticut where I finally had my own plot of land. Then I really got my hands dirty and realized I could turn my hobby into a career. I was lucky to encounter an award-winning landscape architect who encouraged me to further my education at NYBG. I had a newfound energy in the class work. I worked up the courage to leave my post in fashion and never looked back.
What’s your favourite part of your job?
Enhancing the lives of my clients. One of the best and most re-occurring compliments I receive is “We spend more time outside now than we do inside.” Or when I get photos of the kids and families immediately using their space after installation. This is truly the end goal. Getting people back outside, enjoying nature, enjoying each other’s company.
What’s your favourite part of landscape design?
Oh that’s tough. All of it! I love sketching and conceptualizing. I also love seeing it come to life. I enjoy pulling textures and colors together and playing with plant materials. It’s a very hands-on job and I enjoy being outside. The most exciting part is that horticulture keeps on giving. There’s so much to learn from nature and from each other.
How does your background in fashion shape your work today?
I tell everyone that the Design process is very similar. I simply switched mediums and clientele. Fashion gave me a strong foundation in creating a product for others, understanding the customer needs, hitting a target budget, having a perspective on trends, but also allowed me to pivot. In time I quickly learned that fashion can be an incredibly wasteful industry. The more I shopped vintage markets for inspiration the more I began to appreciate the slow movement. I also found refuge from my fashion career in gardening and it’s healing properties.
About Your Garden
Tell us about your personal gardening style?
My style is certainly contemporary. Function is super important and no space is left unused. There’s a push and pull of wanting to be formal and classical and then a little bit wild and intuitive. I enjoy playing with symmetry and balance, but the idea of turning a corner and having a loose and unexpected moment is nice too. Styling in fashion was all about proportion and contrasts and I think that has carried over into my landscape work. A floaty ruffle top paired with a crisp tailored pant reminds me of Gaura lindheimeri swaying against a neatly trimmed hedge. I am also a bit of a romantic and a cottage boarder always makes me swoon, but so does a little graphic pattern too.
Do you have any favourite projects you have worked on?
Each project is special because they are so personal, but I think I have a knack for compact spaces. I really excel when the client gives me a blank canvas and free reign. I love a challenge, and the best challenges are creating spaces that are multipurpose. One that stands out in my mind was a shoebox of a space and we designed an outdoor grill station that extended into a wraparound dining bench and the entire system also functioned as a retaining wall. In the same space we still had room for a fireplace, lounge seating, beautiful planters and a putting green. The back of the property has a shared brick wall so it has a walled garden feel with a little cottage border. We managed to repurpose the existing boxwoods and camellias on site.
Can you tell us a little bit about your next steps and exciting new plans?
KFiles Design is about bespoke designs and quality installations. We are excited to work alongside new builders, architects, and expand our business in Southeastern US this year. The one thing we are not after is volume. We want to stay true to our design ethos of sustainability and quality. We are excited to partner with various brands like Agriframes and are considering a charitable local pop-up shop as a part of our give back mission and building community.
Gardening Advice/Design
What advice would you give to a gardener starting out?
-Start with credible resources, like a local arboretum or nursery for information about plants in your growing zone. There’s a lot of misinformation on the internet so be careful with broad search engines.
-Expect something to die and don’t beat yourself up about it. This is the learning process.
-Don’t’ be in a rush. Gardening teaches us patience. Magazine worthy gardens take time, cost a lot of money, specialty plant sourcing, consistent maintenance and generous photo touching. This shouldn’t be a personal expectation.
-Make sure you are having fun!
What’s your go-to method for maintaining a sustainable garden?
Ultimately everyone wants a low maintenance garden and for us that boils down to using the right plant in the right place. Mimicking what nature what do, but in a more organized manner. We spend a lot of time reviewing site conditions and scrubbing our planting designs and plant palettes. We like to incorporate natives, herbs and pollinator friendly plants as much as we can. The goal is to eliminate the need for too much manual care and additives. In addition, we try to reduce lawn space and focus on permeable spaces like bio swales and the use of more gravel. Something else we are proud of is upcycling existing materials. If we pull up a brick path, we may reuse the brick as a garden border. If the land gives us rocks and boulders, we’ll incorporate that into the design. If we can transplant existing plant materials, we’ll do that too.
Who is your gardening (or non-gardening!) heroes?
Picasso, for the way he saw the world
Kelly Wearstler for her style
Piet Oudolf for incredible plant combinations
Ngoc Minh Ngo’s Garden photography - I once heard her speak about how she studied Dutch Masters’ painting and that is how she tried to capture the landscape. It’s a beautiful approach.
Ed Hollander- His work is stunning and inspirational
