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Pro Spotlight: How to Design a Landscape You’ll Love Forever
An Atlanta-area landscape designer shares his tips for evergreen, environmentally conscious design
Sponsoreret indhold
Who: Michael Lores of Michaelangelo’s Sustainable Landscape & Design
Where: Alpharetta, Georgia
In his own words: “I love connecting with my clients and creating beautiful spaces that make them happy.”
Sometimes gorgeous landscapes start by solving a problem. “In Atlanta we get a lot of rain, so I’d say a third of our projects start by solving drainage issues,” says Michael Lores, the CEO of Michaelangelo’s Sustainable Landscape & Design. “Then we can upgrade the space, whether through a new patio or layered plantings, in tandem.” Below, Lores shares how the right landscape design can fix your functionality issues while adding long-lasting, low-maintenance value to your home.
Where: Alpharetta, Georgia
In his own words: “I love connecting with my clients and creating beautiful spaces that make them happy.”
Sometimes gorgeous landscapes start by solving a problem. “In Atlanta we get a lot of rain, so I’d say a third of our projects start by solving drainage issues,” says Michael Lores, the CEO of Michaelangelo’s Sustainable Landscape & Design. “Then we can upgrade the space, whether through a new patio or layered plantings, in tandem.” Below, Lores shares how the right landscape design can fix your functionality issues while adding long-lasting, low-maintenance value to your home.
A principled foundation. Lores, who started mowing lawns in high school, was always interested in cultivating outdoor spaces. He went on to attend college classes at night to eventually earn three degrees in environmental horticulture. “That’s where I established my principles in sustainability,” he says. With a well-educated approach to landscape design, Lores founded his business in creating environmentally conscious, evergreen spaces that homeowners will love for decades.
An in-depth dialogue. Lores starts his design process with a detailed interview. “I try to understand the client’s needs and see if we’re a good fit,” he says. “We try to build rapport with our clients and create a partnership, rather than a one-time, transactional relationship.” Questions include how homeowners want to spend time in their yards, if they entertain and if they have kids, among others. “We can give five to 10 different ideas to create a plan that aligns with their needs and desires,” Lores says.
Ready to revamp your landscape for the long haul? Lores shares his tips below.
Ready to revamp your landscape for the long haul? Lores shares his tips below.
1. Create Your Master Plan, Then Price It Out
According to Lores, having your entire project planned in advance is worth its weight in gold. With a clear vision of every aspect of the project — and its cost — you can watch your outdoor space come to life through a cost-effective and thoughtfully measured approach. “I’ve taken the idea to heart that instant gratification results in future frustration,” Lores says. “If a landscaper’s design isn’t patient, you’ll be ripping it out in a few years because it looks overgrown and overdone.”
At this shade-filled Atlanta home, the homeowners inherited a sweeping outdoor space that had been totally neglected. “There was so much to do we knew it would look better broken up into different phases,” Lores says. “We replaced the driveway, retaining walls, walkways and steps coming down the hill to the home, then added beautiful natural stone and plantings to ultimately create an award-winning landscape.”
See more of this project
According to Lores, having your entire project planned in advance is worth its weight in gold. With a clear vision of every aspect of the project — and its cost — you can watch your outdoor space come to life through a cost-effective and thoughtfully measured approach. “I’ve taken the idea to heart that instant gratification results in future frustration,” Lores says. “If a landscaper’s design isn’t patient, you’ll be ripping it out in a few years because it looks overgrown and overdone.”
At this shade-filled Atlanta home, the homeowners inherited a sweeping outdoor space that had been totally neglected. “There was so much to do we knew it would look better broken up into different phases,” Lores says. “We replaced the driveway, retaining walls, walkways and steps coming down the hill to the home, then added beautiful natural stone and plantings to ultimately create an award-winning landscape.”
See more of this project
2. Develop Your Design in Phases
Landscape design doesn’t have to be everything or nothing. “We understand that most homeowners don’t want to spend a large sum all at once,” Lores says. “We work with clients to create a master plan that we’ll build in phases over years or seasons based on their priorities and budget.”
This Marietta home’s outdoor space, for instance, was carefully executed through five distinct phases. “We started with drainage work, then added hardscaping and retaining walls, then the plantings, irrigation and lighting system,” Lores says. “This client enjoys working in her yard, so we made sure she had the freedom and flexibility to continue its growth.”
See more of this project
Landscape design doesn’t have to be everything or nothing. “We understand that most homeowners don’t want to spend a large sum all at once,” Lores says. “We work with clients to create a master plan that we’ll build in phases over years or seasons based on their priorities and budget.”
This Marietta home’s outdoor space, for instance, was carefully executed through five distinct phases. “We started with drainage work, then added hardscaping and retaining walls, then the plantings, irrigation and lighting system,” Lores says. “This client enjoys working in her yard, so we made sure she had the freedom and flexibility to continue its growth.”
See more of this project
3. Create a Design That’s Built to Last
Landscape design should stand the test of time, so use materials made to last. “We like to use a lot of natural stone rather than wood you’ll need to replace,” Lores says. “We’re also designing your landscape at maturity, so we’ll include the proper spacing that will allow the plants to fill in but not overgrow one another.”
In this Atlanta-area townhome’s small backyard, Lores’ team created space for an expanded path and patio with natural stone pavers leading to a freestanding fireplace. An area with artificial turf was designed with pets in mind. “Even in a space that was less than 800 square feet we were able to create an evergreen design with a beautiful palette of plants, a lighting system, hard- and softscaping and a drainage solution hidden beneath the rocks,” Lores says.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Michael Lores and examples of his work, visit Michaelangelo’s Sustainable Landscape & Design’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Landscape design should stand the test of time, so use materials made to last. “We like to use a lot of natural stone rather than wood you’ll need to replace,” Lores says. “We’re also designing your landscape at maturity, so we’ll include the proper spacing that will allow the plants to fill in but not overgrow one another.”
In this Atlanta-area townhome’s small backyard, Lores’ team created space for an expanded path and patio with natural stone pavers leading to a freestanding fireplace. An area with artificial turf was designed with pets in mind. “Even in a space that was less than 800 square feet we were able to create an evergreen design with a beautiful palette of plants, a lighting system, hard- and softscaping and a drainage solution hidden beneath the rocks,” Lores says.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Michael Lores and examples of his work, visit Michaelangelo’s Sustainable Landscape & Design’s Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Michaelangelo's Sustainable Landscape & Design — Best of Alpharetta 2022 Award - Best Landscaping and Lawn... Læs mere
Anmeldelse fra cmthom:
We have had Michaelangelo's work on some pretty extensive landscaping projects for 2 of our homes. Each time they came out several times to ensure the plan was exactly what we wanted before beginning...Mere