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Good landscape design starts with the property, not a style guide. A steep Sammamish hillside calls for a completely different approach than a flat Queen Anne courtyard. Context shapes everything.
The articles collected here cover specific design approaches — outdoor living rooms, Asian-inspired gardens, modern minimalist hardscapes, cottage-style plantings — alongside practical guidance on designing for difficult conditions like slopes, small spaces, and properties with mature trees you want to keep.
Classic Landscaping has designed hundreds of landscapes across Greater Seattle, and the patterns we see again and again inform everything here. Our hope is that you find ideas worth stealing and enough context to start imagining what your own yard could become.
Northwest Contemporary — clean hardscape lines softened by layered, naturalistic plantings — is the most popular approach in Greater Seattle. Japanese-inspired gardens translate beautifully to our climate. Cottage-style gardens full of hydrangeas, lavender, and ornamental grasses thrive in our mild conditions.
The three main approaches are terracing with retaining walls, naturalistic slope planting with deep-rooted natives, or a combination. The right approach depends on how much usable flat space you need, the grade’s steepness, soil stability, and budget.
Yes — with thoughtful design. A covered structure extends usability through rainy months. A gas fire pit makes evenings comfortable from October through April. Radiant heaters push the season even further. We’ve seen Greater Seattle homeowners use well-designed outdoor living rooms 10 months out of 12.
Standalone landscape design typically runs $3,000-$10,000 depending on property size and complexity. In a design-build arrangement, the design fee is often folded into the construction contract.
A landscape architect holds a state license and can stamp plans and design structures involving complex engineering. A landscape designer creates residential plans but can’t stamp engineered drawings. For most residential projects, a skilled designer with construction experience is more than sufficient.
Explore our landscape services and discover how Classic can bring your outdoor space to life.
