2026 Elemental Design Group, Inc.
Landscape Design Studio
Your Yard is Not a Box
A landscape architect is a licensed professional who can handle complex grading, drainage, permits, and structural elements. A landscape designer focuses on the aesthetic and planting plan. At Elemental, we offer both giving you a full-service experience from concept to construction.
When architecting and designing your landscape, we push the boundaries of what you think is possible, taking into account aesthetics, environmental sensitivity, and how you intend to live in it. We also consider your home’s interior styling, creating a relationship between the inside and the outside.
How We Work
As your local landscape architect and landscape designer serving Monterey, Carmel, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and San Mateo, our collaborative process is designed to bring your vision to life from the first sketch to the final stone. Here’s what you can expect when working with us:
Collaboration & Illustrations
You may know exactly what you have in mind or you may come to us with a blank slate. Either way, we’ll imagine your new landscape together and come up with the perfect design illustrated with technical detail.
Site Survey & Permits
We’ll start with a site survey analysis and handle obtaining all necessary city & HOA regulatory permits. We’ll also provide required water usage calculations.
Materials & Contractor Sourcing
We’ll source all the materials so you don’t have to and even pass along our trade discount. Your landscape project workbook includes all hard costs and our contractor bid management process provides value and transparency.
Construction Oversight
Our team will oversee your entire project, end-to-end, ensuring that your landscape design is implemented flawlessly.
What Our Clients Say
Our Team
Elemental’s experts in landscape architecture, design, visuals, provisioning, and contractor selection and oversight offers our clients innovative and sustainable designs that celebrate the natural beauty and diversity of an individual’s dwelling. With our expertise in blending form and function, we create spaces that inspire and rejuvenate, while seamlessly integrating with the local environment. Our commitment to creating vibrant and functional landscapes for our residential clients is designed to be timeless and enjoyed for generations to come.
Elemental Design Group is a licensed landscape architect and landscape design firm proudly serving homeowners across Monterey County (Monterey, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Pebble Beach), Santa Cruz County, Santa Clara County (Los Gatos, Saratoga, Los Altos), and San Mateo County (Woodside, Atherton, Menlo Park). Whether you’re looking for a landscape architect or landscape designer near you, our team brings expertise to every project.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the scope. A licensed landscape architect is required for projects involving grading, drainage, structural elements, or permit applications such as retaining walls, pools, or significant site work. A landscape designer is ideal for aesthetic and planting-focused projects. At Elemental, we offer both, so we can match the right expertise to your project from day one.
Yes. We hold CA Landscape Architect License #3944 and CA Landscape Contractor License #926561, and we handle all city and HOA regulatory permits across all the counties we serve so you don’t have to navigate that process alone.
Absolutely. Complex, site-specific challenges are where we thrive. From steep slopes to irregular lots, our team has the engineering knowledge and creative vision to design spaces that feel intentional and beautiful, not like compromises. See how we created a stunning pool on a hillside slope →
Yes, these are some of our favorite elements to work with. We design and oversee the full range of outdoor living features including patios, pergolas, sitting areas, walkways, walls, and water features, always tailored to how you want to live in your space. Browse our design inspiration lookbook →
Every project is unique, but most residential landscape architecture projects move through design, permitting, and construction over several months. We’ll give you a realistic timeline during our initial consultation based on your site, scope, and local permitting requirements.
Yes. Hardscape elements like stairs, retaining walls, and walkways are integral to how a landscape functions and flows. We design these features to work together structurally and aesthetically, ensuring every path, step, and wall feels like a natural part of the overall environment. See examples of our stair, wall, and walkway designs →
Absolutely. Natural materials are central to our design philosophy. We work extensively with stone, wood, metal, glass, and water elements to create landscapes that feel grounded in their environment and built to last. The material palette we choose is always informed by your home’s architecture, the local landscape, and how you intend to use the space. Explore our material inspiration →
