Design as a process of discovery

I support the approach that sees design as a process of discovery.

This backyard design was completed earlier this year and will be built in the spring. Shown here are two design alternatives that were presented to the client. Guess which one was chosen.

Working with design alternatives gives the client an opportunity to learn what they like, but also what they don't like. In this project, the client showed a strong preference to flowing designs, prioritizing organic layouts (or curvilinear). To explore options, I presented to the client two design alternatives with one of them being geometric (or rectilinear), assuming it will probably get discarded. However, I was surprised to find out that this option was actually the preferred one.

Often clients come to the design process with concepts of what an outdoor space 'should' look like. It's often driven by what they saw on social media, their friend's backyard, or home improvement shows. These are all great for inspiration, but they do not reflect the specific needs of a client or the site conditions on their property. For that, a collaborative process between the designer and client can help uncover what the space can potentially be.