Scott Brinitzer Design Associates, Washington DC

Gardens that include a favorite plant, that evoke a special memory (a specific color, scent), or that or create a connection to a trip or important place visited, become gardens that are especially successful. These gardens are simply not just created for the client, but with the client, each with their own set of priorities for their garden project.

In many of the gardens you will see a strong connection between interior spaces and exterior spaces. The firm stresses this relationship as a way to not only draw the homeowner out into the garden, but also to increase the homeowners sense of their living space. Beautiful views, when seen from inside the house, give the rooms in a home the feeling that they are larger then they actually are.

While the firm is located in the Washington area and the majority of gardens have been in the immediate metro area, projects have not been limited just to Washington. Brinitzer has clients in the Hamptons (Long Island, New York), Delaware, Florida, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), the Northern Neck of Virginia, and Rhode Island.

Of the many gardens that have been designed, there are clear individual favorites but no specific type of garden stands out as better, or more interesting for the firm. Garden commissions vary greatly in size, location, and style. Some of the most interesting, and challenging gardens have been the very small, detailed city gardens found in Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC. These gardens are every bit as challenging to design as their larger counterparts because they can be extremely complicated. The smaller the garden, the more careful one needs to be with the design because the details are much more evident to the eye. These gardens are extremely rewarding for the team as they allow for the use of quality building materials, tight precise details, and immediate gratification. A small garden can seem to be finished in a much shorter period of time then a larger garden as less emphasis is generally placed on plantings and more on built elements.

Larger gardens, such as those created by the firm in Pennsylvania and Delaware, allow the designer to use broad sweeping lines, bold plant groupings, and borrowed vistas. Part of the beauty of a large garden is that it can showcase the firms design capabilities with both large and small scale garden design; close to the house the architecture of the house clearly influences the garden as is seen in the many built elements, while in areas away from the house, the garden opens up and becomes a soft, flowing more romantic garden.

While past garden designs influence the design of each new garden, no two gardens are ever alike. Brinitzers’ gardens may have some strong underlying “bones” that may seem similar to other gardens, but are never copies. Each project or commission is unique, custom and individual.

A reason that each garden is unique is that the firm has a dedicated and talented design staff that produces custom designs. Katia Goffin, the longest tenured design team member, originally from Belgium, brings a tremendous classical European eye to the firm. Her many gardens can be recognized by bold lines, strong design intent, and a high level of attention to detail.

Jack Sullivan ASLA has been associated with the firm for several years. In addition to being a member of the Brinitzer team, Jack is currently a professor of landscape architecture at the University of Maryland. It is extremely important to the firm to have Jack as part of the team not only because he is an outstanding designer, but also because of his access to the academic world where he works with new technology and is exposed to new ideas from both his students and from fellow faculty.

Kathy Landis ASLA, brings with her a wealth of knowledge from her years of design work, and as a project manager, and designer on major projects for both individual and corporate clients both in the United States and in Asia.

Scott is the president and founder of the firm. He oversees the entire design staff and is an accomplished designer with several projects to his credit. Born in Europe, but raised in the Washington area, Brinitzer not only has a strong design sense, but also has a commanding knowledge of plant material, soil conditions, and climate unique to Washington. This knowledge is crucial to the success of the plans produced by the office.

In addition to the design services provided by the firm, Scott Brinitzer Design Associates also oversees the construction of its projects. Plant installation is performed in house by a dedicated plant installation staff headed by Cara Delany and Walter Chavez, while other trades, such as masons, lighting contractors, pool contractors, etc. are supervised by a project administrator who is a part of the Brinitzer team. By being involved in the construction process, Brinitzer is able to insure that construction and planting standards meet expectations, and that the design intent is fully realized in the built product. Over the years the firm has constructed hundreds of projects. In that time it has been especially gratifying for the team members to see their project go from paper, to construction, to reality.