Park Slope
Design

Santa Monica, CA and Santa Fe, NM

Joan Grabel, designer and principal

Award-winning landscape designer, fine artist and Park Slope founder Joan Grabel is an exhibiting painter who brings her background and sensibility as a fine artist to each landscape design project she undertakes. As one of the featured landscape designers on the HGTV network, Grabel has won accolades from top industry publications and made regular appearances on popular series such as Professional Grade and Landscapers’ Challenge. Grabel approaches each project with a love of color and form, designing outdoor spaces that combine aesthetic appeal with an eco-conscious ethos and functionality that complements and enriches her clients’ lifestyles.

South Bay Transitional

The South Bay Transitional design was developed to maximize use of the landscape for clients who enjoyed cooking and entertaining outside. Prior to the redesign, the homeowners did not use their outdoor space as often as they desired, due to the windy, foggy conditions associated with living near the beach. With an eye toward providing an enduring solution, Grabel specified materials like Trex® composite decking, LED lights, Greenform® planters crafted from recyclable materials and genuine basalt for the water feature. She selected Infratech heaters for the outdoor kitchen and dining area because they add functionality and comfort to the outdoor kitchen, pergola and deck. The heaters’ sleek design complements the space, and infrared radiant heat does not blow away in drafty conditions, enabling Grabel’s clients to cook, dine and entertain outdoors, day or night, all year round.

Much of Grabel’s work is in regions where water conservation is a critical concern. She emphasizes the use of low-water plants, efficient irrigation and hardscape materials that are sustainably sourced, for beautiful, livable and durable landscapes that exist in harmony with nature.