Ali Harwood is a site designer creating sustainable and joyful outdoor spaces in both California and Wisconsin.
With a Bachelor’s of Architecture from Cal Poly SLO and seven years working in the industry, Ali is known for her site, artistic, and client sensibilities.
She believes that good design is a constant inquisition, as our inner and outer landscapes are always evolving. The better we understand both our clients’ and landscapes’ needs, the more in harmony our spaces will be.
Ali has thoroughly crafted her technical and horticultural skills and holds a unique portfolio of project experience, ranging from peaceful backyard landscapes for single families to large-scale public parks.
Her background of living and working in California, Spain, Texas, and Wisconsin, as well as learning to speak Spanish fluently, has helped her learn to communicate and empathize well with anyone she meets. Good designers translate the needs of the community and the land, not impose.
Prior to her shift to landscape, her past work in the architecture field included creating sustainable master plans for major cities while working for Gensler in Houston and designing high-end retail environments for Apple Inc. throughout Europe and Latin America.
In her spare time, she enjoys sharing simple design, mindfulness, and nature-oriented strategies here on her writings page to help readers transform their daily surroundings & lifestyle into ones that they truly love.
To contact Ali, please email ali@harwood.design.
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INSTAGRAM
@aliharwooddesign
LINKEDIN
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“Ali is a well-rounded designer with a fresh, inquisitive spirit. She brings new energy and expansive thinking to the table, constantly asking better questions and exploring unexpected possibilities. Her artistic sensibility and global perspective enrich our planting compositions and spatial choreography in ways that feel both thoughtful and alive.”
- Elisa Read Pappaterra, CA Landscape Architect, Colleague, & Mentor
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Two years ago, I left my fast-paced life to explore more of what truly felt good to me: nature. Now I help others incorporate more nature it into their daily lives, one space at a time.
Throughout my teens and early twenties, I had been following everything I felt I should be doing, as most of us do when we’re young. I studied hard, worked hard, and filled my schedule with countless activities and non-stop busyness. Even though I was doing and “gaining” so much, I didn’t realize what I was losing. I had lost the connection to myself. I lost the sound of my inner voice, the trust in my intuition, and my excitement for life. I had only been doing what I felt was best for others and society, not for myself.
After immediately jumping into a corporate architecture job after university, I finally realized how disconnected I had become. The only path that felt right to me at the time was to separate from my work life for the time being. So, I quit my job, sold all of my belongings, and left the United States to travel in nature for six months with only a backpack.
My travels were solely within Latin American soil, such as hiking five hundred miles on El Camino de Santiago in Spain and volunteering for a remote horse ranch in Argentina. I spent most of my days immersed in nature, having conversations with all sorts of people around the world, and slowing down. With time, I became most comfortable and restored self while walking within mountains, being underneath the trees, and sitting next to wildflowers.
I become enamored with the healing qualities of nature. It allowed me to be calm enough to hear my inner voice again. All the answers I was looking for could be found right in front of me: within Earth.
Amidst my inevitable return to the US in mid 2023, I did not want to let go of the joy and deep sense of connection that I just recently discovered. Thus, I transitioned my career from general architecture to landscape architecture to not only help honor this beautiful planet, but also help others become more connected with nature as well.
Ali Harwood Design, my freelance design studio, was launched in late 2023 when I began working remotely for firms in the US so that I could continue expanding my global perspective by living in Spain for two years. I spent my days exploring and learning the similarities and differences between our world’s cultures, infrastructures, and societies, helping enrich my sensibility to the land and my design expertise.
Today, I work between Wisconsin and California, collaborating with landscape architects on various project types and scales, and also help individuals enliven their homes with a deeper connection to nature, one plant at a time.
My courage to pursue what felt true and good to my soul brought joy back into my life, and now I hope to use my work to inspire others to do the same.
Let the land lead. It has all the answers.