About the Studio
We believe — that well designed landscapes elevate our lives and inspire us to connect with each other and with the world around us. We embrace ecological health as a primary focus on any scale of project, from residential gardens and small urban parks, to large rural estates and working landscapes.
We value — design with impact in mind. Collectively, gardens and landscapes can address some of today’s most pressing environmental challenges, including habitat loss, soil health, carbon sequestration, water conservation, stormwater management, and wildfire resiliency. The choices we make in designing our outdoor spaces can enrich our lives, while supporting vibrant and productive habitats.
We embrace — curiosity, experimentation, and a collaborative, conversational process to create environments and experiences that are full of life. We uncover and reveal the history of a place, tell its story, and distill its unique character, celebrating and amplifying the interconnected and entangled life of people, plants and place. We encourage the use of raw and locally sourced materials, and enjoy finding new and creative ways to reuse found materials from the site.
We contribute — to our local community. In addition to board service, Outcrop is committed to contributing 2% of our profit to organizations serving the Bay Area and surrounding communities bi-annually.
Why Outcrop?
An outcrop is a physical rock formation that integrates with and emerges from its surroundings, providing warmth in the sun and shelter from the wind. We draw inspiration from this structure.
Our goal with every project is to thoughtfully design spaces that integrate seamlessly with their environment, that tell the story of a place and the people that inhabit it.
words we’re chewing on
tactile, resilience, reciprocal, care, community, beauty, eclectic, nuance
OUR PERSONALITY
purposeful, curious, optimistic, adventurous, attentive, resourceful
liz richmonD
owner and principal
Liz is a registered Architect and registered Landscape Architect with over fifteen years of experience. Her unique interdisciplinary background allows her clients to tap into a holistic perspective at the intersection of landscape and architectural design. Before founding her own practice she spent twelve years working on award-winning projects at design-driven firms in Charlottesville, Boston and San Francisco.
Fundamental to her work is a desire to cultivate meaningful relationships between people and the outdoor spaces they inhabit. She strives to be a steward of both built and natural environments, and is endlessly curious about the relationship between the two. She carefully integrates architectural space with vibrant ecological habitats, creating gardens that are densely layered, cohesive, and welcoming.
In approaching every project, she fosters trusting relationships with her clients and collaborators, applying a strong sense of material craftsmanship and plant knowledge. Through a process-driven approach founded on the practice of listening, Liz creates outdoor spaces that reflect and celebrate each clients’ unique needs, interests and individual personalities.
A mountain girl at heart, Liz grew up in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies. She has lived in the Bay Area since 2010 and enjoys exploring the outdoors with her husband, and their two young boys.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture and a Masters of Architecture from the University of Virginia.