We specialize in designing creative & sustainable landscapes for farms, ranches, & select residential projects.
Our design practice is rooted in listening — to stakeholders, collaborators, and the land itself. We begin every project with thoughtful observation, research, and a rich creative process.
We approach each site by first understanding how it will be used, how people will move through it, and how it is shaped by environmental and cultural forces. These insights guide every design decision — from the layout of spaces and circulation to the sensory experience of the place.
We choose materials with intention — hardscape elements that are reclaimed, locally sourced, or meaningfully connected to the site. Our planting palettes are diverse and largely native. Plants are selected for seasonal interest, fragrance, wildlife value, and long-term resilience. Details, materials, and craftsmanship matter, so we’re selective about the contractors we work with.
We hold ourselves to high aesthetic and environmental standards, and the framework we establish for each project allows the design to emerge as distinct and specific to its place.
Samantha Dabney, Founder
Sam has spent 20 years in the design industry and is also an accomplished artist — two pursuits that continually inspire and reinforce each other.
She has studied under and worked with some of the most innovative designers including Thomas Woltz of NBW, Mikyoung Kim, Michael Blier, Patricia Algara of BASE Landscape Architects, and John Carney and the partners of CLB Architects.
She has contributed in key roles to multiple award-winning projects including Houston’s 1,500-acre Memorial Park Master Plan, the Eastern Glades at Memorial Park, and the Tower of Voices at the 9/11 Flight 93 National Memorial while at NBW. (See awards section for a complete list.)
Collaborating with other artists and designers is one of Sam’s passions. She got her first taste at RISD when she landed a job in the art department of Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom”, working with some of the most creative people she’s ever met. Soon after, she joined fellow RISD alumni to design a landscape on the Amalfi Coast for Carol and Sol Lewitt — a leader of conceptual art movement. She frequently collaborates with Lindsay Burn on projects in the greater NYC area as well as a design team in Argentina and other talented local designers.
While Sam has brought a creative writer and a sculptor into the creative process on two different projects, it’s something she’d like the studio to do more of because it enriches the process and can add such depth and beauty to a place.
Sam was raised in the vast landscapes of Colorado, Texas, and Montana. As an adult with a sense of adventure and curiosity, she has lived in Switzerland, Vermont, Madagascar, Jackson Hole WY, NYC, Dubai, Qatar, Rhode Island, and California. Sam now lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with her daughter and their animals.
Project list below.
To view her artwork, visit www.samanthadabney.com
EDUCATION:
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), MLA
Middlebury College, BA
Harvard Graduate School of Design, Design Discovery program
Project List
Public, Institutional, and Museum Landscapes
1,500 acre Memorial Park Master Plan; Houston, Texas (designer with Nelson Byrd Woltz — hereafter referred to as NBW)
Clay Family Eastern Glades at Memorial Park; Houston, Texas (project manager with Nelson Byrd Woltz)
Flight 93 National Memorial, Tower of Voices; Pennsylvania (project manager with NBW)
Proposed learning center at Summit Bechtel Scout Reserve; Glen Jean, West Virgina (designer with NBW)
Children's Museum of Sonoma County; Santa Rosa, California (designer with BASE)
Artists’ Retreat at Carol and Sol Lewitt Foundation; Praiano, Italy
German International School of Silicon Valley Master Plan–Mountain View Campus Master Plan; Berkeley, California (designer with BASE)
French American International School–Maternelle; San Francisco, California (designer with BASE)
Colorado River Watershed Analysis; Virgin, Utah (with StempleForm)
Artists’ Retreats and Landscapes
Clipper Street Art Garden; San Francisco, California
Artists’ Retreat at Carol and Sol Lewitt Foundation; Praiano, Italy
Hugh Wilson Art Studio; Livingston, Montana
Lakeside artist's retreat; Wisconsin
Moonrise Kingdom; Wes Anderson film; Newport, Rhode Island (set design intern)
Farms and Estates
Carter’s Mountain Rd. Farm; Charlottesville, Virginia
North Garden Farm; North Garden, Virginia
Private farm, Cumberland County; Virginia
Private farm master plan; Free Union, Virginia
Gimbert Lane landscape; Charlottesville, Virginia
Private farm; Bear Creek, North Carolina (designer with NBW)
Private estate; Millbrook, New York (with Lindsay Burn Landscape Design)
Residential Landscapes
Lexington Avenue residence 1; Charlottesville, Virginia
Evergreen Avenue private residence; Charlottesville, Virginia
Private garden; Richmond, Virginia
Private estate planting and spa; Earlysville, Virginia
Pocket xeriscape garden; Bozeman, Montana
Bruce Avenue residence; Charlottesville, Virgina
Residential master plan; Crozet, Virginia
Residential master plan; Charlottesville, Virginia
American River family retreat; Lotus, California
Private residence; Abacos, Bahamas (designer with NBW)
Condominium roof garden; California (designer with BASE)
Waterfront residence; North Palm Beach, Florida (with Lindsay Burn Landscape Design)
Private residence 1; Greenwich, Connecticut (with Lindsay Burn Landscape Design)
Private residence 2; Greenwich, Connecticut (with Lindsay Burn Landscape Design)
Private residence 3; Greenwich, Connecticut (with Lindsay Burn Landscape Design)
Private residence 4; Greenwich, Connecticut (with Lindsay Burn Landscape Design)
Private residence 5; Greenwich, Connecticut (with Lindsay Burn Landscape Design)
Private residence; Newport, Rhode Island (with Lindsay Burn Landscape Design)
Three Creek Ranch private residence; Jackson Hole, Wyoming (architectural designer at Carney Logan Burke Architects)
Various master plans around Charlottesville Virginia