Four years ago, Ellie Redders undertook an ambitious overhaul of her backyard in Wildwood. She installed a sport court, a fire pit, and built a new deck. The project called for backfilling and re-landscaping one-and-a-half acres. Redders, an interior designer and owner of Ellie Redders Interiors in Ballwin, understood the scope of the project, but wasn’t prepared for just how complicated it would be.
Like many homeowners, Redders hired a landscaper. “Landscapers are who homeowners see and are familiar with,” she says. “We think, Hey, they work in my yard and have the manpower to make this happen. But the outdoor world is very complicated and a landscaper shouldn’t be taking on those projects.”
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But Redders got lucky. Her project was largely on budget and on time, and she credits the work of project manager Chris Graham. “Chris was in charge of our project and he was wonderful,” she says, adding, “Our backyard wouldn’t have been completed if it weren’t for him.”
Shortly thereafter, Graham left his landscaping job to start Dogwood Design, a landscape design firm where he could better use his skills in both project management and landscape design. Graham and Redders referred clients to one another’s business.
“The more we talked and worked together, the more we realized it made so much sense to join forces,” says Redders. “He had a baby company and, by combining, we would create an established business with more than 15 years of experience between us.”
This past January, Redders bought Dogwood Design and Ellie Redders Outdoor Living was born.
For the designer, acquiring a landscape design firm was a natural fit. “Often, when we’re doing interiors, clients will ask us to design the outdoor surroundings. That is not my expertise, so I would give away the work. Now, clients don’t need to establish a whole new set of relationships with new contractors or designers or processes. It’s completely seamless and we can ensure that the landscaping and outdoor living areas compliment the home.”
Their company is much more than plants and flower beds. Graham and Redders design outdoor kitchens, pools, pool houses, sport courts, firepits, patios–in addition to creating beautiful landscape design.
With all new projects, such as the poolhouse and outdoor kitchen they recently installed at a home in Town and Country, Graham does the design work and creates a 3-D rendering of the finished space. Redders selects the finishes and weighs in on aesthetics. In the Town and Country project, the brick on the back wall of the outdoor kitchen, in conjunction with the white columns, are inspired by the home’s colonial-inspired architecture. Natural stone veneer, from Semco Stone in Brewer, Mo., clad both the kitchen and fireplace, adding a touch of rustic to the kitchen.
“The goal is to make a new outdoor space seem as if it’s always been there,” says the designer. “Something as simple as incorporating the same stone accents from the house into a new structure, or matching the color and texture of the plant palette to the existing landscape can help achieve that.”
