We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristine Bukov. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristine below.

Hi Kristine, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

My 25+ years of experience in design has taught me to take the time to make every project meaningful. Clients come to me for a reason. They come to me because without the help of a designer, they struggle to create something that adds value to their life. For a lot of my clients, this is their first landscape project, so it is a big step to realize a designer would be valuable and choose to invest in a design for their space before diving into an install. My goal with every design is to create an outdoor space that fits their needs in a fun and creative way without going over the top (unless of course that is what they want and can afford). Ultimately, my clients will be the ones living and breathing the design so it is important for me to work together in designing a space that they will cherish and appreciate every day.

Kristine, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The experience of getting my Bachelors degree in Interior Design, paired with the knowledge I gained from getting a certificate in landscape design has been invaluable in creating designs that fit every clients needs. In 2004, while getting my certificate in Landscape Design at Portland Community College, I worked at a nursery learning the ins and outs of landscape plants for the area. This experience helped me to start my first landscape design business, Green Leaf Design, LLC, in 2006. I became an expert in specifying the right plant for the right place which is still important to me to this day. During the six years of running Green Leaf Design, LLC, I formed invaluable relationships with landscape contractors and industry leaders in the area. In doing so, I gained very necessary experience in landscape construction and Hardscape installation. I worked with them closely to learn how things were constructed and they appreciated my design knowledge when building one of my designs. In the years following my business I worked for two of the companies that I had formed relationships in the past. They knew my work and were thrilled to have me on their team. These jobs also furthered my experience in working with crews, estimating/bidding projects, managing crews, procuring materials and overseeing the construction for my projects. In 2015 I took a hiatus from Landscape Design to start my family and move to Colorado. In 2021 I began learning the industry here in Colorado and am so excited for the launch of Petal + Patio Landscape Design in 2023.

In working through my design process this is the philosophy that I try to follow. Good design is the foundation of any project, but great design is not just a pretty picture. It is a combination of a lot of invisible things. A great design fits the customers needs, is functional to the end user, realistic to install, within an agreed upon budget, uses attainable plants and finishes and most of all is loved and cherished by the client. Clients often ask what is my design style? I say, every design is different and should be neatly tailored to each homeowner. Ultimately, when the job is done, the client is the one there to live and breathe it. A job well done is one where the client is ecstatic about their new landscape because it was neatly tailored just for them.

The end product can include the following, Concept Design with revisions, Landscape Plan, Hardscape Plan with dimensions, Planting Plan, Lighting Plan, Irrigation zone plan and Detail plan for structures. All plans are to scale and include notes that will ensure the installation goes smoothly. Although I am an independant designer, I work with select contractors that I know will be respectful of the design we created and have the knowledge and skill to execute the construction. I like to refer the contractor and be available throughout the design for questions and to be sure the vision is being implemented accurately.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Being a Creative person is often a blessing and a curse. There have been many nights of losing sleep, trying to work out a creative solution to a design challenge in my head. I often make myself crazy implementing these ideas and turning them into reality. The AMAZING part about being a creative person, is seeing those ideas in my head come to life in realtime. It is so affirming to see a newly installed space look just as I had imagined it in my head througout the design process.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish that I had given myself more credit earlier on in my creative journey. Credit to charge what I was worth and belief in my design skills to guide people into a solution that they may not have considered but would have benefited them more in the end.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.petalandpatio.com
• Instagram: petalandpatio
• Facebook: Petal + Patio Landscape Design

Image Credits

Suzanne Tadros