“MaraLee was recommended to us by our building architect during a major home remodel. The footprint of the remodel necessitated a significant landscape project and she was the perfect choice to conquer it. MaraLee was thorough in her explanations of the technical requirements, creative in her design sense, and she listened intently to what we wanted for our property. In fact, she not only listened—she elicited information and ideas from us to ensure that the outcome would be what we envisioned. We are thrilled with the completed project.

MaraLee was very easy and pleasant to work with, helpful at every step, and she cared deeply that our needs and desires were met. We always knew we could depend on her to manage the details that were promised and we recommend her services without reservation.”

“We began working with MaraLee after meeting her at a social gathering where we had a wonderful conversation about her landscape architecture business and work experience in the Madison area.

At the start, MaraLee met with us to hear about our vision. We have a rather small lot with mature trees and wanted to update the plantings and hardscape materials. MaraLee also used her experience in designing dry river beds to address a drainage problem which has now become one of the beautiful focal points in the yard.

MaraLee welcomed our input throughout the design process. She showed us several design ideas that addressed all of our goals. After developing a final concept together, MaraLee helped us find a landscape contractor to carry out the plan. She offered excellent guidance and left it to us to select the contractor.

We had a great working relationship with MaraLee and the landscape contractor. Communication was excellent and she was always available for any questions or concerns.

MaraLee was wonderful to work with and she helped us transform our yard into multiple beautiful, interesting, and enjoyable spaces.”

“We engaged MaraLee Olson Design Studio to help us capture our vision for the future of Forward Garden, specifically, were it to include the 15-acre Pope Farm Homestead. Capturing our many ideas and distilling them into a single visual that could be appreciated by different audiences was no small task. MaraLee recommended creating a Concept Diagram that describes just enough, while holding space for imagining future potential.

The Concept Diagram has been absolutely beneficial - already helping us to secure funding for our capital campaign and engage community partners. We love being able to share it with new volunteers and see their eyes light up as they look out over the fields, imagining what the place could be. Thus far this year we’ve had over 700 individuals volunteer at Forward Garden, and over 1000 total across all 10 of our MAFPG locations. We’re making a difference in the community, and glad that MaraLee has been a part of our journey.”

“As a designer myself, I have very high expectations and strong opinions of design and the design process. As a result I was somewhat nervous to hire a landscape architect to help my husband and I design our dream outdoor space. Not only was I completely blown away by MaraLee’s design plan, but also how she effortlessly guided us through the design process from start to finish. Her strengths as a landscape architect and designer are only surpassed by her ability to listen and identify what is important to the client, and then take this information and create a design far beyond what the client can envision themselves.

MaraLee was completely open to and invested in working with us and our team collaboratively to make sure the end result was one that reflected not only who we are but how we live. She was the glue that kept the entire team on the same page and timeline as well as the muse that brought out the creativity and passion in every single member of the team. I learned so much from Maralee as a designer, but more importantly, we now have an oasis surrounding our home that will inspire, comfort and create memories that our family and friends will enjoy for years to come. THAT is priceless! ”

“During my enVisioning session with MaraLee, she described wonderful, beautiful ideas while my mind was focused on the way my spaces currently looked. She considers many price ranges so there is versatility with the ideas she proposed. I needed help envisioning plant options because I am not a gardener and wasn’t quite sure how to explain what I was thinking about, so MaraLee took that into consideration while she Sketched. She even suggested design moves that might make the backyard more enjoyable for my dogs — which is a big deal since they are out there more than I am! MaraLee provided ideas and discussed them with me so we could create something that would be beautiful and functional. This turned out to be a really fun experience.”

“I contacted MaraLee because I wanted a professional landscape architect to design a patio for my small backyard. We discussed my vision and I relayed the difficulties I was having getting a response from local pool/spa companies. MaraLee listened to my ideas and came up with a beautiful plan that was anything but a “cookie cutter” design. When I had reservations along the way, she listened and was patient, making changes as needed to maintain my original intentions. When the master plan was finished, she was able to get a quick response from a local construction company to install the entire project including the spa and she oversaw the installation to ensure everything was as we envisioned. I could not be happier with the results and would recommend MaraLee Olson Design Studio to my friends.”

“I would highly recommend MaraLee to anyone interested in designing a landscape for their home that they will love for years. Most important, MaraLee listened very carefully to our desires and the needs of our family, to develop a design that we can grow into over time. Her attention to detail, vision, and creativity has given us a plan that we can be sure will add beauty and function to our home and landscape. She was extremely flexible with the scope of the project. I especially enjoyed the process of giving MaraLee our ideas, and watching her develop those ideas. We are now slowly integrating these ideas and watching the design come to life! Working with MaraLee will continue to be a very rewarding experience.”

“The Fort Atkinson Arts Council had the good fortune to work with the design team of MaraLee Olson Design Studio and LVBrown Studio on our placemaking project. We appreciated their willingness to listen, assess the project and guide or process in the creation of two potential designs for Market Square. They were flexible throughout the design phase and offered designs that were both beautiful and practical for our community’s consideration. During the process, they listened to stakeholder’s ideas and concerns and incorporated them into the final designs. Friendly professionalism, active listening and creatively melding various ideas is a hallmark of their design work, and I would recommend this team to anyone.”

“She asked us all kinds of questions about how we envisioned using our space, how we planned to maintain it, what appealed to us aesthetically. She walked us through a handful of rough drafts, explaining the pros and cons of each. MaraLee was great at talking us through the process, from conceptualization to completion, and did a fantastic job of explaining our options every step of the way. She made an overwhelming process fun, simple and clear and she was always such a pleasure to meet with.”

“MaraLee is an absolute pleasure to work with. Her willingness to collaborate with the building architect allows us to share our visions and provide our clients with the best possible project outcome. MaraLee’s designs balance and unite our architectural intent, our client’s aesthetic and the surrounding terrain seamlessly. She truly is an artist.”

“MaraLee was instrumental in designing and building a natural playground for the Kennedy Heights Community Center. She took the ideas, dreams and concepts from the community and developed a beautiful design that reflected the needs of the community and the teachers. She was a great listener but provided her astute professional expertise throughout the process. She helped to see the project through from the dream of a natural playground through construction, a community build and to a year afterward, helping to refine our space. MaraLee was a joy and her expertise and skills made the project a reality.”

“In addition to her clear expertise, MaraLee brings such positive energy and enthusiasm to her work. Her thoughtful and patient guidance has been instrumental in helping us complete the master plan for our school’s natural playground and outdoor classroom. MaraLee set aside time to involve staff, administrators and families in the process, which ensured the phased installation process of our playground met the needs of all members of our school. Her humor and wit while helping us navigate through the process of planning and construction is what made MaraLee stand above the rest. I would defnitely work with MaraLee again.”

“What can we say about MaraLee Olson Design Studio? Creative, excellent listener, uber-talented, one who makes your vision come true within your budget…..all of these qualities and more. We wanted a warm and welcoming outdoor space where we can entertain friends and family. Stunning rock wall…check…fire pit grotto...check…outdoor pergola with kitchen…check…a private and screened space for our hot tub…check, and plantings throughout that bring all of these spaces to life. We couldn’t have been happier to work with MaraLee this past year in executing both her and our vision for these spaces. We cannot more highly recommend a landscape architect and designer. ”