161 Design Studio

161 Design Studio Residential landscape design studio in Vancouver, BC. Serving the Lower Mainland, Sea to Sky Corridor and Vancouver Island.

Boutique landscape and architectural design firm based in Vancouver, BC. We specialize in crafting exceptional outdoor living spaces.

06/21/2026

A little movement in the trees
A little sunshine on the patio
A lot of reasons to stay outside longer 🌿

A conceptual design for a Shaughnessy garden.Designing in this historic neighbourhood comes with a unique responsibility...
06/17/2026

A conceptual design for a Shaughnessy garden.

Designing in this historic neighbourhood comes with a unique responsibility. The landscape must coexist with the architecture, allowing the home to remain the focal point while adding depth, beauty, and seasonal interest.

Every curve, path, and planting area is intended to support the architecture rather than overwhelm it.

Final design coming soon!

Architecture:

06/15/2026

A special visit to Arthur Erickson’s garden on the anniversary of his birth.

Walking through this space felt like stepping into a built expression of his worldview. Erickson believed that landscape should lead and architecture should follow - a philosophy woven throughout the garden. Here, the house settles gently into its surroundings, allowing the land, light, and vegetation to take precedence.

There is nothing ostentatious about the place. Yet every view is carefully framed, every path purposeful, every intervention measured. The result is a landscape that feels both cultivated and inevitable, as though it could exist in no other way.

Perhaps that is the enduring lesson of the garden: living well is not about abundance, but about attentiveness. A modest home, thoughtfully situated within its landscape, can offer a richness that transcends scale.

So much inspiration from one of the defining voices of West Coast modernism, and from a garden that remains as relevant today as when it was first imagined.

Our East Van project has come to an end. More to come soon - starting with a closer look at the planting 🌿
06/06/2026

Our East Van project has come to an end. More to come soon - starting with a closer look at the planting 🌿

Customized privacy screenCustom landscape elements demand extra work - choosing the right material, determining the idea...
05/27/2026

Customized privacy screen

Custom landscape elements demand extra work - choosing the right material, determining the ideal thickness, designing a pattern that feels interesting without being overwhelming, figuring out the necessary clearances… the list is endless. But they can create incredible results and a perfect fit for the space. They also make your garden truly unique - you can be sure there’s no other screen quite like this one.

We think this screen turned out great. Construction is still in progress, and we can’t wait to show it in its finished setting.

On a side note - these photos were taken just a couple of months apart, and they beautifully show how corten steel develops over time.

05/20/2026

From an empty space, through vision to a functional outdoor retreat. The project is still taking shape, but it already looks great.

The hot tub sits flush with the patio and is finished with the same stone as the surrounding paving, creating a seamless and elegant look throughout the space. What do you think?

05/18/2026

Sketches. Renders. Site Visits. Client meetings. Repeat đź’š
…and somewhere in between: problem solving, plant thinking, and turning ideas into places people actually use.
Grateful we get to do this work most days.

Exploring how atmosphere changes a landscape.Instead of designing for a single “perfect” moment, the goal was to create ...
05/14/2026

Exploring how atmosphere changes a landscape.

Instead of designing for a single “perfect” moment, the goal was to create a garden that feels good in every condition - bright afternoons, warm sunsets, and rainy evenings included.

A small urban backyard designed as an immersive retreat.

We often think about outdoor spaces the same way we think about rooms inside your home. Sometimes they have a specific p...
04/08/2026

We often think about outdoor spaces the same way we think about rooms inside your home. Sometimes they have a specific purpose, and sometimes they are multi-functional. Either way, they extend your living space into the outdoors and connect it with the surrounding environment.

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We’ve always embraced eco-friendly practices. In this project, reclaimed concrete pavers and cobblestone accents are pai...
03/31/2026

We’ve always embraced eco-friendly practices. In this project, reclaimed concrete pavers and cobblestone accents are paired with sandblasted concrete. It gives the property a timeless aesthetic, and complements the character of the home and neighbourhood.

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Vancouver, BC

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