Interiors By Design is a Spanish Black woman-owned design firm led by award-winning designer Dennese Guadeloupe Rojas. As part of its commercial project management, the studio’s landscape design and integration service connects green spaces, outdoor areas, and views with the interior for offices, hospitality spaces, retail stores, and entertainment venues across Maryland and the greater Washington, DC region. Landscape integration means the outside of a property and the inside are designed to work together.
What Landscape Integration Covers on a Commercial Property
Landscape integration looks at every place where people meet the outdoors. That includes the arrival sequence from the parking lot to the front door, the outdoor spaces people use, such as patios, terraces, courtyards, rooftop areas, and outdoor dining, and the views from inside the building. It also brings green elements indoors, from planters and interior plants to natural materials.
Each part of the work has the right specialist. Planting plans, grading, drainage, irrigation, and site engineering are the work of a licensed landscape architect or civil engineer. In Maryland, landscape architects are licensed by the Maryland Board of Examiners of Landscape Architects. Interiors By Design sets the design direction that ties the landscape to the interior, plans and furnishes the outdoor rooms, and coordinates the landscape team as part of the project.
If your project includes a patio, terrace, or courtyard, you can schedule a consultation to plan the inside and the outside together.
Why Landscape and Interior Design Should Be Planned Together
The outside of a building sets expectations for what is inside. A guest forms an impression at the curb, and if the landscape and the interior speak different design languages, the brand feels disjointed before anyone walks through the door.
Windows frame the landscape. When desks, booths, and lounge seating face green views, the landscape becomes part of the room. Trees and shade structures also change how much light and glare reach the interior, which shapes window coverings and lighting choices.
Planning the two separately tends to show up late. Paving can clash with the lobby floor, exterior lights can look warmer or cooler than the interior lights, terrace furniture can overwhelm the space, and there may be no power where heaters or outdoor lighting are wanted. Planning them together catches these problems while the drawings can still change.
How Landscape Integration Works: 6 Steps
Each property is different, but the integration process follows the same path. These six steps connect the landscape and the interior from the first site visit to opening day.
1. Study the Site and the Plans
The process starts on site. The team reviews the building’s orientation, sun and shade, entries, existing trees and plantings, and the views from key rooms, along with the architectural and landscape drawings. This shows where the outdoor spaces are and how people will move between inside and out.
2. Set One Design Direction
Colors, materials, textures, and lighting mood are chosen for the property as a whole. Stone, wood, and planting palettes can repeat at the threshold, so the entry, the lobby, and the terrace feel related. The direction is shared with the landscape architect early, while it can still shape the site design.
3. Plan the Outdoor Rooms
Patios, terraces, and courtyards are planned like interior rooms, with seating layouts, circulation, shade, lighting, and planters that define each area. Planned this way, outdoor space gets used instead of only admired from inside.
4. Coordinate the Landscape Team and Contractors
Interiors By Design serves as the point of contact between the interior work and the landscape work. Drawings and details are shared so planting, paving, exterior lighting, and power for heaters or outdoor audio line up with the interior plan. Conflicts are caught on paper instead of in the field.
5. Specify Outdoor-Rated Furnishings and Planters
Outdoor furniture, fabrics, planters, and lighting have to handle sun, rain, and temperature swings. Selections are specified for commercial outdoor use, then ordered, tracked, and delivered through the same procurement process as the interior pieces.
6. Install, Plant, and Style
Deliveries are timed to the site’s readiness, and installation follows the plan inside and out. Interior plants and planters are placed as part of the final styling layer, and the punch list covers the outdoor spaces as well as the building before opening day.
Planning a terrace, patio, or courtyard as part of your project? Schedule a consultation to walk through the site and the plans.
Biophilic Design: Bringing the Landscape Indoors
Biophilic design connects people with nature inside the built environment. Interiors By Design grounds its commercial work in biophilic design, using plants, natural materials, daylight, and views so offices, lobbies, and dining rooms feel calmer and more connected to the outdoors. The 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design from Terrapin Bright Green is a well-known reference for these strategies.
Interior plants need the right light and a care plan. Species are chosen for the light each space receives, and high-quality faux plants can fill spots where living plants will not thrive. Plan for care from the start, whether your staff or a plant care service will handle watering and replacement.
Natural materials carry the landscape inside. Wood, stone, and natural fibers, repeated from the exterior at the entry, make the transition feel intentional. Green spaces and biophilia are also part of the studio’s sustainability statement, which can support a company’s corporate social responsibility goals.
Outdoor Spaces Built for Maryland Weather
Commercial outdoor spaces in the Mid-Atlantic face hot, humid summers, freezing winters, and strong sun. Outdoor-rated fabrics resist fading, cushions should dry quickly, and metal or synthetic wood finishes resist corrosion.
Shade, light, and heat extend the season. Umbrellas and shade structures cool seating areas in summer, and exterior lighting keeps terraces usable after dark. Exterior lighting should match the color and mood of the interior lighting design, so the building reads as one place at night. Heaters and fire features need a code review before they are planned.
Plan where furniture and cushions go in winter. Storage, covers, and a seasonal schedule keep outdoor pieces in service longer.
Entries, Thresholds, and Accessible Routes
The entry is where the landscape and the interior meet. Walkway lighting, planters, and the finishes just inside the door set the first impression of the business.
Thresholds need practical choices too. Entry flooring and walk-off mats handle rain and grit, and slip resistance matters wherever outdoor and indoor surfaces meet.
Outdoor seating and the routes to it should be accessible. The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design cover elements such as accessible routes and seating, and requirements are confirmed with your architect before plans are final.
Scheduling Landscape Work With Construction
Landscape work usually finishes late in a project. Heavy equipment and deliveries can damage new plantings, so planting often waits until major construction is done, and many plants establish best in spring or fall.
Some outdoor work has to happen much earlier. Power and conduit for exterior lighting and heaters go in during construction, and integration planning keeps those early steps from being missed.
When an opening date falls in winter, the plan can phase planting for the next good season while the entry still looks finished on opening day.
Landscape Integration for Offices, Hospitality, Retail, and Entertainment Spaces
Each type of commercial property uses its outdoor spaces differently.
Offices. Terraces and courtyards become outdoor meeting and break areas, and views to green space support focused work. Landscape integration pairs naturally with interior office design.
Hospitality. Patios, courtyards, and outdoor dining extend the guest experience. In hospitality spaces, the brand should carry from the curb to the table.
Retail. Storefront planters, entry lighting, and seasonal displays draw people in from the sidewalk before they see a single product.
Entertainment. Queuing areas, outdoor gathering spaces, and themed planting help set the experience before guests walk in.
Landscape Design and Integration by Interiors By Design
At Interiors By Design, landscape integration means the curb, the entry, the terrace, and the conference room all read as one design. Creative direction comes from Dennese Guadeloupe Rojas, and the full team coordinates the details with your landscape architect, contractors, and vendors.
As a Spanish Black woman-owned studio, Interiors By Design brings the same care to every commercial project, inside and out. This service is part of the studio’s full commercial interior design offering, and completed commercial work is in the Interiors By Design portfolio.
Ready to plan the inside and the outside together? Schedule a consultation, email inquiry@interiorsbydesignmd.com, or call (301) 933-7723. The team will review your property, your timeline, and how your outdoor spaces should work.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Landscape Integration?
Landscape integration is planning a property’s outdoor spaces, entries, views, and green elements together with its interior design. The goal is one consistent experience, from the parking lot and the entry to the rooms inside, instead of two projects that happen to share an address.Does Interiors By Design Replace a Landscape Architect?
No. Planting plans, grading, drainage, irrigation, and site engineering come from a licensed landscape architect or engineer. Interiors By Design sets the design direction that ties the landscape to the interior, plans and furnishes the outdoor spaces, and coordinates the landscape team with the rest of the project.What Is Biophilic Design?
Biophilic design brings nature into the built environment through plants, natural materials, daylight, views, and natural patterns. In commercial spaces, it can make offices, lobbies, and dining rooms feel calmer and more connected to the outdoors.When Should Landscape Planning Start?
Early, during design. Power for exterior lighting, the location of entries and patios, and the views from key rooms are all decided long before planting day. Starting early keeps those decisions aligned with the interior plan.What Furniture Works in Commercial Outdoor Spaces?
Furniture rated for commercial outdoor use, with fade-resistant fabrics, quick-drying cushions, and corrosion-resistant frames. Pieces should also be stable, easy to clean, and practical to store or cover in winter.Can Landscape Integration Be Part of a Renovation?
Yes. It can be part of a new buildout or a refresh of an existing property, such as updating an entry, adding a terrace, or bringing plants and natural materials into an older interior.