The Great Outdoors

If you live in Los Angeles, you can pretty much experience being outdoors throughout the entire year. Socializing usually centers around the home, and that is where beautiful landscaping comes into play. Because of the warm climate and Mediterranean-style topography, your abode in the hills can look like a chic Spanish hideaway or a lush Costa Rica getaway…if it’s done right. Enter Jeffery Smith of JMS Design Associates, a Beverly Hills landscape and exterior design firm that was established in 1995. With a degree in landscape architecture, Smith- a Los Angeles native- and his team have completed a broad range of projects from commercial, to retail, to small and large high-end residential that encompasses  Mediterranean, Classical, Modern and Contemporary styles.

Creating outdoor living spaces that truly reflect each homeowner’s lifestyle, JMS blends creative design talents with precise knowledge of construction materials and methods, resulting in superior design and installation. The firm’s specialties include swimming pools and spas, waterfalls, decks, custom outdoor structures, outdoor lighting, irrigation and water management services, outdoor lounge areas, fireplaces/fire pits and drought tolerant gardens. Their relationship with each client is key to the development of a customized program outlining the elements of every project. The process is done in three stages that begin with the design phase, followed by the construction documents phase, and construction administration phase. Unless there’s a holdup with permits, a job typically takes up to three months to finish. And that’s when you find yourself sitting by your infinity pool overlooking the ocean pretending to be in Hawaii…or maybe just LA. www.jmsdesignassociates.com