Prassas Landscape Studio LLC

I have known Stephen for about ten years. Though another subcontractor brought us in on this particular project, communication was excellent. Stephen was proactive, reaching out to us to coordinate with the interior designer to consider the project holistically from the very beginning. When we informed him of the details of what we needed, he worked with other subcontractors on the project to ensure that things were accomplished properly and efficiently. As a fellow professional, I highly recommend Prassas Landscape Studio.

We were very pleased with our interactions with Stephen throughout the development of our landscape plan and its execution, as well as with the final result, which at this writing has been in existence for only a few months. The project was for the south, west and north gardens surrounding our 1860's house in an inner northern suburb of Chicago, on a lot 50% wider than standard. One core idea was to create a rain garden that would give our flat property some topographic interest, capture water from garage and house downspouts, provide an environment for water and sun-loving plants, and a stepping stone crossing between house and patio. Another was to provide tension between pastoral curving stone and gravel paths and informal plantings away from the house and more urban large orthogonal concrete slabs and organized flower beds near the house. All plants chosen were perennials suited to our clime and specific area in which it was planted, with the intent of not only being aesthetically pleasing but also in providing food and habitat for birds, bees and butterflies and food for us. It included the already mentioned patio, two other small seating areas, an area of raised planters for our culinary use, an outdoor shower and small no-mow lawn area that could double as an area to park a car. Stephen was very knowledgeable about both the architectural and horticultural aspects of the project. This included organization of spaces, paths and views, and selection of hardscape materials, trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants. He was also extremely talented at combining a friendly and professional demeanor, and being accommodating to our wishes and concerns yet sticking with his convictions of what he thought would work best. He was very attuned to our desire for a garden that was sustainable both in the environmental sense and in cost and labor of upkeep. He made his process clear, created carefully crafted communications both written and computer drawn, for our approvals, for city approval and to instruct garden installers. His top recommended installers performed as he indicated they would. They also expressed their professional regard for Stephen, and feeling he brought them interesting projects and provided them guidance that made things easier for them. As my wife is an architect and I am a graphic designer, we have experience in the world of design that gives us confidence that our high professional and personal regard for Stephen is well-deserved.

After spending quite a bit of time researching landscape architects to help us redesign our 20' by 20' Lincoln Park courtyard, we rather easily selected Stephen based on the reviews of others - and as easily convinced our neighbors in the adjoining townhome to have Stephen redesign and project manage a total redo of our common breezeway. This was a wonderful experience! Frankly, my wife and I are not easy to please - and Stephen's patience in working with us on design and installation of hardscape and plantings, as well as his design sense and knowledge of materials that would work for us made all the difference in the world in terms of both process and outcome. Stephen also helped us engage excellent hardscape and garden installation contractors, and I'll tell you that it was a smart move to include some overall project monitoring and coordination services in our agreement with Stephen. The results - our courtyard and breezeway are transformed and lovely, and we're pretty sure this investment will be more than repaid when the time comes to sell. Finally, just have to add, Stephen is a genuinely nice guy who isn't just out to make a buck, but rather to make a difference for people like you and me.

I worked with Stephen on a full landscaping design including plans for hardscape/patio, plantings and trees for both front and back yards, plans for two roof decks, pergola, planters, drainage systems, and fencing (iron and cedar). I appreciated that he is a designer rather than a design build firm - which allowed me to bid the project out to multiple firms for install - and I believe saved us money. In terms of working with Stephen - I cannot review him highly enough. He was always accessible for questions large and small. He was very accommodating to our extremely picky and specific tastes in design and plants. He never tried to rush a decision and was willing to offer alternatives if we did not like his original suggestions. He made the process of designing our outdoor spaces stress free and enjoyable. During the oversight phase of the process, when the landscaping contractor was installing our various phases - he always made himself available to come to the site and oversee. He was an excellent advocate for our interests and ensured that we were completely happy with the implementation of the design. I believe it is rare to find someone who is talented, innovative, flexible, professional, knowledgeable, easy to work with/agreeable and is willing to work within a specific budget. Stephen is all of these things. Best experience I have had with a contractor in any design or tradecraft.

Stephen was outstanding. He met with us reviewed our needs and likes and helped us come up with a brilliant plan. He then worked with three contractors to get a reasonable quote and oversaw the installation. We love the yard!

Prassas Studio brought a great combination of structural landscaping design and knowledge of native plants to bear on a fairly large project. Stephen helped us work out grading and drainage issues and then worked it all into a really nice, wild landscape and series of paths and firepits that blended the "working" parts of the design really nicely into the overall finished product.

Prassas Landscape Studio provided the exquisite landscape to complete our renovation and restoration. Stephen is prompt, knowledgeable and brought several great suggestions for our design. But he was also open to and incorporated revisions as we went along. He fulfilled a very, very peaceful lush and private outdoor space to complement our modern yet historic house. And respected and met our budget. Recommend Prassas Studio without hesitation!

I started developing luxury speculative houses in 2008 and used Stephen on the very first project. Since then, he has developed the landscape design for all nine of my homes - both speculative and custom. Stephen has the great ability to develop a landscape design that is contextual with the house as well as with the street. His designs do not try and over-take the project; rather, they are designed to enhance the overall design aesthetic of the home and to work with the architecture of the project. I will continue to work with Stephen in the future and would recommend him without reservation. He is extremely talented; very knowledgeable of plant materials; works within a budget; delivers in a timely manner; and, relates well to clients, architects and contractors.

We have been the selected landscape masonry contractor on many of Stephen's project (over 15 different projects over the past 5 years). The highlighted pictures are of a tumbled travertine pool deck we installed. Stephen is one of the most organized and creative landscape architects that we work with. He thinks through details in advance and makes sure that they are planned for before the construction of his project starts. His creativity is matched by how easy he is work with work with...he is really personable! Our entire team really loves the opportunity to collarborate with Stephen and some of our best work has been as a result of his vision and project management. We look forward to continuing to partner with Stephen on his very high quality projects.

About 4 years ago, Stephen Prassas designed our pool area. We chose Stephen after interviewing about 5 other landscape architects. It was clear at our first meeting that Stephen understood the project and the look we wanted. He came up with several designs quickly and over the course of a few months, we had a final plan. His response time is timely and checks in often. His biggest strength (besides his creativity) is his meticulous attention to details. We had no surprises during the construction phase because Stephen had thought of every tiny detail. Last year, we asked Stephen to redo the front and side yards of our house. We had the same experience the second time around. Through listening, he is able to figure out what we like (colors, plants, bushes, trees...) and design the space with that in mind. We also wanted, in both spaces, a low maintenance garden, which is what we got. Stephen was also able to recommend excellent contractors to bid on the work. Stephen oversaw the bidding process. He also did hardscape design, irrigation, electric, and designed an outdoor grilling area. He had knowledge of, and access to anything the project required. He was on site regularly during the construction phase. Without reservation, I would most highly recommend Stephen Prassas for any project. He was easy to work with, quick to respond, listens, very creative, conscientious, sensitive to costs, and has a wide variety of design styles. We think Stephen is the best there is.

My husband and I had the great pleasure of designing our yard with Stephen Prassas in the summer and fall of 2013. We came to him with a loosely constructed idea of how we wanted to enhance the virtually plant- and tree-free lot surrounding our home. He listened to our requests and concerns, asked thoughtful questions, and came back to us with a design that exceeded every expectation we had. Although it’s obvious that our yard is landscaped because nature doesn’t look this good in our neighborhood, every bit of it looks both purposeful and unexpected at the same time. Every time I pass a window and glance outside I am captivated by something different. Stephen made sure to choose a combination of plants and trees that would be visually appealing and interesting throughout all 4 seasons, which was something we had not considered. From start to finish, Stephen was professional, thorough, and a really great guy all-around. In addition to working with us, he helped us choose a landscaping contractor and worked closely with him throughout the entire planting process. Because of this we knew that Stephen's design would be brought to life with the same care that he used to create it. I could not possibly recommend him more highly!

We hired Stephen to design an approximate 3,000 sf private. roof deck for our home in Chicago. From the planning and design phases through final construction, Stephen has consistently provided great ideas and solutions to meet our overall design objectives. We are thrilled with the end result and look forward to spending time in our new outdoor living space over the coming years. We would highly recommend Stephen to anyone looking to embark on a architecural landscaping project.