Most of the homeowners who call us in Metairie and Old Metairie don’t start the conversation by saying, “I want a luxury landscape design.”
What they usually say is something like,
“My yard just doesn’t match the house,”
or
“We’ve done bits and pieces over the years and it still doesn’t feel finished.”
That’s the real issue.
High-end homes deserve luxury landscape design that feel just as intentional as the house itself. And a lot of times, that’s missing. Not because the homeowner didn’t care, but because the landscaping was added in chunks. A bed here. A tree there. Maybe a patio at some point. None of it wrong on its own. It just never got tied together.
Luxury landscape design is really about pulling all of that together so it finally makes sense.
We see this a lot in Old Metairie especially. Beautiful homes. Great architecture. Mature neighborhoods. But the landscaping feels like it’s been patched together over time instead of planned from the start.
The first thing we focus on is layout.
Before plants. Before materials. Before anything decorative.
How do you move through the space?
Where do you enter the property?
What do you see first when you pull in the driveway?
If those things aren’t clear, the yard will always feel a little off, no matter how nice the plants are.
Walkways matter more than people think.
A front walk shouldn’t feel like you’re being funneled somewhere awkward. It should feel natural. Like it belongs there. When the path flows right, the whole property feels calmer. More confident. It’s hard to explain until you see it done correctly.
Then there’s plant selection, which is where a lot of landscapes go sideways.
Luxury landscaping is not about stuffing beds full of color. That looks good for a few weeks and then falls apart. We build landscapes around structure first. Evergreen plants. Trees. Things that hold their shape and presence year-round.
Those plants are doing most of the heavy lifting.
Seasonal color still plays a role, but it’s layered in. Not leaned on. If everything depends on flowers to look good, the yard is only going to look right part of the year. That doesn’t work for high-end homes.
Spacing is another big one.
A lot of people want things to look full right away, which we get. But overplanting creates problems down the road. Plants outgrow their space. Everything starts competing. Then you’re constantly trimming or replacing things.
Luxury landscapes are designed to grow into themselves. They look good now, and they look better later.
Soil prep is one of those unglamorous things nobody talks about, but it matters.
If the soil underneath isn’t right, nothing else works long term. We spend a lot of time getting that part right because it saves headaches later. Healthier plants. Less replacement. Better drainage.
And speaking of drainage, that’s non-negotiable here.
South Louisiana doesn’t forgive bad drainage.
If water doesn’t have somewhere to go, it will find a way to sit exactly where you don’t want it. Lawns stay soggy. Beds wash out. Plants struggle. And eventually, the homeowner is frustrated and doesn’t know why.
We build drainage into the design from the start. Not as an add-on. Grading, water flow, subsurface systems when needed. When it’s done right, nobody notices it. They just notice that the yard dries out faster and stays healthier.
Hardscaping is what gives a landscape its backbone.
Walkways, edging, patios, defined borders. These things make the space feel grounded. Permanent. Especially in upscale neighborhoods, hardscaping is what separates a nice yard from one that feels truly finished.
Outdoor living spaces are a big part of that now.
Most homeowners we work with want more than just a yard to look at. They want places to sit. To gather. To relax. Whether that’s a courtyard, a patio, or a quiet corner, the landscape should support how the homeowner actually uses the space.
Lighting is usually the last thing people think about, but it changes everything.
A home that looks great during the day can completely disappear at night without proper lighting. We design lighting to be subtle. Warm. Purposeful. Highlighting the right features without overpowering the space.
It’s one of those details that makes the whole property feel more expensive without screaming for attention.
Maintenance planning happens early, not at the end.
A luxury landscape shouldn’t feel like a full-time job. We design with long-term care in mind. Plant choices. Layouts. Materials that age well. That way the homeowner can enjoy the space instead of constantly managing it.
At the end of the day, luxury landscape design isn’t about showing off.
It’s about consistency.
It’s about the yard finally matching the home.
It’s about pulling in the driveway and thinking, “Yeah, this feels right.”
For homeowners in Metairie and Old Metairie, that’s what good landscape design should do. It should feel settled. Thoughtful. Like it’s always been there.
That’s the difference between adding landscaping and actually designing it.
