James Dawson Design

I engaged James in 2019 to develop a concept garden plan for my large, overgrown front and back gardens, Both spaces were basically an eyesore and in desperate need of updating. He was able to take my many ideas and create a plan that was easily implemented. I now have a garden space that I can relax in and enjoy. James is an excellent designer and easy to work with.

James was very helpful and efficient in providing a landscape design for a townhouse development we were managing for our client I Cheltenham. His ability to liaise with the council and address their requirements was made our life easy and provided a great service to both us and our client. I would have no hesitation in recommending James to anyone for their project and looking forward to working with him again in the future.

Trust this man! We weren't entirely sure what we were looking for in our small backyard, so I let James quiz me. Once quizzed, James could work out what our needs were and although James didn't physically do the job, with his knowledge he provided a plan and the plant selection. Before we contacted James, we had another garden design consultant visit us and only after we met James did we realise how average the previous consultant was. James comes across as highly professional, humorous and is an absolute pleasure to deal with. I highly recommend James Dawson Design.

We found James effortless to work with, he understood our need and challenged our thinking and came with a wonderful design for our entertaining space and backyard. When our specifications changes be pivoted easily and produced a design beyond what we thought our space was capable of.

James listened to the schools requirements and came up with a plan that suited our needs. He was able to design something that was in budget. He remained very interested in the project all through the construction phase.

James did a fabulous job of designing our garden. His service was prompt and he paid very close attention to our style and budget. He saw the project right through to the end and was in contact with the landscaper throughout the process. We would highly recommend him, thank you again James.

We are so happy with the design that James provided that it has already had positive impact on our family, neighbours and friends. When we originally engaged James he not only listened to what we wanted but designed the garden to best suit the house we built. James has the ability to soften our homes strong lines and colour selection by placing curves and moving outside the box. To our surprise our concreter and nearby neighbours stopped complimenting the design and practicality that James provided. From contemporary garden, veggie area to feed an army, pool area and resort feel James didn’t stop in suggesting and supporting our vision. Since the first design we have engaged James to provide us our next project in providing an alpine feel to a dry ordinary area. Sure enough he came through with ponds, kids areas and extended veggie areas. James did the old fashioned “know his customer” with phone conversations and correspondence to brig our dreams to reality. The practicality of the garden design was easy to do (which we did) and his plans and visions are easy to follow. Certainly James has made a huge impact on us and how we interact with the garden. Thanks again James and look forward to one day working with you again.

James is a pleasure to work with and quickly understood what our landscaping likes and dislikes were for our front garden, hard surfaces and lighting. We had tried other landscapers and designers but felt their designs didn't match with our vision. James has turned a very sad space into a talking point for our neighbourhood and a delight to behold both during the day with the plantings and in the evening with the garden lighting design. His plant choice has worked wonderfully and a year on we still love the design as much as we did when it was first completed. We highly recommend James and know from personal experience that he delivers way beyond expectation.

We engaged James to provide landscape concepts and plans for a residential development in 2015 and were impressed by his overall knowledge and enthusiasm. The drawings prepared for Council and tender were clear, concise and worked in harmony with our overall concept. We have no hesitation in continuing our professional relationship and recommend James for your next project!

After spending considerable time designing our new home, it was time to think about the design of our garden. Usually, we have a plan in our minds how we would like it to look. However, this time we could not visualise anything. We approached James in early 2016 with our brief. In our rear garden we wanted to have a swimming pool, an area to relax poolside and a lawn. We wanted our alfresco area to flow into the garden, creating a wonderful entertaining space. The garden to the front of the house we wanted kept simple and stylish, though keeping with the feel of our suburb. Our garden was to be contemporary and minimalist. James was very easy to speak to and took time to understand our likes and dislikes. We can be quite fussy at times, and that didn’t seem to pose a problem for James. His professionalism shone through, his ideas and concepts flowed and we came out of our first meeting very excited and confidant that we had found the right person for the job. We couldn’t wait to see what he would come up with. Well, we were not disappointed! A few weeks after our initial meeting, we were presented with the concept drawing. His attention to detail was exceptional and we went over this plan with a fine toothcomb. After a few tweaks here and there, we then turned our attention to the more detailed planting plan. We were able to see the information about every singe bush, tree, shrub and flower that had been earmarked for our garden. We had requested plants for screening, shrubs for ground cover and a few other things too. He did not disappoint. After all the garden plans had been signed off, we put the work out for tender and ended up selecting a landscaping company known to James. The work would commence early 2017 and take 6 weeks from start to finish. Throughout the works James liaised with our house builder regarding certain regulations as well as Nillumbik council and the landscaping contractors, nothing seemed to be an issue and James was always on hand to answer any questions. We knew that if we ever wanted to contact James, it was always easy to do so. One of the issues we have found very frustrating with other contractors. We are delighted with the end result. It took exactly 6 weeks to complete. Our outside areas are designed exactly as per our brief and we have enjoyed many hours having fun in our garden with our friends and family. One of our favourite areas is relaxing in our pool pavilion watching our children play. This was a wonderful addition by James into our pool space and lovely to look at during the evening when it’s all lit up. As far as our budget goes, we increased our original spend to include the pavilion and cut back on costs by planting infant trees, which will take roughly 5 years or so, before they start to screen off certain areas. Over the past 12 months, we have watched our garden flourish, the plants growing, the flowers blooming, the colour changes of the leaves on the trees and it still remains a wonderful space we enjoy. In conclusion, if you want a designer who works with YOU, is pleasant to deal with, very understanding of your wants and is ALWAYS on hand when you need him most, James Dawson Design is who you should contact. His experience and his knowledge of design is outstanding. His ideas and workmanship are simply first class.

James is a skilled landscape designer. His unique talent is his ability to truly listen to his clients and to bring their dreams to fruition. Along with his experience and creative designs, James is a trusted and reliable professional and we have no hesitation in recommending him.

James is a pleasure to work with, he is passionate about his design and shows great skills in giving the client what they want as well as maintaining integrity to his design style. James' knowledge and experience is well respected and would happily recommend his services. We look forward to continuing our relationship with JDLDESIGN