Larson | PROFILE Atelier Vals | RAISE THE BAR Wellness, Innovation & Efficiency
Waterfront Transformation, Bigger Than Outdoor Living | GROUNDBREAKER Karen
OUTDOOR LIVING | COVER A Backyard with Big Ambitions | INSPIRATIONAL WORKS Summer 2026
$15.99 USD
Innovation & sustainability for outdoor living professionals
Outdoor spaces have become true extensions of the home—designed not only to be seen, but experienced. The new 1000 Series Bollard Speakers from Coastal Source bring a new level of refinement to outdoor audio, delivering expansive, high-fidelity sound with remarkable clarity, depth, and balance. Inspired by the company’s flagship audio technologies and engineered to Defy the Elements™, the modular system blends seamlessly into sophisticated landscapes while providing powerful performance built for the most demanding outdoor environments. Speakers displayed above: EB2650, B1500
Modular Speaker System Patent: US D1,070,814
Available through authorized dealers and contractors. Learn more at CoastalSource.com/1000-Series-Bollards
SUMMER 2026
VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 3 OUTDOOR LIVING
our community
06
08
From the Publisher Wellness & Outdoor Living SYNKD Live Comes to Phoenix— Hope to See You There! News Clippings Think Natives First™ Plant Conference, Rehlko Sets Guinness World Record, Wellness Moves Outdoors, Women’s Leadership at Equip Expo, and Mariani Premier Group Expands with Lopez Gardening
10
inspirational works
16
20
This Project Was Bigger Than Outdoor Living VizX Design Studios Integrates Outdoor Living from the Start From Side Lot to Showpiece Turning an Empty Lot Into a Fully Integrated Outdoor Living Destination
16
raise the bar
24 26
30
Breakdowns Are you prepared for them? SYNKD Live 2026 Actively building the future of our industry. Outdoor Living and Wellness: The Quiet Work of Nature in Everyday Life Column: Angelica & Matt Norton Open Envelope Studio
32 GROUNDBREAKER KAREN LARSON The Interior Designer Who Rethought the Backyard Pool
LEAD STORY A BACKYARD WITH BIG AMBITIONS
20
Lynch Landscape Maximizes Every Square Foot Cover photo: Chris Major, CM Images, LLC
For latest content, to view digital issues & to find out about upcoming events, visit www.synkd.io. Follow us on these social media platforms: @synkd.landscape
@synkd_landscape
@synkd-landscape
@SYNKD On Air
raise the bar
42
continued
44 46 48 50
36 36 40
323 Polk Street Lafayette, LA 70501 Outdoor Kitchen Hack The Framing System Helping Contractors Build More Efficiently
FOUNDER & CEO
Angelique Robb
angelique@synkd.io | (337) 852–6318 Products: Innovations for Outdoor Living The Latest Products Shaping Outdoor Living Irrigation With All This New Technology, Why Is Irrigation Still So Wasteful? The Yard as a Health Asset By The Blueprint Earth Team The Research Is Changing How We Think About Landscape Design Seeds of Wisdom Short Takes From the Podcasts of Synkd On Air
Company Profile: Better Concrete Atelier Vals Redefines Luxury Outdoor Living
46
Beyond the Boundary How International Design Is Redefining Outdoor Living in Florida’s Luxury Homes
SALES DIRECTOR & PARTNER
Tom Schoen
tom@synkd.io | (773) 490–9557 EDITOR
Hazel Jones GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Trisha Klaus
WRITERS & CONTRIBUTORS Tamy Tiongson | pg. 10 Duane Draughon | pg. 16 Tim McAuliffe | pg. 20 Scott Horoszewski | pg. 24 Angelica & Matt Norton | pg. 30 Karen Larson | pg. 32 Todd Hart | pg. 36 Andrea Romero | pg. 40 Jason Araujo | pg. 42 Holly Fairbanks McIlwain | pg. 46 Brit Sastrawidjaya | pg. 48 Yates Hamilton | pg. 50 Jonathan Nalepa | pg. 50 Richard Restuccia | pg. 50 Weston Zimmerman | pg. 50 PRINTED BY Modern Litho | www.modernlitho.com
40
Published by ©SYNKD SYNKD is published four times a year and distributed to 10,000 qualified members of the green industry. Postmaster: Send address changes to 323 Polk St., Lafayette, LA 70501.
48
SYNKD verifies information as much as possible. The views expressed by editorial contributors and the products advertised herein are not necessarily endorsements of the publishers. Reproduction of any part of this magazine is strictly forbidden.
Next Issue: SYNKD Fall 2026 Technology & Working Smarter Contact Angelique Robb at angelique@synkd.io for more information on how you and your company can be featured in upcoming issues.
SOUTH
Design + installation: Liberty Design Build | Photographer: Dallas + Harris Photography
Design-forward outdoor cabinetry crafted to extend the language of the home beyond its walls.
Perfecting the Art of Outdoor Living. +1.844.880.6314
|
www.naturekast.com
synkd | our community
— FROM THE PUBLISHER —
WELLNESS & OUTDOOR LIVING
SYNKD Live Comes to Phoenix—Hope to See You There! Angelique Robb, SYNKD Founder & CEO
T
here was a time when outdoor living was measured by amenities—a patio, a grill, perhaps a fire pit. Today, our industry is creating something far more meaningful. The most successful outdoor spaces aren’t simply beautiful; they’re restorative. They’re places where families gather, where wellness becomes part of everyday life, and where thoughtful design helps people reconnect with nature, their communities and themselves. That shift is evident throughout this issue of SYNKD. Our featured projects demonstrate that exceptional outdoor living isn’t defined by the size of a property, but by the intention behind it. Lynch Landscape transformed a compact suburban backyard into a multifunctional destination for recreation, entertainment and family life, while VizX Design Studios reminds us that the best outdoor spaces are conceived alongside the architecture—not added after the fact. With the Outdoor Living Designer, an empty side lot became a seamless extension of a home, proving that collaboration and craftsmanship can turn even the most overlooked spaces into extraordinary places. This issue also explores the growing relationship between landscape design and human health. Research continues to reinforce what many of us have long understood intuitively: healthy soils, biodiverse plant communities, natural light and thoughtfully designed outdoor environments don’t just support ecosystems—they support people. Wellness is no longer a trend. It is becoming a core design principle, influencing everything from planting strategies to the integration of plunge pools, quiet gardens and outdoor retreats. You’ll also meet companies and individuals redefining what’s possible, from Atelier Vals’ handcrafted architectural concrete produced inside a Kentucky limestone cave to practical innovations that help contractors build more efficiently without sacrificing quality. Whether it’s craftsmanship, technology or regenerative thinking, the common thread is a commitment to raising the bar for our profession. As always, SYNKD exists to connect every discipline that shapes outdoor spaces—from design and construction to maintenance and longterm stewardship. The future of our industry depends on collaboration, and that’s exactly why we’re so excited to welcome you to SYNKD Live, taking place this September in Phoenix. Made possible through the generous support of our presenting sponsors, Coastal Source and Daltile, SYNKD Live is designed to bring together landscape professionals from across the industry to learn, share ideas and build lasting relationships. I hope you’ll join us as we continue to inspire one another and shape the future of outdoor living—together.
-Angelique
See you in Phoenix.
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW! SEPT. 29-OCT. 1, 2026 PHOENIX, ARIZONA
6
SYNKD Summer 2026
www.synkd.io
synkd | sponsored content
Porous Pave
TM
PERMEABLE • DURABLE • FLEXIBLE
Recycled Permeable Pavement With Endless Applications Porous Pave is a pour‑in‑place permeable paving system engineered for sites where stormwater management, accessibility, and aesthetics all matter. Made in the USA from recycled rubber, aggregate, and a urethane binder, it creates a highly porous, resil‑ ient surface with approximately 29% void space that allows large volumes of water to infiltrate through the pavement into the engineered base and subgrade. Independent testing has verified extremely high infiltration rates, helping designers meet green infra‑ structure and SuDS/low‑impact development
www.synkd.io
objectives while reducing runoff, erosion, and pollutant loading. For landscape architects, Porous Pave offers design flexibility with multiple mix types and permanent, fade‑resistant color options that blend with planting schemes and site context, making it suitable for tree surrounds, plazas, trails, courtyards, roof decks, and high‑traffic amenity areas. Installers appreciate that the material is mixed on site and troweled or screeded into place over a properly prepared base, allowing rapid installation with minimal
porouspaveinc.com disturbance to existing landscapes and com‑ plex geometries. Engineers gain a predict‑ able, monolithic surface that functions as a structural wearing course and a stormwater BMP, integrating load support and hydrologic performance into a single assembly. Flexible and frost‑resistant, Porous Pave resists cracking in freeze‑thaw climates, provides slip‑resistant, ADA‑friendly access, and can extend service life compared to con‑ ventional asphalt while reusing tire rubber that might otherwise go to landfill.
SYNKD Summer 2026
7