Community Highlights: Meet Karla Dakin of K. Dakin Design

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Karla Dakin.

Hi Karla, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My passion for plants, gardens, and the magic inherent in the living world around us is muscle memory, going back generations on both sides of my family – Tree nursery owners in Michigan and devoted gardeners in California.

Within my own orbit on this earth, a career in the visual arts in NYC, SF, and LA was a natural transition to studying landscape architecture at CU Denver in the nineties. My inspirations are all about seeing, watching, and noticing the world around me, whether in galleries or on walks in the hills.

K. Dakin Design came into being around 2000. Since then, I have designed over 100 gardens in Colorado, Utah, and California, as well as a few in far-flung places like Brazil and Cameroon.

I have often taken left turns, roads less traveled by far in advance of trends. Early on, I studied Permaculture and Biodynamic Gardening. Twenty years ago, extensive plant knowledge was not largely rewarded in the field of landscape architecture. However, I have always been a plant geek and maintained my own garden, which was filled with unusual ornaments and lots of edibles.

After a quarter century plying my trade, I remain in a place of learning, seeking solutions to problematic queries.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Reinventing the wheel never bodes for a smooth road. I refused to work for someone else after graduating with a Master’s in Landscape Architecture. I had a son to raise, and I wanted the freedom to make my own schedule.

Working in the male-dominated world of construction is not easy. Many years ago, I had to use feminine guile to get by. Then, I had to learn how to build things. “This is not rocket science” and “never say never” were my mottos.

I had a very large hat closet running a one-woman shop, and I might spend many hours on a Sunday figuring out how to repair a broken plotter.

We’ve been impressed with K. Dakin Design Inc., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Karla Dakin (K. Dakin Design) specializes in environmentally resilient landscape architecture with an emphasis on knowing the context and what feels the most appropriate.

She has completed a diverse array of projects, over 100 residential gardens, as well as many commercial and public projects like “Sky Trapezium,” a permanent green roof installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver, the edible gardens around the Whole Foods Flagship Store in Boulder, Colorado and the 10,000 square foot, green, roof atop the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust in California in collaboration with Belzberg Architects.

Dakin combines her landscape architecture expertise—she holds a Master’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Colorado, Denver–with fifteen years of experience in the art worlds of New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

In 2013, Timber Press published “The Professional Design Guide to Green Roofs,” written by Karla, Lisa Lee Benjamin, and Mindy Pantiel. In 2019, Karla was named one of the top women horticulturalists in Colorado.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up in Marin County in the 60s and 70s, I was a child of privilege, racing my ponies all over the hills of the Marin Water District. Then, I got to high school and became a Dead Head. The introduction of jazz by my first boyfriend saved me from the throws of hippy-dom.

I was always outside, in the hills or at the beach. I was always curious about art, starting with ceramics in high school. After high school, I got the hell out of Dodge, decamping for the East Coast and college.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kdakindesign.com
• Instagram: @kdakindesign
• Facebook: Karla Dakin

Image Credits
Karla Dakin