I hired Monika of MScape Design to help me relandscape my entire Eichler property after admiring her work on a neighbor's yard. I couldn't be happier! Best decision ever. The cost of the design was a small fraction of the landscape cost and was key to the stellar results. After 20 years, my yard needed a major overhaul of the original DIY yard. I explained that I wanted to have complete use of the property: front, courtyard, backyard, and both sideyards. (The old patios were a real eyesore. Not any more. They're now covered with slate.) Monika and I went through several iterations before finalizing the design. I got a detailed, color landscape plan that includes a plant list, and she provided a contractor's version. She will take you shopping to show you the suggested plants, and work with you to select a fountain (if you're doing that), lights, pots, and decorative rocks and boulders. I found Monika to be a good listener with a deep understanding of landscape design and installation. She's up on all the energy-wise methods and materials. She was available throughout the actual installation to answer questions or advise as decisions needed to be made. She achieved my objectives and more. I always looked forward to seeing her; she's fun, pleasant, creative and flexible. Thanks to Monika, I've more than doubled the amount of usable space and can't wait to entertain this summer! read more

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I recently engaged Monika, the business owner of Mscape Design, seeking front yard design help. My initial meeting with her was terrific - she came with great ideas, was clear about the process and was very kind steering me towards concepts fitting for my mid century home. Her pricing was/is very reasonable and considering all the factors (expertise, pricing, chemistry) I decided to move forward with her services. The next few meetings were great - she always did what she said she was going to do; came on time for appointments, submitted her contract as promised and then later provided drawings for review and consideration. She patiently answered all of my questions. She is high energy, fun, creative, organized and kind - attributes so helpful when undertaking projects like this. Overall I've had a wonderful experience and look forward to the next phase of the project - implementation. read more

When I read all the 5 star reviews about Monika, I was very excited to begin work with her. While I appreciated the creativity Monika ultimately brought to my backyard project, I could never in good conscious recommend her because she is unprofessional and in numerous ways incompetent; she blatantly lied to me / deceived me on multiple instances, she exhibited incompetence in measuring, design, product choice, contractor choice and price estimates. I would never again use Lucio Aquyo, her recommended contractor, and his crew due to gross incompetence and unprofessionalism. Monika was deceitful about project costs. I was in too deep when she told me that "accessories" (i.e. lighting, pottery, fountains, heaters, fire pit, planters, and patio canopy) were not included in our agreed upon budget. Monika was deceitful about the contractor, Lucio, she recommended. She told me he would sign a contract and she even told him to send me a boilerplate which he did. The weekend before work was to begin, she told me that "he never actually uses that contract with anyone. He just sent it over because I asked him to." He did my backyard with no signed contract which she knew from our first meeting made me incredibly uncomfortable. Monika forgot to include a root barrier in the design she sent to Lucio for him to quote. This caused many hard feelings for Lucio and I ended up paying extra. Monika never apologized for the mistake. Monika tried to deceive me about Lucio's insurance assuring me repeatedly it was still active. It wasn't and I was able to prove it to her. Lucio gave me one guy 3 days a week and brought in his full crew one or two times a week drawing out the length of the project significantly. Lucio does not know how to do electricity properly despite what he says. First, most of the outlets he installed did not have weather door protectors. Second, he failed to connect a ground wire to anything, just left it hanging behind the panel. Third, he ran two separate hot lines for two GFCI outlets and tried to use one common neutral so the outlets kept shorting out. The plan called for 4 heaters and Monika recommended Infratech Slimline Series 29 from BBQguys.com. Belatedly, the manufacturer informed me that these heaters are not meant for an unenclosed backyard area and they are worthless to me providing no useful heat. Not returnable once box is opened. Monika did not stick to the plants in the design. She let Lucio plant hibiscus (up to 8' tall) in an area where we planned for short plants 'because they were leftover from another job and he didn't want to return them." They planted regular azaleas instead of the Forever Blooming ones that I specifically requested. She tried to substitute mexican heather for phlox but I realized before they were planted. I asked for phlox per the plan. She went and bought something else that was not blooming and it is clear now it was not phlox. Monika mis-measured for custom canopy. Lucio's crew purposely installed it improperly because they didn't have all the needed parts. I figured it out and ordered the extra needed pieces. Lucio's team installed improperly again because he didn't pull the wires at 90 degrees to the arbor and house and panels were all skewed. In attempt to fill some holes in arbor because of improperly installed heaters, Lucio's crew left metal shavings all over my patio. The drip system he installed used the same sprinkler heads for plants in 15 gallon containers and for plants that were in half gallon containers. He pulled up some of my old travertine to get access to the electrical system and when he put the stones back they did not reset them with grout - just laid them back in place. The top of the arbor was not painted correctly (some spots bare) and after the last rainstorm I realized that the entire top is RUSTING!!! When my handyman came to sand and repair the top of the arbor, he saw a perfectly drilled 1.5 in diameter hole in the top beam. So water got inside the arbor and I am sure there is rust inside the beam now. My handyman also filled the hole and caulked around other holes where electrical lines come out of the beams. Before the project started I asked if Lucio could earthquake proof a tall fountain as I didn't want it to fall on my dogs. Lucio said no problem and one of his crew made a clever design...which is now RUSTING. Seriously. They left a string of bistro lights with a bulb missing and an empty socket. If I hadn't gotten to that before the rains came, it would have shorted the entire string. Every single time Monika and Lucio were together in my yard, they spent time gossiping about other clients and how unreasonable and aggravating they were...I know because she always "shared" with me..... Crew destroyed my side yard drip system when they moved unwanted borders from back yard with wheelbarrow and ran over the lines cracking them. Save yourself so many headaches. Look elsewhere!! read more

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We got Monika's info from a friend who re-did their backyard and loved the results. As a fellow Eichler owner Monika had great ideas about how to expand opportunities for "indoor-outdoor living". She took into consideration our taste, what we wanted to use the space for and practical matters like our two giant dogs. We originally planned to do a simple project but Monika's great ideas drew us in and we ended up executing almost all of the components of her plan including raised veggie garden beds, a beautiful corten steel fountain, and backlit decorative panels. Monika has great energy and was patient with all our questions. We used one of her referred contractors Green Sierra Landscaping and had a great experience with them as well. We love our new backyard! read more

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I contacted several Landscape designers. I finally connected with Monika, and my search was over. She listened to me and worked with me on design and budget. When she produced the landscape plans, I was ecstatic. I got what I wanted, and Monika added some valuable suggestions. If you are looking for a landscape design, I STRONGLY recommend Monika. She's talented, easy to work with, listens, and makes valuable suggestions. She put a beautiful plan together for me and I can't thank her enough. Joan Byrne read more

We hired Monika to design our small front and back yards. We live in a small Eichler townhome and wanted to remodel the yard with a mid-century modern feel. This was our first time doing any sort of remodel and Monika has been exceedingly patient with us, guiding us along the way. In the past, we have brainstormed what we could do so that our outdoor spaces were more usable and aesthetic, but it was really with Monika's help that everything came together. On a few occassions, we had to make changes to the plan due to HOA restrictions, and Monika kindly adjusted for us, again and again, and again. I had offered to compensate Monika for these extra adjustments and her time, but she graciously told us it was not needed. :) We enjoy her creative and bright personality, and are impressed with her eye for clean and modern design. We also appreciate being able to bounce some of our ideas off Monika, and with her level of experience that we don't have, she would tell us what might grow out of hand, what has worked well, and etc. It's very valuable to have someone so knowledgeable to bounce ideas off of and also to come up with creative solutions to work around limitations. We've found Monika to be very transparent, each step of the process she guided us along. At any point where we weren't sure what was next, we just send her a quick email or text, and she replies very quickly. Since this is our first project, we don't generally know how much designs go for, but we are glad to say that it was within our means for a small family living in a townhome to afford. She also connected us to several contractors, and ultimately we picked one contractor amongst them that we are working with now. (This contractor has also been so patient with us, as we ask question after question, remove/add items to try to stay within our budget, and so far we feel really positively towards this contractor as well.) So far so good. Our remodel will be starting in the next week or so, and we are very excited. I would say that Monika has created a design for us that ticks off all of our checkmarks. She has been friendly and kind as she guides us on which items we can delay for a future year, which items can be omitted, which items we can adjust, and etc, so that we can still sort of stay close to our budget, but lay a complete foundation/structure for our dream yard now. The design is beautiful, coherent, sleek, minimalist, but aesthetic and comfortable, the space just flows. We can't wait to see the new yard, how its beauty enhances our enjoyment while indoors, with a view from our large Eichler windows, giving us a tranquil Zen view by day and a glowing lit up view by night. We look forward to being outdoors and experiencing that space for ourselves and hosting friends/family in it. Most of all, I am impressed with her flexibility, her keen eye for design, her creativity and how she rolls with the challenges that pop up as we discover the limitations of our property. We are so happy to have a design that works and how she ties everything together. read more

I highly recommend Monika at Mscape Designs. She does it all when it comes to landscaping--design, installation, plant and furniture recommendations/procurement and a maintenance plan on the finished project. We redid our entire yard a few years ago, and we get nothing but compliments on it. We have an Eichler home, and Monika's modern sense of design created several beautifully done, usable spaces within our yard. We use the yard so much more now thanks to the great layout, easy maintenance and just the fact that it feels good to be outside in a great space. We were very budget conscious when it came to this project..and Monika was great about working within our constraints. read more

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Monika is outstanding! Monika worked on the backyard for our Eichler home. From start to finish, Monika was professional, creative and energetic. She listened to both my wife and me to understand what we were looking for. She successfully took our ideas and created something wonderful and special, well beyond our expectations. Monika also served as project manager. She and her contractor, Miguel Gonzalez, did an excellent job. They worked expertly and quickly and proved very responsive to our questions and suggestions. Overall, we received tremendous value for our money. Monika worked with our budget, came up with creative solutions and even worked a little magic to create a space that has truly trasnformed our home. We can't wait to call Monika to help renovate our atrium! Posting two photos now (before & after). More on the way. read more

Mscape Design - After #1 - Landscaping Near Me

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We're so glad we worked with Monika. We had an idea of what we wanted, and recognized her touch at several homes in our neighborhood. Her plan for our yard echoed favorite plants and features in her other work, but was still unique and distinctive. She agreeably adapted her design to accommodate special requests, and gently steered us away from our terrible ideas. We especially love the decorative wall shielding a semi-private planting space, a beautiful and polite way to deter passersby who, in the past, have walked deep into your yard and picked our fruit and flowers. We couldn't be happier with the results. read more

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I do not recommend Mscape (Monika). I have no interest in working with a business person who is rude, incapable of listening, and intolerant. Monika attacked with a negative description of me as "people like you." That phrase reminded me of those who use that phrase in a derogatory way to express prejudice. No matter what she meant, it was insulting. So I do not recommend that other Yelp readers seek her out and put themselves at risk of being derided with that same term. Additionally, Monika now claims that she told me about her website that I could peruse, but that is less than honest; she said no such thing to me. More details of her behavior are objectively described below in a previous review, July 2014. I had an awful experience with her in 2014. I had contacted her by phone to tell her I was interested in getting my front grass removed and replaced with water tolerant plants to conserve water because it is the right thing to do for the environment and for our community. She said she was interested and wanted to meet. Upon entering my house, Monika insulted me by telling me how badly the front landscape looked. She did not seek to listen to my perspective, but said that it is just awful to have to walk to my front door via the driveway and that I must have her plan a walkway. Well, first of all, the vast majority of homes in my neighborhood are designed without a distinct walkway; and secondly, she failed to ask if a walkway was of interest to me. So I felt put off since she was immediately trying to sell me on something that was not the reason for the visit. And when I tried to tell her what I wanted, she interrupted me. Next I told Monika that the difficult part for me was that I needed to see how the yard that she would design might look. I asked if she could show me or send me color pictures. In response, she had a book with pictures of work she had done and she immediately began to brag about artificial grass that she had done for other customers. What she should have done was ask me if I was interested in artificial grass (I am not). I asked if she would leave the book of photographs with me or send me some. She said: "No" and I had a look of disappointment. Then Monika said: "I do not like working with people like you" and she left. This face-face exchange lasted about 5 minutes. On a separate issue, the Santa Clara Water District gives rebates for replacing grass with water tolerant plants (not artificial plants), but Monika has no experience with that program and that made me wonder why. I have no interest in working with a business person who is rude, incapable of listening, and intolerant. read more

I interviewed 4 landscape contractors and Monika quickly impressed me over the others I had met with. She had such great ideas on my backyard landscape project and she also incorporated my wish list to create a gorgeous sanctuary. She is so enthusiastic, it's obvious that she loves what she does and she is SO good at it! I couldn't be more thrilled with the outcome of my backyard landscape project and the quality of workmanship of her and her crew. In fact I was so pleased with the crew that I hired them to do ongoing maintenance in my yard. I also hired Monika to do the project management and I highly recommend it for anyone working with her. I was busy at work during the day so I couldn't be here to oversee the work, spend time shopping for plants, and materials, etc., Monika came over every day and made sure the work was being done according to plan, she shopped for plants, hardscape materials, and she was always looking out to save me money wherever possible. I'd be happy to share pictures of my yard if you're considering hiring Monika and would like to see before and after pictures of one of her projects. read more

Monika helped me design our front yard. The yard was a mess and I needed professional help. She was GREAT! She had great ideas right away and started making suggestions. She listened to me and took my need into consideration. After meeting 3 times in person and going back and forward about ideas, finally, the design is done. She even gives me a broad idea of how much it would cost. I used Monika only for the design. But you could hire her as project management. I ended up using my own landscaper - Padillas Landscaping of Gilroy - to do the contract work. Very happy with both. I now have a beautiful yard! read more

We hired Monika to design the landscape for both our front and back yard and could not be happier with the result. Both look great and we get compliments from friends, neighbors, and even random people off the street. We had a lot of requirements: 1. Replace the grass in front yard with drought tolerant plants 2. Incorporate fruit trees because I love them 3. Make our backyard a Japanese garden that is peaceful and beautiful And she met all three of these requirements with wonderful results. She even accounted for the fact that we have a young child and suggested a grassy area in the backyard so she could play. We're glad she did, because we do use the grassy spot a lot more than we thought we would. She also suggested a glider which we pooh pooh-ed at first, but ended up greatly enjoying after we put it in. Basically, whenever we followed her advice with the design, we never regretted it. I highly recommend her, she is fantastic to work with and has great ideas. Extra points to her for taking our calls/texts when we had questions. She was a great support through the whole process. read more

I spoke to Monika at Mscape to make an appointment with her to see my backyard for landscaping work. She said that it would cost me $100 for my wife and I just to meet with her. Very disappointing. read more

This is an update review for Monika. I may missed writing the review back in 2015 when Monika did the first time design for our front and back yard. We get countless compliments from many people from strangers passing by, neighbors, friends and family. There are also strangers asked us for Monika's contact. She is the rare kind of nice, friendly and fun person we've ever met and super easy to work with. From the first time we met her, we were looking forward to seeing her every time. She does her amazing design with beautiful colored drawing. Everything is straight forward to understand with the drawing. She also provides plant list and contractor drawing along with her design. We recently needed a face lift for our yard after a few years. My husband wants to switch up the plants and the looks of the garden. Monika came out and touched up the original design with new ideas. She also offers plants/material selection visit service. We know these can make a big difference on how the final results will turn out. We know we can count on Monika for our garden looks. Very lucky to find her... read more

I am so pleased with Monika, owner of Mscape Designs. Monika designed our backyard after listening to all of our many wishes and then re-designed it when we needed to cut the cost a little. :-) She listened to all my feedback and honestly responded to every concern. A few things we didn't think we would like and she said "trust me" and we did and so happy with the results. We hired Monika as our project manager and glad we spent the extra money. She referred a fantastic contractor (Jose Perez) that was efficient and very good. And Monika was on-site every day making sure nothing was missed. She also went above and beyond on the little things - house light changes, covering our sprinkler system and re-potting or transplanting my favorite plants. Monika would also volunteer to research and buy all the little things that we probably should have - outdoor heaters, fan, etc. She absolutely loves her job and it shows every time you talk to her. I have already recommended her services to my friends and I will definitely call her again when it's time to do our front yard. read more

Monika is the one and only person we considered when we decided to re-do the backyard of our Eichler. She had great vision, great creativity, took our inputs and brought them to a new level. She worked within our budget and delivered a beautiful, efficient backyard that added value to the home when we sold it. She turned our backyard from an uninteresting place that I didn't want to spend too much time in, to a beautiful sight to see that I would constantly glimpse at while walking through my living room, and subsequently considered and used it as a new room of my house. I was very pleased with Monika and the work that her contractors did, and would enthusiastically endorse her. read more

We were very pleased with Monika's design work for our backyard. She listened carefully to our wishes--and brought her own expertise to make our ideas come to life. In addition to designing the backyard, she managed the entire process from plant selection, installation and on-going maintenance. She also worked with us closely to fix a problem (not her fault) that cropped up one year after the initial design and installation. In summary, Monika brings a high level of creativity as well as excellent customer skills. We can't recommend her enough! read more

We found Mscape Designs through Atomic Ranch Magazine. We live in a Midcentury Modern house and needed someone who had this sort of landscaping experience. We were so happy with Monika's work. She came all the way to Oakland and was so flexible with our needs and design ideas. So friendly and outgoing. She helped design our entire property (over 9,000 sf) and worked with us to identify a Landscaper and worked with the Landscaper and I to implement her design (since she was so far away). We throughly enjoyed the process and now we are in love with our landscaping. read more

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Just installed the water feature that Monica helped envision in her design. We used a concrete fabricator from Santa Cruz and it turned out wonderful. Now on the the next phase...decking, plants, sprinkler, artificial turf, river rock, and landscape lighting..... read more

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I highly recommend Monika and Mscape Design. Our backyard was basically pea gravel and a peach tree. Now, we have a deck with lighting in the steps, a wall with electricity near the bbq, a planter with electricity that doubles for seating, a raised bed and pavers. She is very green and reused all the pea gravel that had existed before to work between the pavers. She also suggested other small touches like a door closing off the garbage/recycling/compost and an enclosure for the air conditioner. In short, Monika had a vision and executed it within our budget. In fact, the whole project came in on budget and early! In addition to designing the backyard, she had ideas for integrating the look of the backyard with the front and side yards. As just one example, she replaced some brick in the front sidewalk with some pavers to match the pavers in the back. Since she also managed the project, she was able to make adjustments as needed to be sure that everything was just perfect. For example, she realized that some of the plants she had selected for the side yard needed to be changed because the area got more sun than she had originally predicted. Everyone is amazed by the transformation of the yard. We actually use and enjoy our backyard now. Monika's thoughtful design has made all the difference! read more

Monika did an incredible job on our Eichler. The design was modern, personalized to our tastes, and remarkably affordable. She was fast, efficient and an awful lot of fun to work with. Our landscaping looks amazing. We're the envy of our neighborhood. read more

I LOVE MONIKA! After worrying about what to do with my shabby front yard (and growing concern about the water bill) I contacted Mscape for a consultation. I am so happy I did! Monika is a bundle of energy and ideas- she came in with thoughts and opinions and now I am really excited about the possibilities for my entry. It's such a pleasure to work with someone who so obviously loves what she does... Call Monika- you won't be sorry! read more

My wife and I found Monika through yelp. She was one of the only landscapers to return our call. So we gave her a chance. She came by a few days later to check out our yard. She was spot on with her design and was extremely flexible as we had to make changes to better fit our budget. We hired her on as our project manager. She was excellent. Now we have a beautiful yard that is perfect for our three dogs, our baby and entertaining guests. We would definitely recommend you give Monika a chance to transform your yard; you will be so happy you did! read more

Update! Monica and I connected! To be honest, the hardest place to come back from is a hard review. She came over this afternoon, and shared her passion, vision and options for our yard. I also now understand the "Good luck" was really meant in kindness and nothing else. Can't wait to see her designs, and options. read more

We just completed a project with Monika at Mscape, and wow, what a fantastic job she and her contractor did! From the initial design meetings to final sign off of the project, Monika was very professional, had great ideas, and listened to (and incorporated) our feedback in the design. She has a genuine enthusiasm for the project she's working on -- you really feel you have an engaged partner in first creating the vision, then seeing it brought to reality. We retained Monika as the project manager during construction, which was also invaluable, as she ensured plants were placed in the right place, offered suggestions for slight changes that worked very well, etc. Plus, the contractor she partners with, Lucio, was excellent -- he and his guys worked unbelievably hard, were very helpful, did quality work, and completed the job on time and within budget. We've received a number of compliments from neighbors, and couldn't recommend Mscape higher. I'll post pictures of their work soon. read more

Our backyard needed a complete overhaul and we knew that not any ordinary landscape designer would do....enter Monika of Mscape Design! My husband and I love modern design and chose Monika after seeing some yards and reviews here on Facebook. As soon as we met Monika I had a feeling that she would be a fantastic fit for us! She is very in tune with what her customers are looking for but is not afraid to use her experience as a designer to push your limits a bit, in a good way! For example, I had it in my head that I wanted to use a sheer stain on our older redwood fence because for whatever reason I didn't like the idea of a solid paint like surface. In a very nice, yet confident manner, she urged me to go with the solid stain in order to make the fence a uniform tone given that we had a new section of fence next to old wood. After deliberation we trusted her experience (and isn't that why you hire a designer anyway?) and went for the solid stain in a very dark gray and couldn't be happier! We opted to use a contractor that she recommended and even though there have been a few hiccups (as there always is in any renovation), both she and our contractor have been extremely professional and pleasant to work with. Monika has gone above and beyond what she has been contracted for in our agreement and I would recommend her highly to anyone interested in making their yard/property a beautifully functional outdoor oasis :) read more

We had Monika help design our backyard this year. She listened to all the things we wanted to include and helped us figure out how it could all be possible. We wanted to contract out some of the work but do most of it ourselves. She recommended contractors and other resources for getting the work done. Monika was easy to work with and available to answer questions when we had them. Thanks read more

I would highly recommend Monika from Mscape Designs for any landscape project. We recently remodeled our house and saved the yard as the last phase of our project. Monika was recommended by a close friend after we started our project with another landscape designer that ended up being a flake. Monika stepped in and we hit it off from day one. She listened to our ideas, understood our needs, and was conscientious of our budget. She presented us with lots of ideas and options, and worked with us to create our dream yard. After the design phase was done, she had her people come in and do the project. These were the hardest working folks I've ever seen. They showed up every day and worked on the project. Lucio, the lead on doing the hardscape and softscape, is the best. The work product was great and if we had changes midstream, it was no big deal to make our changes. These folks worked over 2 months on our back and front yards and we actually have missed them after the project was completed at Christmas. Here is the best part - Monika and Lucio care so much about making sure we are happy with our yard that they have come by the see how things look and have immediately responded to our requests to make little tweaks to the yard (i.e., can you add a light here, we want another shrub there instead, etc.). I have recommended Mscape Designs to my family and friends, and have nothing but positive things to say about our experience with Mscape Designs. read more

I asked Monika to redo my front yard with drought tolerant plants and a low maintenance layout and she delivered! Mscape Design made our yard remodel go so smoothly and gave us a nice clean contemporary look. I get more complements on the yard. In fact, when she finished our front yard, I hired her again to do the back yard. This was a larger job as it entailed laying a drainage layer and creating several different seating areas. This was no easy task since the yard had had a tremendous number of trees and foliage in it. Monika listened to our ideas, took into account the different ideas from each of the family members, and came up with a plan that suited how we live. I would recommend her highly. She has many low-cost, stylish ideas for using outdoor space creatively. read more

Monica has great taste and is easy to work with. I just finished remodeling my backyard and the result is fantastic. Got so many compliments! read more

Couldn't be happier with Monika. I hired her to create a landscape design for my front, back and side yards (vegetable garden, gorgeous rock wall in front, BBQ area with concrete bar, rock fountains, fire pit and jacuzzi areas, decking, lighting, etc.). My entire yard was nothing but dirt at the beginning. I love her enthusiasm for her work, her attention to detail and her flare for design. She recommended a landscape contractor, and the combination of Monika and that team created outstanding results. I get so many compliments on my yard from neighbors and passers-by. She recommended all plants and materials and took me around to vendors to see everything first-hand. I trusted her with all her recommendations. She has a great eye for color combinations and such wonderful taste. I LOVE my yard. I have the most wonderful, serene backyard. It's perfect for entertaining. I was so impressed how she would randomly check in on the progress of the landscape contractor she recommended. Those two made a great working team. I always felt I was in good hands. It's a shame that Robert H. had to spend time writing such a negative review for someone who didn't do any work for him. As with all people in this line of business, there needs to be a connection. That's what the interview process is all about with designers, vendors and contractors. I had an immediate connection with Monika and knew she was the one for me. Thank you Monika! read more

Wow! Monika is a bargain, and her designs are a good fit for an Eichler. She did our back yard this summer and it is both beautiful and functional for entertaining. (Our engineering friends who saw the yard under construction were also very impressed by construction quality and are thinking they will hire her, as well.) We are bringing her back this spring to do the atrium and the front yard. read more

I began working with Monika at Mscape design in the spring of 2012. After paying a couple of different landscape designers for plans and being unsatisfied with the results it was clear to me that I needed to have a little more control of my project. So I engaged with Monika to consult with me on more of a DIY approach to the renovation of my backyard. We proceeded with perhaps a half dozen hour long consultations over the following eight to twelve months (I am rather slow and methodical with my projects) and ultimately did work in my rear and side yards, as well as in an entry courtyard. I could not be more pleased with the results of our collaborations. Monika is full of positive energy, she has a wonderful sense of proportion and color, and a love of modern design. She is a great resource and very knowledgable on sourcing plants, garden materials and accessories. She is full of great design ideas, and has the ability to pull disparate ideas into a cohesive and pleasing result. Most importantly, Monika is a joy to work with. I always looked forward to our meetings. Monika's enthusiasm for the project, her passion for modern landscape design and her positive and fun personality always made our meetings very enjoyable. If you would like an old fashioned word of mouth reference for Monika and Mscape design, please give me a call. Monika has my contact information read more

My wife and I hired Monika to design landscaping for our back yard and front yard and then to project manage the implementation of the back yard plan including a beautiful new deck off our living room. From the moment we met Monika we knew we had found the right person for the job. She listened to what we wanted and the first iteration of the designs were spot on, we did one more round of designing and then it was a no brainer, we hired Monika and her crew on the spot to do our backyard. You won't find a more dedicated, talented, hard working, and creative landscape designer. Monika was here everyday to make sure the job got done right and her crew is just amazing, polite, hard working, professional. We were thrilled. Monika has a real eye for how to utilize space and she knows so much about the latest materials for hardscape as well as softscape. She let my wife accompany her to pick out all the fruit trees that are now growing in our backyard, and I got the built in bar and grill area! We were both so pleased with the results, and everyone that comes over just raves about how it all came out. We got way more for our money than any other estimates we had received, the whole backyard just flows. You get quality from beginning to end with Monika and she approaches every job as if its her own home. We'll have her back for all our outdoor landscaping needs. Hiring her was a great decision, you won't be disappointed! read more