Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Ferrara.
Andrew, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Rochester Michigan. I had an interest in plants and design from a very young age.
I attended Michigan State University 2001-2006 (5-year program) for my degree in Landscape Architecture. Immediately following graduation, I relocated to Fort Lauderdale Florida to work for EDSA Inc. my (dream job), designing hotels and resorts around the world for the next 8+ years. I personally worked on the W Retreat and Spa in Vieques Puerto Rico, The Edition Hotel in Miami, Numerous other hotels throughout the Caribbean, Middle East, China and beyond. While in Florida I began to dabble in real estate, ultimately flipping 5 homes during my time in Florida. I had just completed my dream house in Fort Lauderdale at the age of 29 and was offered an opportunity to move to Beijing for 1-year to help train the office in Asia. My husband was very supportive of this adventure and my firm was offering travel for us both to go back and forth during that time.
After a few stressful months of delays and uncertainty (while planning our wedding), the deal seemed to fizzle out and I declined from the move. Almost immediately, my husband was offered a position to Manage the Hermes store in Beverly Hills and after long debate we decided to mix it up and try out California. I had been with the same firm for over 8 years and was excited to trying something new. We sold the house and I resigned from EDSA to move to Los Angeles. I wanted to take this opportunity to try something different and began working for a company based in Los Angeles specializing in high-end residential design. With a hotels background this was an easy transition. I was hired as Vice President of the firm and worked there for 2 years before deciding to break off on my own.
I founded Andrew Designs LA LLC (ADLA) in August of 2017 and converted my unusable garage into a really cool studio space. I have always been a very social person and love to network with others. In our 3 years living in LA I have been able to develop a relatively robust reputation in design within many circles in both Los Angeles and the South Bay areas. Over the past 4 months I have grown my portfolio to encompass homes spanning Los Angeles, The Valley, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes and Palm Springs. Almost all of my clients come from referrals and recommendations from clients, contractors and other designers/architects. I am excited to see what 2018 has in store for myself and ADLA.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I have been very fortunate that almost immediately after announcing the start of my own company, numerous friends and colleagues have rallied around me and introduced me to many new clients, developers and designers resulting in taking on over 25 clients to date. I have had anywhere from 2 to 4 new client referrals each week since founding ADLA. The hard part for me was figuring out the business side of things since I never went to business school.
My father owns his own company back in Michigan so he and some other local friends have been great sounding boards for questions that I have had. I love design and am passionate about my client relationships so that was the easy part. Setting up the LLC, understanding how city taxes, fees, etc. work has been more of a challenge but I feel I have things situated to a place that I can now focus on the work and everything else seems to be going smoothly now.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Andrew Designs LA – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My company specializes in landscape architecture and design. I work primarily on residential projects now, but my background in hospitality design has allowed me to look at the way spaces work in a much more unique way. When you design a hotel, you learn immediately when something does not work. This could be the site circulation, functionality, material selections, furniture duribility etc. I have used each of my past projects as a learning experience to get me where I am today. Since I work primarily on higher end homes, my clients love my resort-style aesthetic. Clients always say how they wish their yard could be a “private sanctuary” or “feel like a resort”.
I do, however, work on a wide range of projects and budgets. Many people assume “I must be far too expensive for their small project” but I appreciate a challenge and because I bill clients on an hourly basis rather than a fixed fee, the smaller projects which tend to take less time, in turn can be completed at a lower price point. Many people assume that “landscape architect” means just plants, but landscape architects specialize in far more and often times do not even have a strong understanding of plants. Landscape Architects focus primarily on the built environment and site engineering. I explain to my clients that I am capable of designing just about anything outside of the building architecture.
My wheelhouse includes, pool design, sports courts, hardscape design and selections, outdoor kitchens, pavilions, cabanas, furniture layout and design, lighting in addition to specifying the plants. I happen to be a self-proclaimed “plant nerd” so having a strong understanding of local plants just makes my projects more successful not only in an aesthetic way but both functionally and by selecting plants that will thrive in their environment while keeping environmental factors in mind, i.e. water conservation, promoting native plantings to benefit the local flora and fauna etc. I also have pretty good hand graphics, which I learned at my first. All of my early conceptual designs are drawn/rendered by hand. I feel this is gives personality to the project and is the best way to communicate my vision to a client in a way that they can understand.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Now that the company is up and running, my biggest task at hand is being sure to accommodate my client’s needs and desires to produce a successful design. There will always be elements of my personal taste rolled into a design, but I take pride in being flexible and making sure my designs are what my clients truly want and works for their lifestyle. They are the ones who will be living in the home, so if they are not happy with the way each space functions and looks, I have failed as a designer. I tell my clients that Landscape architecture is more than just design, it is about problem solving and creating an environment that fits the needs of each client. I take that challenge to heart and work to develop spaces that are beautiful, unique and functional. I look forward to continued growth and have already begun considering bringing on an additional staff member to help with day to day production so I can continue to focus on my client’s needs.
Pricing:
- Rate is $150/hour which is pretty reasonable in comparison to others in my industry.
- Overall project budgets (built) typically range anywhere from $50,000 – well over $2,000,000 +
Contact Info:
- Website: www.andrewdesignsla.com
- Phone: 248 -891 -9618
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: AndrewDesignsLA
- Facebook: Andrew Designs LA LLC
- Twitter: Andrew Designs LA LLC
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
