Landscape & Outdoor Living

Exterior spaces designed with the same intention as interior rooms

The "+ Grounds" in the firm name is deliberate. Most design-build firms stop at the back door. They'll remodel your kitchen and bathrooms beautifully, then leave you with a landscape that looks disconnected. Martin Kribs Interiors + Grounds treats exterior spaces with the same design intention as interior rooms. The landscape, outdoor living areas, patios, and grounds are designed as an extension of the home—not an afterthought tacked on when construction winds down.

This philosophy comes directly from resort work in Aspen and Jackson Hole, where outdoor spaces command the same budget and attention as interiors. In those markets, people spend months each year outdoors. Landscape design isn't optional—it's fundamental. We bring that same rigor to Oregon properties, where the Willamette Valley's climate supports exceptional outdoor living for much of the year.

Designing for Oregon's Climate

The Willamette Valley has a gift that many overlooked. The region experiences dry, warm summers and mild (if wet) winters. This gift creates an opportunity: thoughtful design can create outdoor spaces that are usable eight to nine months of the year. Compare that to traditional summer-only outdoor use in colder climates, and you see the value of year-round design thinking.

Oregon's wet season demands specific design responses. We design covered outdoor rooms—pergolas, pavilions, recessed covers over patios—that shelter you from rain while maintaining the connection to the landscape. We specify materials that perform beautifully in wet conditions: masonry that ages with character, wood that's selected for durability, plantings that thrive in Oregon's moisture and mild winters. We emphasize drainage and grading to manage water thoughtfully.

The result is outdoor space that's usable and beautiful in all seasons. Spring brings emerging plantings and fresh light. Summer offers full outdoor living. Fall provides dramatic color and clear skies. Even winter's mild temperatures allow enjoyment of carefully designed outdoor spaces. This extended season is a significant quality-of-life advantage if the landscape is designed for it.

Before & After

Landscape before renovation
Landscape after renovation
Before After

Our Outdoor Living Services

Covered Outdoor Rooms & Pavilions

Designed to extend usable outdoor space. These aren't generic shade structures—they're architectural extensions of your home that provide shelter, create spatial definition, and serve as focal points in the landscape.

Patios & Hardscape

We design outdoor living spaces with careful attention to material selection, grading, drainage, and spatial proportion. Patios become gathering places, not just surfaces. Hardscape materials—stone, masonry, wood—are specified for both performance and beauty.

Landscape Design & Planting

Comprehensive landscape design that considers seasonal interest, plant performance in Oregon's climate, maintenance requirements, and how plantings frame views and create spatial definition. We specify plants that thrive rather than merely survive.

Outdoor Kitchens

Fully designed and built outdoor cooking spaces—grills, counters, cabinetry, infrastructure—integrated into the landscape. These become genuine entertainment spaces, not afterthought additions.

Fire Features

Fire pits, fireplaces, and fire-centered gathering spaces that extend the season and create focal points. Properly designed, these become destinations that change how you use your property.

Water Features

Fountains, ponds, streams, and water-focused elements that bring life and sound to the landscape. These are designed as integral landscape elements, not landscape decoration.

Landscape Lighting

Thoughtfully designed outdoor lighting that extends usability into evening hours and creates atmosphere. Lighting is layered—task lighting for safety, accent lighting for features, ambient lighting for ambiance.

Fencing & Privacy Screening

Designed with equal attention to function and aesthetics. Screening is integrated into the landscape as a design element, creating privacy, defining spaces, and framing views.

Native & Sustainable Landscaping

We emphasize native plantings that support local ecosystems while reducing maintenance and resource use. Sustainable practices—native plants, efficient irrigation, soil health—are integrated into every landscape design.

Integrated Property Design

When you design interiors and grounds together, something magical happens. Sight lines connect inside to outside, creating visual continuity. Materials relate—the stone you chose for an interior floor appears in exterior hardscape. Colors flow rather than clash. The transition from inside to outside feels intentional rather than accidental. Spatial proportions align. The home feels whole.

This is how high-end resort properties are designed. The architecture speaks to the landscape. The landscape amplifies the architecture. They're conceived as one unified vision, not two separate projects. You experience this integration immediately: you look through a living room window and see landscape that feels connected to the space, not disconnected from it.

Most homeowners never experience this level of integration because it requires the same designer thinking about both interiors and grounds. It requires landscape expertise equal to interior expertise. It requires coordination and communication that typical project delivery—separate interior and landscape contractors—can't achieve. This is why the firm does both. It's the only way to deliver true integration.

Serving Corvallis, Philomath & the Willamette Valley

We design and build landscape and outdoor living spaces for homeowners throughout the Willamette Valley—Corvallis, Philomath, Albany, Salem, Eugene, and the wine country communities of the Eola-Amity Hills and Dundee Hills. From urban lots to rural properties with acres of grounds, we apply the same design rigor and construction quality to every project.

Let's talk about your property

Whether you're exploring possibilities or ready to move forward, a conversation is the right first step. We'll walk your property, understand how you want to use these spaces, and explore what's possible.

Let's Talk About Your Property