Santa Barbara enjoys a reputation as a world class garden town and Sydney Baumgartner’s contribution to Santa Barbara’s landscape architecture is a well-known component of that reputation. Her training and design theories are rooted in the iconic traditions of Lockwood and Elizabeth de Forest, the latter being her professional mentor and aunt by marriage.
The de Forest influence of purpose-driven outdoor rooms, a broad plant and hardscape vocabulary, and relating the designed landscape to the surrounding natural landscape using transition zones and borrowed views defines Sydney’s signature style. From large estates to historical restorations and community-based projects, Sydney’s philosophy of order, balance, scale and rhythm within a landscape is the starting point of any project. Her belief that “you have to be a good gardener to design a good garden” is evident in her own garden’s function as a proving ground for plant materials, many of which she has evaluated and passed on to local nurseries for commercial propagation.
For over 25 years, Sydney Baumgartner has been designing landscapes that complement and enhance the eclectic architectural styles that comprise Santa Barbara’s world class residential enclaves. The climate, history and architecture of Santa Barbara have influenced Sydney’s designs, as have her travels throughout the world to places like Sweden, Chile, France, Bali, Portugal, Germany, Italy, and England. Sydney’s portfolio consists of diverse design styles, including English cottage, Italian, Spanish revival and French, and her designs range from traditional to contemporary and formal to informal.
