Melissa Villamizar

Melissa Villamizar is an exterior designer based in Key Largo, Florida, with 25 years of experience creating outdoor living spaces through landscaping, garden design, pool houses, pools, and outdoor kitchens. After working as a fashion stylist in television commercials, she moved to London and pursued landscape design studies at the Chelsea Physics Garden, where her business launched by word of mouth during her coursework. She holds a degree from the program and has operated as a self-employed professional ever since, relocating her work between Florida and New York while completing projects in the Bahamas. Inspired by the gardeners in her family, including her British grandmother, Villamizar emphasizes sustainable naturescaping that uses plants suited to their environments to minimize chemical use and create natural extensions of indoor living. She has faced challenges as a woman in the field when dealing with some male clients but values the collaborative nature of outdoor work and the endless creative opportunities it provides.