Firm Overview

At Deborah Cerbone Associates, our designs are driven by several factors. The first is having a clear understanding of our clients’ needs, goals and visions that is achieved by carefully listening and observation. The second involves understanding the complexities of the site including the opportunities and constraints presented by the unique environment of each property and the zoning restrictions of the jurisdiction. We strive for simple, practical solutions that will withstand the test of time and are characterized by an understated elegance and simplicity. Our process includes a collaboration with our clients to develop a budget to achieve all the things they desire in their landscape, which may include phasing the construction over time or value-engineering alternative solutions to bring their wish list into a realistic budget.

Science plays an important role in the work that we do. Our understanding of plant and soil sciences, and the physiology of plants and their responses to environment factors is critical in plant selection, plant care and the manipulation of the environment to ensure a healthy and beautiful landscape. During our initial site evaluation, we pay close attention to the health of the native soils, drainage patterns on site, and the movement of the sun throughout the day in order to customize our designs to the unique characteristics of a particular property as well as to identify issues that need to be addressed in our design solutions.

We strive for consistent, creative communication designed to engage our clients and colleagues in the design process and to facilitate successful outcomes for each project. We combine traditional hand-sketching techniques, AutoCAD 2-Dimensional plan graphics, contemporary 3-D graphics and picture idea books to communicate our ideas to our clients and contractors, and bring our projects to life.

Our office frequently collaborates as a team with other industry professionals, including: Architects, Engineers, Environmental Consultants, Artists, Property Managers, and Equestrian Specialists for our equestrian projects. We value these collaborations and welcome the opportunity to join already established teams or to assemble a team for a project, depending on the needs of a particular client. We surround ourselves with outstanding talent in both our staff and the suppliers, nurseries, contractors and craftsmen we choose to execute our projects and work with them or your own team of contractors on site through the construction process to ensure our clients’ and our visions are properly executed in the field.

Deborah H. Cerbone