Sophia Stuart's love of gardening and the natural world started at a young age, growing up in rural Ireland.

Her mother's extensive gardens opened annually to the public and it was there she learnt to nurture a garden and observe its relationship to the land it lives in.

Sophia studied sculpture in Italy at The Florence Academy of Art. Following her studies in Florence she moved to East Africa working with women and children in tribal villages to generate traditional crafts and original artworks which were then sold abroad. Proceeds from the sale of these wares were later used to build schools and clinics back in the communities where they were made. After returning to Europe in 2004, Sophia moved to Paris where she worked for renowned interior designer Mallery Roberts Morgan. These early cross-cultural experiences as well as the extensive traveling she did with her family as a child, helped shape Sophia's passion for design and her strong sense of place, and eventually lead her back to the garden. Following her time in Paris Sophia went on to study horticulture at The Royal Horticultural Society of England and later moved to the US where she now lives with her husband and two daughters in upstate New York.

Today Sophia works both independently and in collaboration with other landscape designers, architects and contractors to design and install landscape projects ranging from intimate urban yards to sprawling country retreats. With each design she strives to understand the identity of the site and its surroundings -its personality- and to enhance its natural beauty.

Sophia enjoys the creative process of working closely with clients to bring their dreams to fruition, and her aim is to create sustainable gardens that tell a story about the land and the people who inhabit it, with an emphasis on the healing properties of the garden, both emotionally and physically.