HAVEN:
BUILDING A BETTER WORLD, ONE LANDSCAPE AT A TIME: AN INTERVIEW WITH GRETCHEN WHITTIER AND KATE STICKLEY OF ARTERRA
5 August 2025
I’ve come to know Gretchen Whittier and Kate Stickley in many small ways—through a shared business coach, a networking group, then through working together on a project in the Santa Lucia Preserve. When we sat down and asked ourselves how our relationship evolved, Gretchen answered: “We were like fireflies in the same circle that finally got together for coffee.” I love that.
For me, the beauty of their design work is balanced by their thoughtful, intentional building of Arterra, where they pursue meaningful work, create legacy gardens, build lasting relationships, prioritize personal growth and lead with kindness. It is impossible not to admire their goals, their priorities and their values, all expressed in such a beautiful way through the formation of their gardens and their team. It’s also impossible not to enjoy their company. This was the first of what I hope are many conversations to come. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did."
Arterra is an amalgam of art and land, which feels right."
— Kate
Mead: I always love to start by learning your origin story.
Kate: I founded Arterra with Vera Gates in 1994. We both worked at large, international firms, and came up through the profession in a “good old boy” era of landscape architecture. We watched what the partners of those firms had —the ease and support of close professional relationships, and loved it. But we both longed to work at a residential scale that would allow us to form deep relationships with the people and land. We collaborated for eight years, working together, raising families, and building a strong bond, which we formalized by forming Arterra in 2003. Gretchen joined the partnership in 2011, and by the time Vera retired to pursue her art in 2016, Gretchen transitioned smoothly into the role.
Mead: How did the succession impact your design business?
Kate: It taught us a lot about building a business. One of the most important shifts was to a team approach. Each of us directs a team dedicated to our projects, which is important for clarity and focus.
Mead: Your approach has been so successful.
Kate: We’re fortunate, most of the work comes to us, through architects, builders, designers, others in the profession, past clients. We market by building relationships. It’s about building trust.
Gretchen: We’re team players by nature, but at the same time it’s important that our clients and collaborators trust that we are professionals; they trust our recommendations and our vision.
Mead: Can you describe your ideal client?
Kate: We really do study the relationship to make sure it is a fit for everyone. We want to make sure that we are aligned on scope, budget, and timeline—that’s foundational. We also ask ourselves, do we all want to spend time together? Will we all enjoy the process?
Mead: From your vantage point, what makes a successful project?
Kate: The most successful projects have an established team from the beginning, and a strong connection to the client.
Gretchen: With those kinds of connections, we can build trust and gain insight from other consultants. We learn from each other, and come up with ideas that none of us might have thought of on our own. We want to be able to learn something from every project. Each project can be a building block for our practice, where we all—client and design team—benefit. It needs to have a soul.
Mead: How would you describe your approach to a project?
Kate: We are really good listeners. We try to hear what is there, but isn’t expressed, which is not something they teach you in school. It’s a skill developed over time, through mentoring.
Mead: Human beings are so complex.
Gretchen: No two projects are the same, and no two clients are the same. Talking sensitively about subjects like money and budgets is a learned skill, as is communicating a design vision. It’s important that clients feel heard.
Mead: How does sustainability come in?
Kate: Because we’re land-focused, and we get our information from the land, we come to every project from a place of sustainability. We are trying to work with what the land gives us, which is inherently more sustainable because it’s how the landscape works best. We can also work to educate and balance the way the architecture and site design interact with and impact the land. We’ve been advocating for native planting since I started, and that hasn’t changed.
Gretchen: It’s incumbent upon us to educate the client as well, about the consequences of the choices they make, which are not always apparent to someone who doesn’t work with the land all the time—leave some leaf litter to feed the plants, create wildlife corridors, source regionally. We track things—if we take out a tree, we find tree movers who can re-use it.
Mead: You have built your firm culture so intentionally. Can you tell me about it?
Gretchen: Trust is important. We trust our design teams, just as we ask our clients to trust us.
Kate: Every other year, we gather together as a team, outside of the office, to co-create a vision for Arterra. We begin with our individual visions, then we refine them into a single document that encapsulates who we would like to be as a company, and everyone is included. We check every business decision against this document, to determine if that decision supports the vision, or it doesn’t.
We are planting and feeding our business and its people just as we would plant and feed a garden."
— Kate
Mead: As a female-led firm, what makes Arterra different?
Gretchen: We focus on mentoring, trust, nurturing. When we kick off a project, we focus on what the project needs, and also what the team members need. How will this project help them grow?
Kate: We look at how each team will get the most out of each project. We’re working toward the holistic growth of our team. Our current and future work is better for it.
We are authentic. We are who we are. What you see is what you get, in the best possible way."
— Gretchen
Mead: There is meaningfulness to what we do as designers, working with people who prioritize kindness and beauty.
Gretchen: Working with people who have a sincere appreciation for craftsmanship is a big part of it—working with people, and for people, who appreciate each other. We have a level of respect and appreciation that I think people pick up on. It’s the lynchpin. One of our favorite clients threw an appreciation party when the project was complete, and it was wonderful.
Mead: How do you build beauty?
Kate: We share the stories of those projects and those relationships. There is meaning and beauty in the making of things, and in putting those stories together. We’re building people’s homes, and we want them imbued with that good energy.
We keep the river of appreciation flowing."
— Kate
Mead: And how do you know when a project is done?
Gretchen: When I can’t imagine it any other way.
Mead: What do you see for the future?
Kate: We’ve put together a set of practice talks for our team, so their understanding of the business grows. There is power in manifesting what you want. We’re seeding the clouds for growth and succession.
Mead: What would you like Arterra to be known for?
Gretchen: We always try to create legacy gardens, places that will remain. If we plant an oak for a client, it might not be large enough to hold a swing for their children, but it will support a swing for their grandchildren.
We always love to follow up with a few rapid-fire questions, so here goes…
What’s the one thing you love most about what you do?
Brainstorming design solutions for unique conditions
Who — or what — inspires you?
Anything visual; art, architecture, jewelry design, furniture, textiles, food…
What’s the single best business or creative advice you’ve ever received?
If the design doesn’t seem to be working, flip it upside down to see if there is anything of merit to continue to explore. If not, move on!
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing?
Equine therapy for leadership development.
How do you love spending time outside of work?
Anything outside; biking, hiking, soaking up the California countryside and coastline.
What is one thing that most people don’t know about you?
I drive the city based on topography. It’s an old habit from years of driving a stick shift and wanting to preserve the clutch.
Last book you read?
History of the Rain, by Niall Williams
I love a book that makes you slow down and get lost in the narrative. All his books are so beautifully written that you want to re-read sentences to savor the imagery.
Do you have a favorite quote? If so, we’d love to hear it!
Not a quote, a little longer: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
1. Be impeccable with your word
2. Don’t take anything personally
3. Don’t make assumptions
4. Always do your best