Elevated everyday living

In New Zealand’s rich design landscape, Kamo Marsh Landscape Architects has earned a reputation for crafting outdoor spaces that are both functional and beautiful. Based in Christchurch and Queenstown, the studio is best known for its standout residential landscape design, which blends spatial clarity, robust planting palettes, and deep respect for site context.

Whether dealing with coastal conditions, alpine exposure, or compact urban sites, their approach is always bespoke; balancing aesthetics with climate resilience, maintenance needs, and lifestyle preferences.

“Our goal is to design landscapes that enhance everyday living, spaces that not only look good but feel good to be in,” says Danny Kamo, Senior Landscape Architect and Director. “Every site has a story to tell, and it’s our job to bring that to life in a way that’s both beautiful and enduring.”

In Christchurch’s coastal suburb of Sumner, for example, Kamo Marsh delivered a high-impact design on a tight 100m² site. Dubbed “a subtropical New Zealand resort,” the garden incorporates layered planting, water features, and rooftop greenery to create privacy and a lush atmosphere within metres of the ocean. The rooftop elements were grown off-site and installed rapidly to achieve instant effect, an example of the firm’s logistical and horticultural expertise.

“That project really pushed us to think creatively,” Danny says. “We had to pack a lot of function and feeling into a very small space, and still respond to the harsh coastal environment. It’s a great example of how smart design can make a compact site feel expansive.”

Further south in Drift Bay, Queenstown, a larger alpine property required a different strategy. There, Kamo Marsh created a series of connected outdoor rooms, a putting green, playhouse, vegetable garden, BBQ area, and fire zone, all unified by bold native planting and framed views of the lake and The Remarkables.

“Designing for the alpine environment comes with its own challenges. But it’s also incredibly rewarding. When you get the planting and materials right, the landscape feels like it’s always belonged there.” Across both urban and rural projects, the studio applies the same care: crisp geometry, intelligent grading, durable materials, and site-specific planting schemes. Kamo Marsh also excels at integrating hard and soft landscape elements in a seamless way, blurring the line between architecture and environment.

While residential work remains their focus, the team also brings landscape design leadership to larger projects, including master planning, subdivisions, and public realm development. Their ability to guide a project from concept through to construction has made them a trusted collaborator for councils, developers, and schools.

“One of our strengths is seeing a project through all phases, from the first sketch to the final plant going in the ground,” Danny notes. “That continuity ensures the design intent is carried right through, and it builds a lot of trust with our clients.

“Landscape architecture in Aotearoa isn’t just about aesthetics,” he adds. “It’s about acknowledging the land’s whakapapa, its history, its people, its patterns, and making space for that within the design.”

In every setting, Kamo Marsh’s work reflects a quiet mastery, treating outdoor space not as an add-on, but as an essential part of how people live.

Contact details:

Kamo Marsh Landscape Architects
03 366 8181
admin@kamomarsh.co.nz
www.kamomarsh.co.nz