Garden Design · Outdoor Living · Native Planting

Creating beautiful outdoor spaces where people feel more connected to each other and the local environment through thoughtful design.

Schedule a Consultation!

Golden retriever dog with its eyes closed, tongue out, sitting on a path covered in pink flower petals, with pink flowering trees and an overpass bridge in the background.

We are a residential landscape design studio based in Chicago, IL focused on making your landscape an extension of your home rather than an afterthought.

We believe even the smallest spaces can positively impact our lives—all it takes is a little care and intention to bring them to life.

Through a holistic landscape design process, Golden Grove Design Co. cultivates a friendly client-centered relationship prior to ever putting pen to paper. We develop a thorough understanding of you and your lifestyle and directly reflect that into your landscape. As a result, your outdoor space is much more conducive to how you live and ultimately becomes an integral part of your daily life!

How Can We Work Together?

Golden Grove Design Co. serves homeowners, landscape professionals, and curious gardeners throughout Chicagoland while offering virtual design guidance and educational resources across the Midwest.

A top-down sketch of a backyard including a patio, a circular garden with plants, and outdoor furniture.

Thoughtful site and planting plans designed to meet your yard needs and goals.

Garden Design

A lush garden filled with white, purple, and pink flowers with tall green foliage.

Life-giving planting designs that support birds, bees, and butterflies.

Native Gardens

A backyard patio with chairs and trees, showing a house with a brick exterior and a porch with people sitting and standing.

Intentional gathering spaces for slowing down, hosting, and everyday enjoyment.

Outdoor Living Spaces

Close-up of ripe and unripe blackberries on a plant with green leaves.

Productive gardens that provide fresh food, seasonal harvests, and hands-on living.

Edible Landscapes

Close-up of pink and cream flowers with yellow stamens and green leaves in a garden.

Accessible plans and resources for hands-on homeowners and gardeners.

DIY Guidance

A green wheelbarrow on a dirt and wood chip ground, with a pile of chopped firewood on one side and a row of tall grass and trees in the background.

Ongoing guidance to help gardens thrive and evolve over time.

Stewardship Support

Wooden wall art with white hand-painted outlines of a house with multiple windows, a door, and the words 'Villa de' written at the top, and the number '3616' at the bottom right corner.

Meaningful artwork and decor created to deepen our sense of place.

Creative Goods

EXPLORE THE GROVE

A cluttered office desk with a laptop, stacked books, open magazine, papers, mouse, and two potted plants near a large window showing a green outdoor scene.

The Design
Studio

Residential landscape design rooted in ecology, beauty, and thoughtful planning. We create outdoor spaces you love spending time in while supporting our local ecosystem.

Reimagine Your Space

View of a cozy corner within a bookstore or library, featuring two wooden bookshelves filled with books on either side, a large window at the back with natural light, and a small seating area with a cushioned bench and pillows under the window.

Coming Soon!

The Resource
Library

Practical garden plans, plant palettes, seasonal guides, and educational resources to help grow your confidence in your own yard.

Discover Resources

Interior of an artist's studio with shelves containing pottery and art supplies, a table with paint bowls, a chair, and various wooden furniture pieces, viewed through a frame of some wood or furniture in the foreground.

The Craft
Workshop

Thoughtful handmade goods and artwork created to bring warmth, creativity, and a little more connection into everyday life.

Explore the Workshop

A man smiling on a boat with a lake and mountains in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

Meet Your Designer

Hi, I’m Austin Gilkey

I’m a landscape designer with over 8 years of professional experience across landscape design, construction, and maintenance.

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from THE Ohio State University where I graduated in 2022. I also completed my Permaculture Design Certification in 2024 from the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute. I was fortunate to receive this education because of the Chick Evans Scholarship for caddies which made it possible.

Prior to founding Golden Grove, I worked on residential and commercial landscapes across the Midwest for three different firms where I developed projects from site analysis and early concepts to detailed construction drawing sets, renderings, estimates, bids, and construction. This also involved on-site consultations, presentations, and maintenance evaluations with clients and contractors.

My experience is not only limited to the desk—I was introduced to the industry by working in the field where I was installing new landscapes and maintaining established gardens. This field work transitioned into plant and hardscape layout, contractor coordination, and field measuring. This in-field experience is invaluable to my skillset as a designer. It has shaped the way I approach each project by maintaining equal focus on how a landscape looks, functions, is built, and ultimately cared for.

Learn more about my journey!