Stelfox Design Studio

Aerial view of a courtyard with radiating paths between a historic brick building and new residential wings Adaptive reuse campus at blue hour with a planted seat wall Interior with a two-story planted wall and an oak-lined corridor Reflecting pool and flagstone terrace opening to aspens at dusk Roof terrace with sedum in bloom above Chicago streets Circle of Remembrance with concentric granite paving, the Washington Monument on axis Rooftop terrace with timber pergolas framing the Capitol dome Pool edged by backlit ornamental grasses at golden hour Perennial planting and stone terrace in summer Pool terrace seen past the rear vitrine of the house
stelfox design studio
approach
environments designed to perform celebrating human and ecological communities with a bit of flair
landscape architecture  ·  urban design
stelfox design studio
Stelfox monogram filled with a garden illustration
we are
process of place

designed to perform
growing in place

selected work

gallery 64
225 w wacker
888 douglas
north point
mclean residence
wwii memorial
pier 97, hudson river park
225 west wacker, interior
westview farm
park city mountain residence

five generations
design curate celebrate

our story

research

public art
al-qallafah
urban ecology
rewilding the district
housing
citizen construction
urban design
growing in place: capitol south
resilience
emerald and sapphire city
al-qallafah · public art competition entry · al-khobar, saudi arabia, 2026
our practice

We work at three scales: 1:100,000, 1:1,000, and 1:1.

We ignite the process and continue to form it by maintaining and studying it over time with our community.
01
reveal
02
interpret
03
inspire
04
shape
05
inhabit
06
test
Stelfox Design Studio
stelfox design studio
studiowork
research
practicestudio
team up
contact
washington, dc[email protected]
dc  ·  md  ·  va  ·  ny
CBE LSZR58118072029  ·  DC firm permit PDF40000349  ·  UEI TKM3RN2K67D5  ·  CAGE 227J0
landscape architecture  ·  urban design
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contact

Book a consultation.

We would love to get the conversation started with you about your project.
If you would like to schedule our first consultation, find a time below. Otherwise, send us a message through the form.
schedule

location

Washington, DC 20003

hours

mon to fri
9:00 am to 6:00 pm
saturday
9:00 am to 4:00 pm
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team up

Where we may be of use.

A Washington, DC practice designing places that earn their keep: beautiful for the client, useful for the block, resilient for the climate. Projects performed before 2024 were carried out at a prior firm, as attributed on each entry.
qualifications package, pdf

a focus on the dmv

  • Licensed landscape architect in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and New York
  • DC Professional Design Firm registration PDF40000349, which the District requires before a practice may offer landscape architecture services

preference points on district work

  • DC Certified Business Enterprise: Local Business Enterprise, Small Business Enterprise, Development Enterprise Zone, and Resident-Owned Business
  • Up to 12 preference points on an evaluated District solicitation, or a 12 percent price reduction on a bid
  • Frequently the margin on a competitive DC pursuit

federal eligibility

  • SAM registration active, with a Unique Entity ID and a CAGE code assigned
  • Eligible to receive a federal award
  • Principal has carried a project through National Park Service, Commission of Fine Arts, and National Capital Planning Commission review

construction feasibility

  • Construction documents, bid support, and construction administration in the DC region
  • A local footing for a team whose design leadership sits elsewhere
  • Holds a design position through successive review bodies without losing the idea

capability and credentials

services offered as prime

  • Landscape architecture, concept through construction documents
  • Construction administration and site observation
  • Site planning, land use, and entitlements support
  • Public realm and streetscape design
  • Park, trail, and greenway design
  • Master planning and corridor planning
  • Community and stakeholder engagement
  • Opinions of probable construction cost
  • Planting design and ecological restoration planting
  • Green roof and structural landscape design
  • Grading, drainage, and stormwater concept design
  • GIS mapping and spatial analysis
  • Grant narrative and funding strategy support
  • Design guidelines and pattern books

brought in by teaming

Stamped architecture, civil, structural, and geotechnical engineering; environmental and NEPA documentation; traffic and transportation engineering; and surveying are carried by partners rather than in-house. Named subconsultant relationships are in place for civil engineering, arboriculture and urban forestry, and playground safety certification.

geography

Licensed in DC, Maryland, Virginia, and New York. Project experience in California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Virginia.

firm data

legal name
Stelfox Design Studio LLC
structure
Single-member LLC, District of Columbia
established
14 August 2024
office
Washington, DC 20003
principal
Michael Stelfox, PLA, ASLA
uei
TKM3RN2K67D5
cage
227J0
sam.gov
Active, renewal due 7 July 2027

certifications and registrations

dc cbe
LSZR58118072029  ·  LBE, SBE, DZE, ROB  ·  expires 14 July 2029
dc design firm
PDF40000349
la license, dc
LAR40000071
la license, md
4352
la license, va
04060002352
la license, ny
003416

insurance

professional liability
$1,000,000 per claim / $1,000,000 aggregate, claims-made
general liability
$1,000,000 each occurrence / $2,000,000 aggregate
automobile
$1,000,000 combined single limit, hired and non-owned
period
19 June 2026 to 19 June 2027
broker
Ames & Gough, McLean, VA
Additional insured, primary and non-contributory, and waiver of subrogation endorsements are available where required by written contract.

selected work

memorial
FDR D-Day Prayer Addition and Circle of Remembrance
National Mall, Washington, DC
waterfront and parks
Pier 97, Hudson River Park
New York, NY
commercial
The Lodge at Perry Cabin
St. Michaels, MD
The Links at Perry Cabin
St. Michaels, MD
888 North Douglas
El Segundo, CA
225 West Wacker, rooftop garden
Chicago, IL
225 West Wacker, interior planting
Chicago, IL
residential
Westview Farm
Leesburg, VA
Basil Green
McLean, VA
Park City Mountain Residence
Park City, UT
North Point River Garden
Easton, MD
Society Hill Residence
Philadelphia, PA
urban mixed-use
Gallery 64 at the Randall School
Washington, DC
urban design
Growing East
Mumbai, India
Bow Creek
Virginia Beach, VA
Chattahoochee Water Trail
Metropolitan Atlanta, GA
Shaw EcoDistrict
Washington, DC
Capitol South
Washington, DC
as prime
Adirondack Rail Trail
Adirondack Park, NY
Rewild the District
Shaw, Washington, DC

principal

Michael Stelfox, PLA, ASLA

experience

2024 to present
Founder + Principal Landscape Architect, Stelfox Design Studio, Washington, DC
2022 to 2023
Landscape Architect, !melk Urban Design, New York, NY
2020 to 2022
Senior Designer and Project Manager, Oehme, van Sweden, Washington, DC
2017 to 2019
Project Manager, Loch Collective, Annapolis, MD

education

2025
Master of Science, Architecture, Urban Design concentration. Virginia Tech, Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center
2018
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Virginia Tech

awards

  • Potomac ASLA Merit Award, 2024, Basil Green, McLean VA
  • Potomac ASLA Honor Award, 2021, 26 East Street, Annapolis MD
  • Potomac ASLA Design Award, 2021, 26 East Street, Annapolis MD
  • Potomac ASLA Merit Award, 2021, North Point River Garden, Easton MD
  • Maryland ASLA Merit Award, 2020, East Street Urban Garden, Annapolis MD

service and affiliations

  • ULI Washington, Future Forum Committee; Chair, Technology Integration Subcommittee
  • ULI Washington, Technical Assistance Panel Committee
  • ULI Washington, Membership Committee, 2025 to present
  • ASLA New York Chapter, Advocacy Committee, 2023 to present
  • ASLA Potomac Chapter, Nominating Committee, 2022
  • ASLA Potomac Chapter, Executive Committee, Member-at-Large, 2019 to 2021

selected publications

  • Speculative Designs: Rethinking Mumbai Flooding, Growing East. School of Collectively Building and Thinking Hand NGO, 2025
  • Beyond Bold: Inspiration, Collaboration, Evolution. Oehme, van Sweden, for McLean Garden, 2022
  • Home & Design, Chesapeake Views: Tranquil Oasis. Loch Collective, for North Point Residence, 2021
  • Growing in Place: Capitol South. Master’s thesis, Virginia Tech, 2025
  • Emerald and Sapphire City: A Resiliency Design. Clark Nexsen and Virginia Sea Grant, 2016
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studio

landscapes of performance

We’re a Washington, DC landscape architecture practice designing places that earn their keep. For developers, nonprofits, and public partners, we design landscapes that perform on every front: beautiful for the client, useful for the block, resilient for the climate, and built to return immediate and enduring value.
Mike Stelfox presenting the Virginia Beach resiliency study to a community workshop

our story

Mike Stelfox
Mike Stelfox is a Washington, DC landscape architect with a soft spot for resilient cities and a hard line on bad asphalt. After cutting his teeth at Loch Collective (four ASLA awards in three years), Oehme, van Sweden (stewarding design on the National Mall’s WWII Memorial), and !melk (Pier 97 on the Hudson), he launched Stelfox Design Studio in 2024 to design landscapes that pull double duty, and to see them built well: beautiful for the client, useful for the block.
His work has tackled coastal flooding in Virginia Beach, monsoon resilience in Mumbai (an internationally awarded competition entry), and a competition entry for a show garden in Seoul. He chairs the Technology Integration Subcommittee at ULI Washington’s Future Forum, holds licenses in DC, MD, VA, and NY, and is fluent in both the business and ecological cases for urban design that weaves cities back into their natural infrastructure.

reach out

We’ve enjoyed helping organizations obtain the funding, approvals, and partnerships that move projects forward. If your team is working toward a similar goal, let’s talk. This is the work we’re here for.
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