Lily Johnson

Lily Johnson is a Hudson Valley–based landscape designer and founder of Habitual Designs, a studio devoted to composing landscapes shaped by place, architecture, existing conditions and the lives of the people who inhabit them.

Her work begins with a close reading of each property: its history, topography, light, existing trees, seasonal patterns, architectural character and the particular situation of the landowner. Rather than approaching a landscape as a collection of separate garden areas, Lily considers each property as a whole composition — a sequence of arrival, movement, gathering, planting, rise and rest.

Lily’s approach has been shaped through hands-on practice: building landscapes while privately cultivating a working homestead with ducks, chickens, bees, perennial systems and a deep attention to seasonal change.