Client Review: A Modern Tropical Yard Renovation

By Axis Fuksman-Kumpa • April 14, 2022

megan and hugh molten outside their home

Tilly partnered with interior designer Megan Molten to update the landscape for her tropical modern home, which she's dubbed the "Mod Pod" to her many Instagram followers! Like many homeowners, Megan and her husband Hugh have been phasing their design. They started with the front yard and are now working on the backyard. Their pool is being installed and they are working on the hardscape - next will be the plants!

Megan, who offers her interior design services virtually was accustomed to working online, but knew little about landscape design. Read more below to hear what she thought of the Tilly process.

Why did you decide to use Tilly?

When my husband Hugh and I purchased our home, we knew the yard would need a complete overhaul. Landscaping seemed like such a huge undertaking as we were working on many updates to the interior of our home (dubbed the Mod Pod) and we knew we needed help from a professional landscaping company to get the job done correctly and efficiently. Hugh actually came across Tilly on Instagram and we loved the idea of working with a company remotely that could provide us with a blueprint and the necessary tools to complete our dream landscaping! I own a Interior Design firm and have worked with clients virtually so I knew how successful it can be and had a good idea of how that process would look.

What was the process like?

I found it so interesting that you can have your landscape/hardscape design done remotely! I always thought we had to have someone local come out to see our space, walk through it with us, understand the lighting/plants in the area, etc. Not at all true! It's very similar to designing homes across the country virtually or working on a custom new build home where we have nothing to walk through to work on design plans starting from scratch. The Tilly team is experts in their field, they understand plants that are native to your area, how the sun rises and sets with the orientation of your home based on a survey of your home and using google earth, the tools at their fingertips are amazing! It made so much more sense to use Tilly to come up with a really cool custom design and then take that information to an installer/contractor in our area to implement their plans. It's similar to using an architect that lives in a different region and then taking his or her plans to a local builder to execute the plans. It works especially if the designer, in this case Tilly, is really good at what they do and they are!

To break it down, Tilly provided us with a professional landscape designer who worked with our current landscaping and our vision for what we wanted the front and backyard to become to create a custom unique plan for our space. We were first given a planting plan and photos of exactly which plants to purchase along with layout and lighting plans and examples of landscape lighting. Tilly also provided us with stunning 3D images which were incredibly realistic and really gave us a complete vision of the finished product. These materials gave us the confidence to tackle this project and bring our yard to life!

Planting Plan (backyard focused) & Lighting Plan

Tilly 3D renders which show the mature landscape

What were some of your priorities for your design?

Our yard felt very sparse, bare and neglected. We wanted to fill our yard with lush, green landscaping that felt both tropical and modern reflecting the area we live in as well as the style of our home. I wanted palm trees, banana trees, and rows of luscious greenery against our bright, white home to bring in some needed color and texture. We also are HUGE fans of outdoor lighting and wanted to be sure we incorporated the correct lighting concepts to set the mood in the evenings as well.

What did you find particularly helpful about working with the Tilly team?

I would recommend Tilly to EVERYONE! The Tilly team is so thorough, detailed and really got to us and our needs both functionally and aesthetically. They are realistic and kept in mind our short and long term goals-giving options to phase out the plans because it is a big investment and not everyone can do everything at one time. This reminded me so much of what we do for clients. Having our own design firm, young babies and a busy schedule we loved that Tilly allowed us to complete the landscaping within our own timeframe. Some things we wanted to tackle right away such as the front yard landscaping for curb appeal while we needed to hold off on other aspects. Tilly also felt like a much more modern tool for landscape design with extremely reasonable pricing compared to traditional landscape options.

I also found the price to be incredible…even with 3D renderings! When we got quotes locally for this same type of service it was at least triple the cost. Doing the plans remotely adds so much of a cost savings it's incredible and that allows you to buy more plants and execute more of your plans in phase one. A win win!

Megan & Hugh Molten with their new front yard landscape

What did you think of your final plan?

We are so in love with our final plan for our yard! We were able to create the perfect oasis with tropical plants and a modern flair. We truly feel our yard is a reflection of our personal style and now matches the overall feel of our home. Yards can be a labor of love and we are big believers that landscaping completely changes the overall look and feel of a home. With Tilly’s expertise we were able to create the yard of our dreams!

What were some of the benefits of having a professional design your outdoor space?

As a designer, I of course had a vision for our yard however we desperately needed assistance in getting the job done. Tilly’s landscape architects are truly experts in their field. I had no idea how detailed landscape architecture was until I went through this process. It's truly amazing to see how involved it is and how knowledgeable these designers are. They have such a vision that is beyond anything I could ever dream up and I'm a designer! It's a completely different animal. It's why we as interior designers hire a third party contractor to do all of our window treatments- measuring and installing. It's a beast! And takes an expert in that field to do it with perfection!

What is up next?

We are thrilled to begin executing phase two of our landscaping plan ~ the backyard. We began designing and planning a pool for our backyard this year and are officially in the construction phase. Once our pool is complete we will integrate our landscaping plans created with the Tilly team. We can not wait to see the 3D images of our backyard come to life!