Care · Connect · Enjoy

Thoughtful design and ecological guidance for creating outdoor spaces that feel beautiful, connected, and alive.

Get Started Today!
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 cultivate thoughtful spaces, meaningful connections, and everyday beauty through ecology, education, and craft.

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

Through holistic landscape design, educational resources, and thoughtfully crafted goods, Golden Grove Design Co. helps foster deeper connections between people, plants, pollinators, and place. By approaching outdoor spaces with care and intention, we can create environments that support ecological and human health, encourage gathering and interaction, and bring more beauty to our daily lives.

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

Ecological garden design, stewardship support, and collaborative planning for thoughtful outdoor spaces.

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.

The Resource
Library

Plant palettes, garden plans, seasonal guides, and educational resources rooted in intentional ecological living.

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 decor and artwork handcrafted to bring warmth, connection, and care into everyday life.

Find Something Meaningful

Our Design Philosophy

A Monarch butterfly perched on pink wildflowers near a body of water, surrounded by green foliage.

Beautiful, life-giving landscapes are ones we want to care about.

Spaces we CARE about

Designed for gathering and interaction to build healthy communities.

Spaces where we CONNECT

Spaces we can ENJOY

Bringing joy and long-lasting memories to places we call home.

Start the Process
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 who appreciates the little things in life with a smile on my face. Life is too short—might as well experience the world we live in and have fun doing it!

Every outdoor space (big or small) can make a positive impact on our environment. By making educated land use decisions, we can restore life back into our local landscapes and communities. Together, we can cultivate a healthy, happy planet we all can enjoy!

I have experience designing landscapes across the Midwest such as residential gardens and living spaces, public parks and plazas, and commercial master plans.

My work blends holistic ecological systems thinking with thoughtful, beautiful design to create outdoor spaces that feel deeply connected to both the people who inhabit them and the ecosystems that sustain them.

Learn more about my journey!

Ready to Start a Project?

Whether you want fresh garden advice, a thriving native garden, a cozy outdoor living space, or a meaningful gift, I’d love to hear from you!

Book a Consultation