For many homeowners, outdoor living begins and ends with summer. A patio, a grill, perhaps a pool, and then the space sits largely unused once cooler temperatures arrive. Mike and Jesse Fink, founders of Fink Garden Studios, believe outdoor spaces can offer beauty, comfort, and purpose throughout every season, especially in Western New York, where the landscape is constantly changing.
The twin brothers' passion for landscape design began in childhood while helping care for their aunt's gardens, learning plant identification, maintenance, and design principles. Transitioning from careers in medicine, they continued assisting friends and family with landscape projects for years before launching Fink Garden Studios three years ago, blending their love of design with their understanding of health and wellness.
“We don't always appreciate how much our environment affects us,” Mike explains. “When you think about design through the lens of bringing rest, reducing stress, creating focus, and improving well-being, you have tremendous latitude to create a very personal space."
Designing for Life Outdoors
At the heart of Fink Garden Studios' philosophy is the belief that outdoor spaces should function as true extensions of the home as the brothers start by understanding how clients want to live.
The process resembles a consultation in a healthcare setting, Mike explains. Through conversations, they explore places and experiences that inspire clients and how they hope to use the space, whether for entertaining, relaxation, exercise, or reflection.
“We try to understand what brings them joy,” Mike says. “The goal is to create a space where they want to be and want to stay.”
Making Outdoor Spaces Work in Every Season
Designing for year-round enjoyment requires a different mindset than simply creating a beautiful summer landscape. Western New York's climate presents unique challenges, but Mike believes it also offers unique opportunities. One key strategy is using plants that maintain visual interest throughout the year.
“If a garden is entirely deciduous, you lose privacy once the leaves fall,” he explains. Evergreen hedgerows can provide year-round enclosure and comfort, while multi-stem understory trees create striking silhouettes during winter months. Carefully placed lighting highlights their architectural forms after dark.
Other plants contribute seasonal beauty as well. Dogwoods offer colorful stems that stand out against snow, while hollies and evergreen shrubs provide texture and structure. Ornamental grasses can remain in place through winter, golden tones adding movement and warmth to snowy landscapes.
Rather than fighting the seasons, Mike encourages homeowners to embrace them. “The changing appearance of plants is part of the beauty,” he says. “A landscape should evolve throughout the year.”
Extending the Outdoor Living Season
Mike has noticed a growing preference for naturalistic gardens and immersive plantings over heavily built environments dominated by concrete and hardscaping. Homeowners seek outdoor rooms where they can unwind, reconnect with nature, and spend meaningful time with family and friends.
One innovation helping to extend seasonal use is the SOAKE Pool. Developed in New England to expand the outdoor living season, these compact precast concrete plunge pools function as refreshing cooling pools during the summer and are heated as hot tubs during colder months. Because of their smaller footprint and four-season functionality, Mike sees them as a natural fit for homeowners looking to maximize outdoor enjoyment in Western New York.
The Power of Thoughtful Lighting
Lighting also plays an important role in creating spaces that remain inviting during shorter fall and winter days. The Fink brothers favor a restrained approach. Rather than flooding landscapes with bright fixtures, they use subtle illumination to create warmth and atmosphere.
Path lights provide safety and guide movement through the landscape, while carefully placed uplighting can highlight trees and other architectural elements. “We want a soft glow,” Mike says. “You don't want a bunch of glaring lights. You want the space to feel cozy and inviting.”
Creating a Space That Makes You Feel Something
One of the most common mistakes homeowners make, according to Mike, is focusing too heavily on individual features rather than the overall experience. “A pool, patio, or hot tub by itself doesn't create a destination,” he says. “You have to think about how everything works together.”
Whether the goal is relaxation, entertaining, connection, or reflection, successful outdoor spaces are built around intentional design. Even small properties can become meaningful retreats when every element is carefully considered.
For the Fink brothers, the ultimate measure of success isn't simply how a landscape looks; it's how it makes people feel. When designed with care, an outdoor space becomes more than a backyard. It becomes a place for everyday restoration, family memories, and year-round enjoyment.
“It's amazing to experience how restorative thoughtful outdoor spaces can be,” Mike says.
Seasonal Style: Container Garden Tips from Botanica of NY
A well-designed outdoor space shouldn't lose its appeal when the seasons change. Krystol O'Rourke of Botanica of NY recommends homeowners treat outdoor spaces with the same care and intentionality they bring to interiors, creating outdoor “rooms” that remain inviting year-round.
A former family medicine physician who spent 25 years caring for patients before transitioning into horticulture and outdoor design, O'Rourke believes outdoor environments play an important role in well-being. “Natural light and being outside are incredibly rejuvenating,” she says.
One of her first suggestions is to design outdoor spaces close to the home whenever possible. A terrace outside the kitchen, a seating area visible from frequently used windows, or a cozy patio near the back door is more likely to become part of everyday life than a destination tucked deep into the yard. “When you see a space regularly, you're much more likely to use it,” she says.
To create an outdoor room, think in terms of walls, floors, and ceilings. Gravel terraces can define a floor, while planters, ornamental grasses, trellises, and shrubs create walls. Umbrellas, pergolas, or overhead structures help establish a sense of enclosure and comfort. “When a space feels enclosed and intentional, it becomes a destination instead of simply a spot in the yard," she says.
Container gardens play a key role in keeping spaces fresh throughout the year. For fall, O'Rourke recommends embracing the season's harvest-inspired palette with burgundy foliage, mums, pansies, ivy, ornamental grasses, evergreen accents, berries, seed pods, gourds, and even decorative fruits such as pomegranates. Winter containers featuring evergreen boughs, moss, twigs, pinecones, and sculptural elements provide visual interest through March.
When selecting plants, preparation is critical, O’Rourke says. Consider sunlight, wind exposure, proximity to water, and heat reflected from pavement before choosing plants. Western New York gardeners should also plan for deer activity by selecting deer-resistant or deer-tolerant varieties whenever possible.
O'Rourke also encourages homeowners to carry their interior design style outdoors. Repeating colors, textures, and design themes in planters, furnishings, and décor creates a seamless transition between home and garden.
Finally, don't overlook year-round focal points. A birdbath, sculpture, obelisk, decorative bench, or other permanent feature can anchor the space and provide beauty long after seasonal flowers have faded.