Sonoma Outdoor Escapes is a boutique family-run, landscape and design installation company based in Sonoma County. When clients work with us, they’re not handed off between departments or passed through layers of management. They’re working directly with the people who care deeply about the outcome.
A Timeless Approach to Landscape Design in Sonoma County
Meet the Team
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Andrew Strautman
Landscape Designer/ Project Manager
Andrew Strautman is the designer and creative lead behind Sonoma Outdoor Escapes. A former chef turned landscaper, he brings a deep respect for flavor, craftsmanship, and land to every project. He works closely with clients to create timeless, livable outdoor spaces that grow more meaningful over time.
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Marikate Dougan
Garden Care Manager/ Visual Artist
Marikate Dougan is a seasoned gardener with over ten years of hands-on experience and a trained artist featured in the international Art Museum of America- San Francisco. She oversees all garden accounts at Sonoma Outdoor Escapes. Marikate brings care, consistency, and an artist’s sensibility to the long-term health and beauty of every garden we maintain.
An Inspireds Approach to Landscape Design
A note from AndrewMy Path to the Garden
My connection to gardening didn’t begin as a business decision. It began as a way to steady myself during a difficult chapter of life.
I am a classically chef from the Culinary Institute of America, with years spent working in demanding professional kitchens. After a serious injury abruptly ended my formal culinary education, followed closely by the loss of my father, gardening became a place of healing and structure. Tending a garden slowly, day after day, taught me patience, observation, and respect for natural systems.
That relationship with the land never left. Long before landscaping became my profession, I was an avid home gardener, constantly learning through experience what plants, soil, and ecosystems need in order to thrive.
How Food Shapes the Way I Design Gardens
Food has always been the thread connecting my life and work. Growing up around professional kitchens instilled an understanding that quality comes from restraint, repetition, and care. not shortcuts or trends.
As the designer and creative lead at Sonoma Outdoor Escapes, I bring that same mindset to outdoor spaces:
gardens should support daily life, not just look good once
edible plants should be functional and integrated naturally
materials should age gracefully and feel honest
design should feel intentional without being rigid
I personally handle the design, layout, and plant selection for every project. Our team executes that vision with precision, ensuring the final space reflects the values behind it.
My Approach
Andrew working as a chef for cockscomb restaurant 2018
I lead every project personally. From the first conversation and design direction to the final details in the field. I am supported by a close-knit team that shares our standards and values. That structure allows us to stay present, accountable, and genuinely invested in each space we create.
For our clients, this means clarity, continuity, and a relationship built on trust rather than transactions.
Built Slowly, With Intention
Sonoma Outdoor Escapes was built gradually. The same way we believe good gardens are built. Over time, I earned my contractor’s license, grew the company carefully, and assembled a small team that understands our approach.
We intentionally focus on design and installation, and we maintain only the gardens we personally install. This allows us to stay deeply connected to our work and our clients, rather than rushing between properties or prioritizing volume over quality.
This model keeps the company personal, the work consistent, and the results long-lasting.
Rooted in Sonoma County
My fiancé and I chose to settle in Forestville because Sonoma County reflects the values we care about: connection to food, respect for land, and a slower, more intentional pace of life.
Today, Sonoma Outdoor Escapes continues to grow as a family-run business grounded in those principles. Every project is approached with care, patience, and the understanding that outdoor spaces should evolve alongside the people who live in them.