About us and our studio
Elisa Read Pappaterra is an internationally recognized, award-winning licensed landscape architect in the state of California, and horticultural specialist with a focus on richly botanical and sustainable, fire-wise landscapes in Southern California. She is well known in the landscape, nursery, and horticultural world for her insatiable thirst for plant knowledge, appreciation for rare plants, and her dedication to environmentally sensitive design. Passion and knowledge are integrated through a holistic approach that considers all components of a site, from natural to cultural (“from soil to soul”).
Elisa is the founder and principal of studio pappaterra, a firm with a vision to explore symbiotic connections within the Wild-Urban Interface (WUI), educate and to create artistic yet environmentally appropriate botanical gardens in Southern California and beyond
Our expertise and approach
Professionally trained as an architect, Elisa has a bachelor’s degree in architecture (UNPHU 1998, Dominican Republic) and a master’s degree in metropolitan research and design (SCI-Arc 2001 Los Angeles, CA). She worked previously as the horticultural specialist at RIOS (2011-2022), where she developed landscape designs and research projects for Descanso Gardens, the LAX Northside Master Plan, Palm Springs Downtown Park, and residential gardens.
Since 2020, she has been actively involved in fire-wise research, consultation, and design implementation with the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains. A result of that collaboration is defensiblespace.org, a website that compiles best practices for sustainable, fire-wise landscaping in Southern California. This work has led to various speaking engagements and in-depth landscape evaluations for homeowners in the Wild Urban Interface (WUI) of Los Angeles County.
Elisa won an artist-in-residency fellowship in the spring of 2022 for the Chaumont Sur-Loire International Garden Festival in France. The outcome of that work was the Garden of Reciprocity, an artistic play of materials and plants that encouraged reflection and a renewed communion with nature. This RIOS collaboration won best design among the garden’s exhibits.
studio pappaterra opened its doors in 2022 with a vision to explore symbiotic connections within the Wild-Urban Interface (WUI) and to create artistic yet environmentally appropriate botanical gardens in Southern California and beyond. A full service landscape design firm, we love collaborating with clients, and consultants to create unique, artistic, site specific projects that enhance value for all users
Our Team
Michael Todoran, Bertilla Baudinière, Elisa and Danielle Behr
We’re a passionate team made stronger by our diverse backgrounds and expertise. Our team of talented designers, visionaries and dreamers is committed to excellence. We’re proud to collaborate with our clients, architects, artists, builders, nurseries, environmental advocates, non-profits, and developers to create meaningful, immersive and experiential spaces that foster habitat, community and connections.
Our Services
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We are a full service landscape architecture and design firm. We can develop projects from site analysis, thru design, permitting, bidding, construction administration and landscape curatorial services.
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We are one of the leading experts in the design and fire ecology field for Southern California. Actively engaging in practice and thought leadership in fire-wise research, consultation, and design implementation. Our connections in the environmental and wildfire fields allow us to provide for your project design guided by the best resources available.
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We are well known in the landscape, nursery, and horticultural world for our insatiable thirst for plant knowledge, appreciation for rare plants and our focus for environmentally sensitive design. Our gardens are botanically rich and horticulturally appropriate.
