This summer, I had the chance to spend six weeks at Arrowmont School of Craft in Gatlinburg, Tennessee — a place where creativity feels woven into the walls. Originally founded as a settlement school in the early 1900s, Arrowmont has evolved into a nationally recognized arts‑and‑crafts education center, known for its immersive workshops, rich history, and tight‑knit creative community.
For me, it became something more: a place to reconnect with materials, process, and the hands‑on making that has always shaped how I see the world.
Living in a Community of Makers
During my time at Arrowmont, I lived alongside woodworkers, ceramicists, fiber artists, and sculptors — each person deeply invested in their craft. Days were spent in studios filled with the sounds of carving tools, spinning wheels, and quiet concentration. Evenings were for shared meals, slide talks, and conversations that stretched late into the night.
Being surrounded by people who were constantly experimenting, failing, trying again, and discovering new ways to work with their materials reminded me why I love design in the first place. Craft is slow, intentional, and deeply connected to the physical world — and that mindset has everything to do with how I approach landscape design.
Immersion in Materiality
My workshops focused on woodturning and coopering — processes that require patience, precision, and a willingness to let the material guide the outcome. I spent hours shaping curves, studying grain patterns, and learning how wood responds to pressure, moisture, and time.
Those lessons translate directly to landscape design.
Working with stone, steel, wood, and living plant material requires the same respect for texture, structure, and natural behavior. At Carex Design Group, I’m constantly thinking about how materials age, how they interact with light, and how they create rhythm and balance in a space. Arrowmont deepened that awareness in a way I didn’t expect.
As I carved and shaped each piece, I found myself thinking about hardscaping details — how a retaining wall meets the ground, how a pathway curves, how a pergola casts shadows throughout the day. Craft taught me to slow down and notice the subtleties.
Seeing Space Differently
One of the most meaningful parts of the experience was learning to see negative space as intentionally as the object itself. In woodworking, the voids matter just as much as the structure. In landscape design, the same is true: the open areas, the transitions, and the quiet moments between features are what make a space feel balanced and inviting.
Arrowmont reminded me that design isn’t just about what you add — it’s about what you leave open.
A Creative Reset
Stepping away from digital tools and immersing myself in physical craft felt like a reset. It gave me space to reconnect with the tactile side of design — the part that comes from curiosity, experimentation, and paying attention to the small details.
As I return to my work at Carex Design Group, I’m bringing that renewed perspective with me.
“Arrowmont helped me slow down and reconnect with the materials that shape the spaces we design. It reminded me that good design comes from paying attention — to texture, to light, to the way things feel in your hands.”
— Kate Jolly, Landscape Designer
Bringing Craft Into Landscape Design
Whether I’m sketching a planting plan, refining a hardscape layout, or exploring materials for a new outdoor space, I’m thinking about the lessons I learned this summer:
– Let materials guide the design.
– Celebrate texture and natural variation.
– Use negative space intentionally.
– Build with curiosity and care.
Arrowmont wasn’t just a creative retreat — it was a reminder of why I love designing meaningful outdoor spaces for our clients here in Knoxville.
If you’re ready to start your next Knoxville landscape design project — or want to work with our team to bring thoughtful, material‑driven design to your outdoor space — contact us today to begin the design process.
