Every Space Has a Story. We Make It Unforgettable.
At Chen Studio Exteriors we believe that the outdoor environment is not a finishing touch. It is the first impression, the lasting memory, and the strategic heartbeat of any hospitality brand that takes itself seriously.
We design commercial landscape environments and custom botanical installations for boutique hotels, restaurants, and private estates across the Southwest and beyond. Every project begins with a single question: what do you want people to feel the moment they arrive?
From there, every plant, every stone, and every living installation we place is in service of that answer.
Our MIssion
Our People
Our Story
Born in Scottsdale. Built for the World.
Eight years of fearless design rooted in one belief — outdoor environments deserve the same intention as any interior space.
Chen Studio Exteriors was founded after years of watching hospitality brands invest millions in their interiors and leave their courtyards, terraces, and gardens as afterthoughts. Lily Chen built this studio to close that gap — bringing the same precision, boldness, and strategic thinking to outdoor environments that the best interior designers bring to the spaces inside.
Our Story
Our MIssion
Our People
Rafael Morales
Senior Landscape Designer
Priya Nair
Botanical Specialist and Project Manager
Precision Is a Team Sport.
Chen Studio Exteriors is led by Lily Chen and supported by a small, expert team of designers and project specialists who share her belief that bold does not mean impractical and beautiful does not mean fragile.
Our People
Our Story
Our MIssion
Design That Transforms. Environments That Last.
We exist to turn overlooked outdoor spaces into the most memorable part of any property.
Every hotel courtyard, restaurant terrace, and estate garden has the potential to become the most photographed, most talked about, most remembered element of a guest's experience. Our mission is to make sure it does — through fearless design choices, precise execution, and a deep understanding of what great hospitality environments actually need to do.
"The outdoor terrace Lily designed for us has been featured in four publications and shared thousands of times on social media. People come to Fuego Cocina specifically because of what they saw online. The design is doing marketing work we could never have paid for."
Our Terrace Prints More Than the Menu.
Sofia M., Chef and Owner
Fuego Cocina, Downtown Scottsdale
"We hired Lily because we needed our hotel courtyard to feel like an extension of everything we had built inside. What she delivered exceeded every expectation. Guests book specific rooms now just to be closer to the garden. It has become the heart of the property."
The Courtyard Became the Brand.
James K., Owner
The Modern Nomad Hotel, Scottsdale
"We came to Lily with a rooftop bar that had good bones but no soul. She brought in a botanical installation concept we had never seen before and completely transformed how guests experience the space. Reservations doubled within two months of reopening."
We Didn't Know It Was Possible Until We Saw It.
Derek O., General Manager
The Aldea Hotel, Scottsdale
Every project we take on leaves a mark. Here is a look at some of the environments we have had the privilege of bringing to life.
Spaces That Refuse to Be Forgotten.
RECENT WORK
