Chen Studio Exteriors is a Scottsdale-based commercial landscape and botanical design studio working with hospitality brands and private estates across the Southwest and nationally. We believe outdoor environments are not decorative. They are strategic.
Design That Lives and Breathes.
Our Approach to Fearless Hospitality.
Every project starts with the story you are trying to tell. Who are your guests? What do you want them to feel? What makes your brand impossible to ignore?
From there we translate that vision into spaces that perform as beautifully as they photograph. We specify materials that can handle real-world wear. We think through traffic flow, acoustics, and lighting before we think about aesthetics.
The result is design that turns first-time guests into regulars and transforms your space into a destination.
I started Chen Studio Exteriors because I saw too many hospitality spaces playing it safe, defaulting to trends instead of creating something guests would actually remember.
My background in commercial design taught me that bold does not mean impractical. Every material we specify can handle high traffic. Every design decision considers function as much as form. There is no reason to choose value or functionality as an excuse for forgettable design.
I was born and raised in San Francisco, trained in landscape architecture and commercial design, and relocated to Scottsdale because of the extraordinary design canvas the desert provides. The heat, the light, the native botanicals, the dramatic landscape — there is nowhere else in the country where outdoor design has this much potential.
The result is work that photographs beautifully, performs flawlessly, and turns spaces into destinations.
I started Chen Studio Exteriors because I saw too many hospitality spaces playing it safe, defaulting to trends instead of creating something guests would actually remember.
My background in commercial design taught me that bold does not mean impractical. Every material we specify can handle high traffic. Every design decision considers function as much as form. There is no reason to choose value or functionality as an excuse for forgettable design.
Meet Lily.
04 stillness
03 contrast
my inspiration / my inspiration / my inspiration
Our People.
meet the team
Priya manages the botanical installations that have become a signature element of Chen Studio's portfolio. With a background in horticulture and a deep knowledge of tropical and desert-adapted species, she ensures every living installation is as healthy and resilient as it is beautiful.
Rafael joined Chen Studio Exteriors after seven years designing resort environments across New Mexico and Arizona. He specializes in desert-adapted planting design and large-scale spatial layout for hospitality environments. His work is precise, considered, and built to perform in extreme climates.
Priya Nair
Botanical Specialist and Project Manager
Rafael Morales
Senior Landscape Designer
The Chen Studio Story.
Lily Chen launches Chen Studio Exteriors in Scottsdale with a focus on boutique hotel and restaurant landscape design. The first project is a 3,000 square foot courtyard redesign for a boutique hotel in Old Town Scottsdale. The project is completed in eight weeks and featured in a regional hospitality publication within three months of opening.
Founded
2019
Chen Studio completes its first large-scale botanical installation for a downtown Scottsdale restaurant group. The project introduces living walls and custom planting structures to the studio's portfolio and establishes botanical installations as a signature Chen Studio offering.
First Botanical Installation
2020
Chen Studio is featured in Desert Home and Architecture Southwest for the completion of The Modern Nomad Hotel courtyard project. Lily is invited to speak at the Southwest Hospitality Design Conference on the role of outdoor environments in guest experience. The studio expands the team with the addition of Rafael Morales as Senior Landscape Designer.
Regional Recognition
2021
Following multiple inquiries from private estate owners in Paradise Valley and Scottsdale, Chen Studio launches a private estate division. Priya Nair joins the team as Botanical Specialist and Project Manager. The studio completes its first multi-phase estate project — a four-acre residential compound with six distinct outdoor environments.
Private Estate Division
2022
Chen Studio accepts its first out-of-state commission, a rooftop garden and dining terrace for a boutique hotel in Santa Fe. The project opens the door to national work and establishes the studio as a regionally rooted but nationally operating design practice. Chen Studio is shortlisted for two national hospitality design awards.
National Projects
05
Lily Chen launches Chen Studio Exteriors in Scottsdale with a focus on boutique hotel and restaurant landscape design. The first project is a 3,000 square foot courtyard redesign for a boutique hotel in Old Town Scottsdale. The project is completed in eight weeks and featured in a regional hospitality publication within three months of opening.
Founded
2019
Chen Studio completes its first large-scale botanical installation for a downtown Scottsdale restaurant group. The project introduces living walls and custom planting structures to the studio's portfolio and establishes botanical installations as a signature Chen Studio offering.
First Botanical Installation
2020
Chen Studio is featured in Desert Home and Architecture Southwest for the completion of The Modern Nomad Hotel courtyard project. Lily is invited to speak at the Southwest Hospitality Design Conference on the role of outdoor environments in guest experience. The studio expands the team with the addition of Rafael Morales as Senior Landscape Designer.
Regional Recognition
2021
Following multiple inquiries from private estate owners in Paradise Valley and Scottsdale, Chen Studio launches a private estate division. Priya Nair joins the team as Botanical Specialist and Project Manager. The studio completes its first multi-phase estate project — a four-acre residential compound with six distinct outdoor environments.
Private Estate Division
2022
Chen Studio accepts its first out-of-state commission, a rooftop garden and dining terrace for a boutique hotel in Santa Fe. The project opens the door to national work and establishes the studio as a regionally rooted but nationally operating design practice. Chen Studio is shortlisted for two national hospitality design awards.
