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| | Meet Deborah
Deborah Kuchar is the principal and designer behind Green Alchemy. For over a decade, Deborah has used plants, stone, water, pottery, ambient lighting, and found materials to create one-of-a-kind natural spaces that reflect the unique desires of her clients. Water thrifty, low maintenance and natural are the top concerns of her clients. Her portfolio features a range of design styles and includes adapting boulders as bird attractants and structural support, a renovated foundry of live/work homes, and co-housing that contributes to community, .
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| | Deborah specializes in exterior garden design, interior garden design, and special event design for individuals, couples, and businesses. Deborah also provides public speaking, public workshops, and articles on garden design and the transformation of indoor and outdoor spaces into unique natural environments.
Where it all started
Deborah started her career at the San Francisco Flower Market selling interior plants and cut flowers from around the world. Eventually the desire to know more about the plants attached to the cut flowers led her to work as a landscaper. While employed with Marriott Facilities Management Deborah collaborated with Tom Bresson of the Urban Farmer Store and implemented installation of one of the California first subsurface irrigation systems to center divide turf areas at David Grant Medical Center, thus eliminating copious amounts of over spray ending up in the street . After leaving Marriott Deborah worked for Kaiser Permanente in Oakland renovating the grounds and installing drip systems. Her designs and maintenance practices were a reflection of her studies at the Horticulture Department of Merritt College where she focused not only on plants but entomology and construction. At this time it was made clear to Deborah that her designs contributed healing and refuge to staff, patients and visitors. Self taught in design Deborah crafted many garden designs for friends and coworkers before her contractor buddies started asking her to design for their clients. Deborah left Kaiser to start her own business in 1999. Since then Deborah has been featured numerous times on Home & Garden Television (HGTV) and was key speaker at the 2003 Sacramento Home and Garden Show where she designed 5 gardens for sponsor OSH. Her draught tolerant garden designs have won her clients rebates from EBMUD and she is certified in installation of controllers that work off of evaporation rates. Deborah has been a member of the Renaissance Toastmasters and served as President, VP of Education and Area Governor. In 2007, Deborah traveled to Washington DC and donated her design services to the University of Santa Clara as they competed and took 3rd place in the Solar House Decathlon, hosted by the Department of Energy.
During winter months you can find Deborah volunteering at the Spiral Garden, a non profit in Oakland that feeds the elderly.
Deborah is a member of the California Lichen Society.
Where we're at now
Deborah's design methodology is guided by the simple yet profound belief that gardens should seamlessly integrate into the lives and lifestyles of the people who use them. She begins her projects by listening to her client's goals and then helps them explore their unspoken and underlying desires. Using 22 years of garden and plant knowledge as a foundation, Deborah guides her clients through a design process that emphasizes their collaboration and creative exploration every step of the way. The end result is a unique natural space that reflects the client's true nature, personality, and lifestyle.
Gardens are not always green, and though Green Alchemy clients are definitely an 'organic' bunch there is still a long way to go. Deborah's goal is to continually educate and inspire through the integration of nature. The development of the Green Alchemy web site is to gather resources, tools and skills that will help its readers find ways to heal problems our environment suffers from and replace them with solutions. | |
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| | Hair: Tiffani @ 17 Jewels Salon & Spa in Oakland | |
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