FORM.Studio | Where Possibilities Take Shape Partner Website

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By Sarah Ericson

Their name, their purpose, and their team dynamic says it all. FORM.studio is a landscape design firm committed to molding ideas into solutions and giving shape to otherwise limitless options. Ashley Daniel and Tim Bowler have a combined 25 years of experience with forward-thinking landscape design, and they’ve joined forces as FORM.studio to continue merging form and function throughout the West.

Ashley and Tim spent over a decade working for an industry-leading firm where they specialized in landscape design and installation in the Mountain West. They launched FORM.studio in the fall of 2024 where their focus remains to design landscapes for the West’s climate, topography, and horticultural palette. Their diverse portfolios—both as individual artists and as a unified team—show clients the infinite possibilities that can make their outdoor dreams come true.

Landscape design has always been about harnessing natural elements to complement the owner’s style. Top-tier landscape designers know how to match the outdoor elements to the style of interiors, establishing a proven process in which architects, engineers, and builders are an interdisciplinary team. In active communities like Sun Valley, Idaho, and Jackson, Wyoming, clients’ lifestyles play a vital role in how landscape design is approached. Ashley and Tim are poised to take this lifestyle integration to the next level.

“Architectural trends always trickle down to landscape design. Our concept of Outdoor Wellness Components encapsulates today’s emerging trend.”

–Ashley Daniel, Founder, Creative Director, FORM.studio

“Architectural trends always trickle down to landscape design. Our concept of Outdoor Wellness Components encapsulates today’s emerging trend,” says Ashley. The term wellness is en vogue across an array of disciplines, and Ashley and Tim know exactly what it means for their clients’ outdoor spaces. A wellness lifestyle—one that purposefully integrates physical, mental, and spiritual activities in pursuit of holistic health—is central to life in Sun Valley and Jackson. “The outdoor culture and lifestyle has always existed here, but at this moment, both wellness-focused activity and recovery have come home, so to speak,” says Ashley. “The home space used to be separate from people’s pursuits of activity and recovery,” adds Tim. “Activities that were traditionally available at gyms and resorts are now elements that are becoming more integrated into people’s personal spaces.”

Luxury living now means the inclusion of hot tubs, cold plunges, dry saunas, outdoor showers, and more. FORM.studio specializes in the thoughtful and artful design for seamless flow between indoor and outdoor placement of these zones. “Regardless of scale, whether the project is a rooftop patio or a 60-acre homestead, we’re particular about all the details that unify lifestyle with landscape,” says Ashley. “We design everything with the ultimate goal for our clients to feel good, where the benefits of wellness are integrated subtly but the feeling is overt,” adds Tim.

“Design is an interdisciplinary effort, and we have no ego about that. We value the expertise of architects, engineers, and builders, and we know we can accomplish anything when we rely on each other’s strengths.”

–Tim Bowler, Partner, Studio Landscape Architect, ASLA, FORM.studio

A recently completed project is on display at the Hyndman Residence in Sun Valley. This home, designed by Farmer Payne Architects, features a grand stone wall in its interior. “Right away, we knew that we had to pull that same material language into the outdoor space. Stretching the material through the courtyard and integrating it into the sauna created continuity in the indoor-outdoor transition,” describes Ashley. Designing in this way is essential to FORM.studio’s process regardless of whether the project is a new build or a renovation of existing structures. “Design is an interdisciplinary effort, and we have no ego about that. We value the expertise of architects, engineers, and builders, and we know we can accomplish anything when we rely on each other’s strengths,” says Tim.

The stone wall at Hyndman Residence offers both a transition through space and an anchor to place, another concept that Ashley notes is essential to their process. “The importance of place is ever-present in our process. This wall, the chosen plants, the positioning of a prominent peak’s view—these elements root us to our physical place on the land, our relationship to the valley, and our place in a regional sense. Thoughtful design allows us to be both locally tethered and regionally connected all at once,” says Ashley.

Place is a key consideration in one of FORM.studio’s upcoming projects, Quarry & Quell. The historical connection to the mining industry is undeniable in landscapes shaped by mineral prospecting. Quarry & Quell will pay homage to that history with a sauna constructed of old timbers and materials symbolizing the foregone era. “We’ve packed a lot of historical elements into a small scale, where the sauna will be built into a hillside and the earthen roof will be shrouded in native grasses. Connecting the place with the design narrative is especially fun in a project like this. There’s a lot of excitement between us and the client as we allow ourselves to dream it into reality,” shares Tim.

“We’re seeing a shift away from minimalism. It’s not necessarily moving to an era of ornate decor, but it’s opening the possibilities for more texture, more patterns, and more life.”

–Ashley Daniel, Founder, Creative Director, FORM.studio

FORM.studio’s three-tiered design process intentionally factors fun into its three distinct phases: Schematic Design, Design Development, and Construction Documentation. Each phase balances creativity with practicality, and both fanciful artistry and precise details are honored. “Ashley has a particular talent for rooftop gardens and other spaces where designers face real constraints. She works with vertical elements and layering to create depth in compact areas,” says Tim. Ashley credits their success to the land itself. “In Sun Valley’s dramatic landscape, we always strive to preserve the rawness and the character of the land. Restraint is an underutilized discipline, one that we prioritize regardless of scale,” she adds.

As FORM.studio continues to merge lifestyle pursuits with landscape creations, their process remains malleable for emerging trends. “We’re seeing a shift away from minimalism. It’s not necessarily moving to an era of ornate decor, but it’s opening the possibilities for more texture, more patterns, and more life,” notes Ashley. “Matching architectural trends is inherent in successful landscape design, and we’re committed to adapting alongside other professional disciplines with plant palettes that the land will sustain,” says Tim. The success of any installation relies on the stability of its interdisciplinary team. FORM.studio is dedicated to form and function within a landscape that connects people to place.

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