Topo d'Oro Landscape Design
(847) 387-9509
North Shore

Landscape Design & Build in Wilmette, Illinois

Call (847) 387-9509Request a Design Consultation
Landscape design and build project by Topo d'Oro in Wilmette, Illinois

Wilmette sits on the lake five miles north of our Evanston studio, and it is two different landscape problems in one village. East of Ridge Road you have pre-war revival and Prairie School houses on irregular, well-treed lots, including the curvilinear plat of Indian Hill Estates. West of Ridge you have postwar ranch and split-level stock on a conventional grid. Topo d'Oro designs and builds across both — hardscape, decks and pergolas, outdoor living, lighting and turf — with drawings that respect the Village's tree preservation requirements.

Services

What we build in Wilmette

  • Landscape Design

    Custom landscape design for Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicago's North Shore. AutoCAD site plans, 3D renderings, planting design and full build documentation.

  • Hardscaping

    Natural stone patios, walkways, driveways, retaining walls and stone fireplaces built for Chicago freeze-thaw. Serving Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicagoland.

  • Decks & Pergolas

    Custom cedar and ipe decks, pergolas, railings, fences and privacy screens built in-house. Iron and woodwork for Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicagoland.

  • Outdoor Living

    Custom outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, fire pits and rooftop terraces designed and built for Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicago's North Shore.

  • Lighting & Water

    Low-voltage LED landscape lighting, color-changing systems, fountains and ponds designed and installed for Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicago's North Shore.

  • Artificial Turf

    Professional artificial turf installation for lawns, pet areas, putting greens and rooftops in Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicagoland. Built on a drained base.

  • Commercial Landscaping

    Commercial and association landscaping across Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicago's North Shore. Grounds care, hardscape restoration, drainage and entrance work for property managers and condo boards. Call (847) 387-9509.

  • Snow & Ice Management

    Snow plowing, sidewalk clearing and ice management for residential and commercial property across Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka and Chicago's North Shore. Seasonal contracts. Call (847) 387-9509.

Two Wilmettes, two design problems

Indian Hill Estates was developed from 1926 on long winding roads, and its curvilinear plat produced irregular, larger, well-treed lots. Kenilworth Gardens filled in largely through the 1930s. The lakefront strip north of the village — the parcel locals still call No Man's Land — was heavily developed in the 1920s. All of it is pre-war fabric, including two Frank Lloyd Wright houses and other Prairie School work, and it takes a landscape with weight and permanence.

West of Ridge Road is a different village. After the war, builders sold ranch and bi-level models under names like Young Modern and Skylark, and the population went from 18,162 in 1950 to 28,268 in 1960. Those are conventional grid lots with smaller uniform dimensions and a horizontal architecture that wants low, long, horizontal landscape moves rather than vertical formality.

What we build in Wilmette

On the east side the work skews toward natural stone terraces, terraced grade changes, custom ironwork, garden structures and lighting that flatters a hundred-year-old elevation after dark. Mature canopy means shade-tolerant planting or artificial turf where grass has quietly given up.

West of Ridge the work is more often about making a standard rectangular yard into a real outdoor room — a properly sized patio, a pergola for the west-facing afternoon sun, an outdoor kitchen, built-in seating and a lighting plan that turns the yard into something you look at from the kitchen window in January.

The Bahá'í gardens as a local reference

The Bahá'í House of Worship, begun in 1920 and completed in 1953, sits on Sheridan Road with formal terraced gardens around it. It is the most photographed designed landscape in the village and a useful reference point in conversation — it demonstrates, a mile from most of our Wilmette clients, what geometry, level changes and repetition do to a space.

Gillson Park is the other one: sixty acres of lakefront with beaches, a marina and the Wallace Bowl amphitheater, part of more than 300 acres of parkland across fifteen locations. Wilmette residents have a high baseline for what outdoor space should feel like, and their own properties are usually held to it.

Local detail

Local conditions and village requirements

Tree preservation requirements
The Village adopted a tree ordinance effective April 1, 2022 and publishes its requirements through the Village's tree preservation page. We confirm the current thresholds and any fee in lieu with the Village for each project rather than working from assumption.
Historic Preservation Commission
Wilmette has a Historic Preservation Commission and a local landmark program, alongside NRHP districts including Ouilmette North and Oak Circle.
Two distinct lot patterns
Curvilinear, irregular, well-treed lots east of Ridge; conventional grid lots on the postwar west side. The design approach differs accordingly.
Lakefront exposure
Properties on the east edge take lake wind, which affects plant selection, structure engineering and where shade and shelter go.
Where we work

Neighborhoods and areas we serve

  • Indian Hill Estates
  • Kenilworth Gardens
  • the lakefront strip north of the village
  • Ouilmette North Historic District
  • Oak Circle Historic District
  • west of Ridge Road
  • Village Center
Questions

Frequently asked in Wilmette

Do I need a permit to remove a tree in Wilmette?

Wilmette adopted a tree ordinance effective April 1, 2022 with heritage tree protections and a fee in lieu of replacement. The specific diameter thresholds and fee figures should be confirmed directly with the Village for your property — we do that as part of the design phase rather than guessing, because the numbers reported secondhand are not something we will put in front of a client as fact.

How much does a landscape project cost in Wilmette?

It depends far more on scope than on the town. A pergola and a properly built patio is a different project than a full master plan with grading, walls, an outdoor kitchen and a lighting system. We walk the property, scope the work and put a number in writing. Call (847) 387-9509.

Can you work on the older Indian Hill and Prairie School houses?

That is the work we prefer. Founder César R. holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and specializes in hardscape and outdoor living, and matching stone, proportion and detail to a period house is the part of the job that separates a good result from a generic one.

What grows well in a Wilmette yard under mature trees?

Under established canopy the honest options are shade-tolerant planting, a woodland understory approach, or artificial turf where you need a green usable surface and grass simply will not hold. We will tell you which one your yard is, rather than selling you sod that dies by August.

How far is your studio from Wilmette?

About five miles. We are at 1329 Dodge Ave in Evanston, which means our crews are on Wilmette sites in minutes rather than driving in from another county.

Nearby communities

We also work in

  • Kenilworth

    Landscape design, hardscaping, outdoor living and lighting for Kenilworth, IL — designed for the village's large lots, deep setbacks and no-alley plan.

  • Evanston

    Landscape design, hardscaping, outdoor living and lighting in Evanston, IL. Local studio at 1329 Dodge Ave, working within Evanston's tree canopy and historic district rules.

  • Winnetka

    Landscape design, hardscaping, outdoor living and lighting in Winnetka, IL — designed to Winnetka's 50% impervious surface cap and tree protection plan requirements.

Begin your golden sanctuary.

Tell us about the property and how you want to use it. We will walk the site, scope the work and put it in writing.

Call (847) 387-9509Request a Design Consultation