Lifescapes International was founded in the early 1950s by Don and Barbara Brinkerhoff, beginning as a small design practice built at a drafting table in their home. Don, a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in ornamental horticulture, brought deep knowledge of plants and landscape systems, while Barbara’s instinct for color, flowers, and composition helped shape the firm’s early creative direction. Together they established a design philosophy rooted in lush planting, waterscapes, and immersive outdoor environments.

As Southern California expanded in the 1970s and 1980s, Lifescapes became known for creating distinctive landscape environments within multifamily communities and master-planned developments. Projects such as The Lakes Country Club in Palm Desert demonstrated how landscape and water features could define the character of an entire community, setting the stage for the firm’s next chapter.

That work led to an international opportunity designing the Cascades Hotel at Sun City in South Africa—an experience that became one of the most transformative chapters in LIfescapes’ history: the resurgence of the Las Vegas Strip as a global resort destination.

Beginning with The Mirage in 1989—the first new resort built on the Strip in more than 16 years—Lifescapes helped redefine the role of landscape design in destination resorts. Gardens, water features, and immersive environments became integral to the storytelling and identity of the properties. The firm would go on to design many of the most recognizable resort landscapes on the Strip, including Bellagio, The Venetian, Wynn, Encore, and Fontainebleau Las Vegas.

In 1996, Lifescapes was also selected to design the Las Vegas Boulevard Beautification Project—a 4.5-mile palm-lined oasis running through the center median of the Strip—helping unify the resort corridor and reinforce the boulevard’s identity as one of the world’s most iconic destinations.

Lifescapes’ work has also expanded internationally, with projects spanning Asia and Europe. From luxury residential communities to resort destinations, each landscape reflects a careful response to its cultural and environmental setting while maintaining the firm’s signature immersive design approach.

Today, Lifescapes continues to be guided by a leadership team with deep roots in the firm, including senior executives Andrew Kreft, Dan Trust, Roger Voettiner, Alvaro Amador and Mike Meyers—each of whom has spent decades helping shape the company’s work and culture. Their long-standing leadership ensures the values established by the founders continue to influence the firm’s projects and vision for the future.