As the owner and head of Stema Gardens, a Greater Toronto Area luxury outdoor landscape design/build company, Christopher Dardarian spends his days turning residential properties into carefully curated, elegant outdoor spaces.
Based in Etobicoke, Dardarian brings a background rooted in horticulture, design, business, and project management. Christopher and Stema Gardens manage every step of the process, from initial concept through to the finishing touches.
Alongside the Stema Gardens team, Christopher manages high-end residential outdoor living projects, including gardens, patios, pools, lighting, and structures like cabanas and pool houses. Whether using his talents to improve a small urban garden or a large country estate, Christopher Dardarian’s work is guided by a simple philosophy that each client’s outdoor space should be beautiful, practical, durable, and easy to enjoy.
What inspired you to create Stema Gardens?
Christopher Dardarian: I’ve always been drawn to outdoor spaces that feel natural and welcoming and really enjoy hosting people and creating a great atmosphere. Before starting Stema, my professional path was not perfectly laid out. I sort of bounced between different sectors and unique projects. After high school, I studied economics in University, followed by a 7-year stint in construction finance as a surety bond broker. After that, I did extensive traveling in Latin America where I lived and worked on permaculture farms and learned about agroecology and planting. On my return from my travels, I opened and operated a busy downtown restaurant called The Bellevue for about 5 years. One of my focuses was to work with local farms for our menu ingredients, deepening my connection to agriculture and the landscape. That experience gave me a taste for entrepreneurship which eventually led to Stema Gardens. After the restaurant, I went back to school at Niagara College where I completed a two-year degree in horticulture which was critical to the work I love today. I have a genuine passion for planting and landscapes, and I knew that I wanted to start my own company to bring that to life. Looking back, each of these experiences have taught me something valuable and given me different perspectives. I wouldn’t be who I am today without them and have no regrets.
In construction finance, I learned how a construction company operates, the risks involved, how to budget properly and execute large scale projects. The restaurant world taught me about design, service and thriving under pressure. I learned how to create a welcoming space that people genuinely enjoy being in. My recent time and efforts in horticulture have given me the technical and creative foundations to work with gardens and landscapes. My travels throughout Latin America and the world gave me hands-on experience living in the jungle in a tropical paradise, as well as cultural life experience I carry with me today. My wife and I still travel to Costa Rica, Mexico, and other destinations whenever we get the opportunity, and I love being able to speak Spanish to my colleagues in the field.
The merger of these experiences is what led me to Stema Gardens and gave me the vision to create garden focused luxury outdoor spaces. This is what I enjoy and is what is important to me in my career. With every project we undertake, we want to create something that is as practical as it is beautiful, allowing our clients to enjoy them for years to come.
How would you describe your approach to garden and outdoor design?
Christopher Dardarian: I start with how people actually live and want to use their properties. An outdoor living space should look good and photograph well, of course, but there’s much more to it than that. It needs to be functional and be a place to escape and relax for morning coffee, family dinners, quiet evenings, entertaining, and everyday life in general.
As for my design style, it’s always a hard question to answer because I appreciate so many different styles, but I would call it “garden-focused & contemporary”. I like to design with clean lines, combine materials like steel and stone and always try to integrate and bring gardens into the space rather than only on the perimeter giving it a lush, almost tropical feel. I find it beautiful to have clean, modern materials juxtaposed with gardens that mimic meadows, or swaths of grass planted in masses. It allows the plants to act as the architectural elements and creates a lovely effect.
What are some of the biggest mistakes homeowners make before starting a landscape project?
Christopher Dardarian: The single biggest mistake I consistently see is the urge to start an outdoor renovation without a firmly established plan. Before ground is broken, before a single material is purchased, every aspect of the project should be mapped out, budgeted, and completely thought through. I understand that people want to spend time and energy on tangible results that they can see and touch, however being through with the design phase will always save you time and money in the end, particularly on larger projects. Without a plan it’s not only hard to describe to contractors what you want them to do, it’s also hard for the contractor to price the work appropriately. This will inevitably lead to changes in scope of work, increased costs, and less-than-ideal results.
Why is maintaining a hands-on role important to you as an owner and operator?
Christopher Dardarian: In short, because details matter. A landscape project has a lot of moving parts. There are clients, tradespeople, all manner of materials, permits, weather, work schedules, and changes that come up once construction starts. If an owner is too far removed from the day-to-day operations, small things can sometimes get missed. Now that’s not to say that I do everything myself. Far from it. I have an amazing team that consistently delivers exceptional work. But it does mean I try to stay as close to the project as I can.
Our clients are putting their trust in us with their homes, paying a considerable amount of money, and investing lots of time and energy into their projects. These are big commitments and we take them seriously. Being hands-on helps me protect the quality of the work.
How have client expectations around outdoor living spaces changed in recent years?
Christopher Dardarian: I think living through the pandemic really changed the way people think about their property and how they want to use it. Being stuck at home in lockdowns made people realize just how valuable a well-designed outdoor space can be. Many homeowners began viewing their yards as an extension of their living space rather than simply a patch of grass behind the house to be mowed occasionally. They want places where they can relax, spend time with family, do outdoor activities, and enjoy the beauty of lush gardens and wildlife. Although 2020 is far behind us, I think that shift in perspective influences the kinds of landscape projects people are looking for today.
Finally, how do you balance aesthetics, functionality, and long-term durability in your projects?
Christopher Dardarian: Carefully and with purpose. If a space looks beautiful but doesn’t function properly, it has failed. If it’s functional but uninspiring, it has also failed. With each of our projects, the goal of Stema Gardens is to achieve both beauty and functionality while ensuring the project stands the test of time. That’s the standard we hold ourselves to, and it’s what our clients deserve.
