New England Home 5 Under 40 Honors Landscape Architect Dennis Staton

Portrait by Bruce Goravin

Photograph by Anthony Crisafulli

Photograph by Anthony Crisafulli

Photograph by Anthony Crisafulli

Photograph by Anthony Crisafulli

It’s been five years since the launch of Dennis Staton’s landscape architecture design-build studio, Design Outside, in Westport, Massachusetts. He says that’s got him thinking about longevity. Now thirty-seven, Staton has been around landscape design all his life (his father was a landscape contractor); he vividly remembers his first napkin sketch, and his decision to start a business with friend and cofounder Tim Brown.

Licensed in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, Staton seems well on his way to a long and storied career, but how did he know he was ready to go out on his own?

“Actually, I didn’t,” he says. “It was after Covid, and I felt compelled to work with clients who shared a passion for how important landscapes are to connecting with friends, family, and nature, and how they can be a natural extension of the home.”

By then, he’d held senior design positions with award-winning firms, including LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects.

Staton earned his master’s degree in landscape architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design, where he was honored with the Dan Tuttle Endowed Scholarship Award for Design Excellence. “It was at RISD that I focused on the practice of critical thinking and making, which allowed me to expand my understanding of what landscapes can be and how they can relate to people’s lives and homes,” he says.

Staton says he’s fortunate to have clients who share his vision. “I like to think that we’re using the landscape to make meaningful memories,” he says. Design Outside, which employs a team of eleven, doesn’t just plant and go; it has a dedicated garden care and land stewardship division, which is very important to Staton as he positions the firm for growth.

Staton lives with his wife and two young daughters in coastal Rhode Island, where he says the region’s landscapes continue to inspire his work.

This year’s 5 Under 40 awards ceremony will be held on September 17, 2026,  at The Galleria at 333 Stuart Street in Boston. The festivities will include food, drink, and the chance to catch up with old friends while making new ones. The highlight of the evening is the auction of five unique rugs designed by our 2026 winners and produced by Landry & Arcari Rugs and Carpeting, with all proceeds supporting SOLA (the School of Leadership, Afghanistan). Click here to purchase tickets.