About the Sweeter Magnolia
Outdoor Living & Exterior Design by Chelsea Kemplin
The Sweeter Magnolia is a Lexington, Kentucky-based outdoor living and exterior design studio creating thoughtful, layered properties from the first impression at the curb to the spaces where life happens outside.
Hi, I’m Chelsea.
I’m the designer behind The Sweeter Magnolia.
I design outdoor spaces that feel collected, intentional, and completely at home with the architecture around them.
I love old brick, limestone, boxwoods, hydrangeas, garden paths, beautiful lighting, hidden sitting areas, and spaces that make you want to wander just a little farther.
But what I care about most is not simply making a property beautiful.
I want it to make sense.
I came to design through the landscape industry.
Before The Sweeter Magnolia became an outdoor living and exterior design studio, I spent years working in the landscape industry through Magnolia’s Landscape & Design.
That meant learning what happens after the rendering.
Grading. Drainage. Soil conditions. Installation. Plant performance. Material costs. Contractor coordination. And occasionally discovering that something beautiful on paper makes absolutely no sense once somebody has to build it.
Working on real properties taught me to look at the entire site differently.
I saw how often homeowners were forced to spend money correcting grading, drainage, access, planting, or hardscape decisions that could have been addressed much earlier.
Eventually, I realized the part I loved most was seeing the potential before anything was built.
It wasn’t just landscaping I loved. It was figuring out what the property could become.
I believe the whole property should tell the same story.
A home does not stop at the back door.
The architecture, driveway, front walk, gardens, pool, porch, hardscape, lighting, furniture and outdoor living spaces all contribute to how a property feels.
That is why I do not approach exterior design as a collection of isolated decisions.
I look at how you arrive. Where your eye goes. How guests move through the property.
Where your family gathers. What should feel formal and what should feel slightly wild.
Sometimes that means designing an entire outdoor living plan.
Sometimes it means realizing the walkway is in the wrong place.
And sometimes the answer really is more hydrangeas.
Collected, layered and rooted in place.
My design style draws heavily from English gardens, classic Southern landscapes, traditional architecture and the kind of properties that feel better with age.
I gravitate toward natural stone, reclaimed brick, gravel paths, clipped evergreens, abundant hydrangeas, layered planting, warm exterior lighting and outdoor rooms that feel intimate rather than over-designed.
But I do not want every property to look like a version of the last one.
The goal is to create something that belongs to the architecture, the land and the people who live there.
Outdoor living and exterior design that goes beyond the planting plan.
Projects vary, but my work can include both the larger vision for a property and the details that bring that vision together.
Landscape & Garden Design
Planting character, garden layouts, arrival gardens and property-wide landscape concepts.
Outdoor Living Design
Patios, firepit areas, pergolas, entertaining spaces, pool surroundings and outdoor rooms.
Exterior Material Direction
Stone, brick, gravel, paving, finishes and architectural details.
Concept Plans & Renderings
Aerial concepts, elevations, visual direction and presentation decks.
Sourcing & Styling
Furniture, planters, lighting, accessories and signature finishing moments.
Implementation Support
Contractor coordination, procurement guidance, site layout and design support during installation.
The earlier we think about the outside, the better.
Some of my favorite projects begin before the landscape exists.
When exterior design is considered during the planning or construction phase, decisions about grading, drainage, circulation, hardscape, pools, outdoor structures and landscaping can work together instead of competing later.
I enjoy collaborating with homeowners, builders, architects and contractors early in that process so the property is designed as one cohesive environment rather than a house first and everything else afterward.
Based in Lexington. Designing beyond Kentucky.
The Sweeter Magnolia is based in Lexington, Kentucky and works with residential, hospitality and development projects both locally and beyond.
I am particularly drawn to properties where outdoor living is central to the way people experience a home, from Kentucky horse country to Florida's coastal communities.
Design services can be tailored for local projects as well as destination properties through a combination of site visits, remote design and collaboration with local contractors.