_edited.jpg)
NSLA Design is a landscape architecture practice based on the Mornington Peninsula, creating considered outdoor environments for residential and select public projects. Our work balances design clarity, ecological understanding and long-term value.
About NSLADesign
NSLA Design is a boutique Mornington Peninsula landscape architecture studio founded by Australian registered landscape architect Natalie Sheffield.
Natalie brings over 25 years’ experience working across public and private sector landscape and urban design projects in Australia and California, along with a lifelong passion for artful design, botany, building communities and supporting healthy natural environments.
After spending the past decade working in California, Natalie returned to Australia in 2025 and is now based on the Mornington Peninsula. The establishment of NSLA Design reflects her extensive and diverse professional background and a commitment to thoughtful, site-responsive and project-specific landscape design.
NSLA Design creates customised landscape and external environment solutions that respond to climate, place, client needs, budget and lifestyle. The practice values external environments that are not only beautiful and functional, but that also improve usability, environmental performance, and contribute to healthier lifestyles and communities.
NSLA Design works collaboratively with architects, developers, specialist consultants and clients to deliver best-practice, integrated landscape and urban design solutions tailored to each project.
Design Services
NSLA Design provides landscape architecture services for residential and select public projects across the Mornington Peninsula and beyond, with a strong focus on site-responsive, climate aware and environmentally sustainable design. The level of documentation provided is tailored to suit the project scale, approval requirements and client needs.
Residential Landscape Design
Campus / Education Landscape Design
Commercial & Urban Design
NSLA Design delivers high-quality residential landscape architecture for new homes, renovations and established properties. Projects are tailored to site, climate and lifestyle, creating outdoor spaces that are functional, enduring and well integrated with architecture.
Services include:
​
-
Site analysis and landscape master planning
-
Planting advice & design, soil health and environmental performance
-
Design development, materials and detailing
-
Pools, courtyards and outdoor living spaces
-
Construction documentation and planning approvals
-
Tendering and construction phase support
-
Garden upgrades, restoration and pre-sale improvements
-
Sub-division landscape plans.
-
Small scale projects to suit limited budgets.
NSLA Design provides landscape architecture services for education and campus environments, creating outdoor spaces that support learning, wellbeing and community life. Projects are tailored to site, climate, user needs and operational requirements, delivering landscapes that are functional, resilient and integrated with the built environment.
​
Services include:
​
-
Site analysis and campus master planning
-
Outdoor learning environments and play spaces
-
Planting design and habitat-supporting landscapes
-
Shade, microclimate and heat mitigation strategies
-
Circulation, access and inclusive design
-
Public realm and shared outdoor spaces
-
Integration with architectural and campus planning
-
Construction documentation and planning approvals
-
Staged implementation strategies
-
Construction phase support
NSLA Design provides landscape architecture services for commercial, mixed-use and urban environments, delivering high-quality public and shared outdoor spaces that respond to site, climate, planning context and community needs. Projects are approached with a strong focus on functionality, environmental performance and long-term value.
Services include:
​
-
Site analysis and urban context assessment
-
Precinct, streetscape and public realm design
-
Landscape-led master planning
-
Planting design and urban greening strategies
-
Urban heat mitigation and climate-responsive design
-
Integration with architectural and planning frameworks
-
Subdivision and multi-unit development landscape plans
-
Construction documentation and planning approvals
-
Consultant coordination and stakeholder collaboration
-
Construction phase support
Projects Experience
Natalie Sheffield
Registered Landscape Architect (AILA), International Member – ASLA
An Australian Registered Landscape Architect with over 25 years of professional experience across public and private sector landscape and urban design projects in Australia and the United States. I am the founder of NSLA Design, a boutique landscape architecture studio based on the Mornington Peninsula, delivering thoughtful, site-responsive and enduring landscape solutions.
​
My professional background spans senior leadership roles in multidisciplinary practices, including seven years as a Director and coowner of a leading Melbourne-based landscape architecture and urban design firm, followed by a decade working in private practice and consulting in the San Francisco Bay Area. This experience has provided me with a strong foundation in cross-cultural design, complex project delivery and integrated design collaboration.
​
Through NSLA Design, I work across residential, campus, public realm and green infrastructure projects, with a particular focus on landscape architecture that responds to climate, place and community. My work is informed by a deep interest in planting design, soil health, environmental performance and the role of landscape architecture in supporting healthy, resilient environments.
I am known for a strategic yet hands-on approach, working closely with clients, architects and specialist consultants to deliver well-considered, elegant and practical design outcomes that enhance both the built and natural environment.
I am passionate about shaping high-quality living environments across a range of scales, including public spaces, education and health campuses, recreational settings and private residential projects, with a strong focus on design outcomes that positively impact community wellbeing.