About

Bloom Room is a boutique landscape design studio located in Santa Barbara, California.

We aim to inspire clients to embrace their outdoor spaces as sanctuaries of beauty, connection, and ecological purpose.

We transform landscapes to more than just gardens, but living extensions of the home.

A Vision, Taking Root

A woman in a gray jumpsuit stands outdoors with her hands in her pockets, smiling, surrounded by greenery.

Alix Kidwell is a seasoned outdoor space designer and the founder of Bloom Room. She believes that outdoor spaces should serve as both a refuge and a resource, harmonizing human experience with ecological balance. Born and raised in California, she draws much inspiration from the state's rich natural beauty, which she celebrates in her designs.

A graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Alix honed her expertise in conscious design, drawing inspiration from natural ecosystems, culture, art, and music. During her studies, she was recognized with the Award of Excellence in Community Service as well as a prestigious merit award for student design excellence.

With over a decade of experience spanning three award-winning design firms across the state, Alix has explored spatial design at every scale, from intimate private gardens and luxury estates to wineries, resorts, tech campuses, and public sites. She holds a passion and skill for creating immersive, illustrative graphics that assist clients in envisioning the possibilities for a space.

Alix designs with intention, ensuring each site is not only visually stunning but also purpose-driven, whether for connection, play, rest, healing, or habitat. She values a collaborative process, working closely with clients, consultants, and builders to create outdoor environments that are both thoughtful and enduring.

When she's not designing outdoor spaces, Alix is out exploring them. In her free time, she gathers inspiration from backpacking adventures, scuba diving trips, traveling the globe, and leading docent tours at the beloved Lotusland.

Fire-Smart Landscape Maintenance Certified

Where it all began…

Two men standing in front of a sign for Dennis the Menace Playground, with children playing on a large black steam engine train behind them. The sign features a cartoon of Dennis the Menace. The photograph is dated February 20, 1988, and the caption thanks Richard for another Murray triumph.
Group photo of people outdoors near rocky coast and ocean

I was introduced to landscape architecture through Richard Murray, the first landscape architect I ever knew.

After the fall of Saigon, years before I was born my grandparents and their five children fled Vietnam. They spent months in a refugee camp in Arkansas before a family in Carmel, California, welcomed them into their home. Richard, the father of that family, was and still is a landscape architect. The Murrays not only helped my family adjust to a new life in the U.S. but also became a lasting part of our lives.

As a child, I had the pleasure of playing in one of Richard’s most cherished designs Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey, California. He shared his work with me, encouraging me to trust my instincts and design with meaning. His passion, kindness, and generosity continue to inspire me, and I hope to bring that same thoughtfulness and care to my own work and the people around me.

A group of seven people, including adults and children, gathered around looking at a book or paper in a restaurant or cafe named 'Peninsula Life' on November 2, 1975.
A group of people outdoors on a sunny day, including a smiling woman in a white cardigan, a young boy with dark hair looking down, a girl in striped pants and a blue jacket, a man in plaid shirt, and part of another child in a multicolored sweater. They are standing on a grassy area with a hill or field in the background.