Root House Studio
Origin Story

Designing for the Greater Good:

After years of working together as planners, landscape architects, and communication designers for nonprofits and land management agencies across the nation and the world, Ian Scott and Mimi Mather founded Root House Studio in 2011. The idea was that communities rooted in nature are healthier, happier, and more resilient. Their vision was to create a design studio that exclusively supported environmental organizations—that it was possible to do well by doing good. Both with undergraduate degrees in anthropology and sociology and master’s degrees in landscape architecture and planning, Ian and Mimi envisioned Root House at the interface of their combined interest in human-centered storytelling and their passion for nature-based design. In 2019, Mimi moved on to lead other environmental and philanthropic efforts. Ian continues to lead the team, telling stories that uphold that original vision and sticking to their roots.