Real Talk: Melissa Gerstle

Melissa Gerstle has spent almost two decades designing gardens and award-winning outdoor spaces for her studio, Melissa Gerstle Design.

Now with her newly opened Plein Air Atelier luxury outdoor furnishings showroom in the Dallas Design District, the Park Cities woman aims to help other designers benefit from her research into innovative new outdoor brands and materials.

“One of my passions has been selecting furnishings for the outdoor spaces we design,” she said. “My goal is to see more interior designers welcoming these options while supporting the design community.”

She held an open house in February for the new showroom designed by Jean Liu Design. The space at 1205 Slocum Street, Suite 100, is open by appointment and also serves as the headquarters for Gerstle’s design team.

Gerstle champions outdoor furniture that looks like it belongs inside.

“People are amazed that it is exterior furniture since it is just as beautiful,” she said. “This allows people to have truly seamless interior-exterior living spaces by using our specific pieces.”

How did you get into home design?

I started by apprenticing under a gifted landscape architect named Rosa Finsley, while earning my master’s degree in landscape architecture.  After I started my own practice, my clients began asking me to not only design their landscapes but to also decorate their outdoor spaces. That ignited my passion for becoming an “interior designer” for the exterior spaces my studio designed.

If you could go back in time and give yourself any advice, what would it be? 

I would have studied landscape architecture earlier in my career, but I’m grateful for the path I’ve followed. 

What is the best thing about working in design? 

It allows me to always think creatively which really fuels my soul.

What are the most exciting trends in outdoor decor?

We stay away from trends and focus on creating timeless spaces. But one thing I’ve always liked to do is to avoid matching furniture sets and instead mixing and matching pieces from different furniture lines for our outdoor designs. This isn’t really a new concept, but it is new for outdoor spaces, and it’s one we embrace at my showroom, Plein Air Atelier. I believe more designers will utilize this design strategy as we display sophisticated ways to do it.

Which are your favorites?

Among our favorite items are water features, fire features, and plant containers. For fire features, we are carrying a cool fire pit that offers a stylish storage place for the firewood logs. Made in Belgium, we love the moróro pieces because they are unique, and we are the exclusive representative for the brand in the U.S. 

What’s a fun fact about yourself?

I speak fluent Spanish with a Castilian accent. Most people think I’m from Spain when I speak to them in Spanish.