ABOUT MOZAIC LANDSCAPES

The process

When the property owner, designer, and site come together in a meeting of hearts and minds, a great design begins. Can a property have a heart and mind? We delve into research to uncover the natural "intelligence" of each site, to foster a sense of place. By deeply understanding and connecting with client desires and the site, the design path to creating an inspiring, sustainable and beautiful environment unfolds.

The company

Based out of Sunol, CA, award-winning MOZAIC LANDSCAPES represents a coordinated team of professionals (architects, landscape architects, CAD designers, landscape and building contractors, engineers, arborists, artists and more) available for your project under the guidance of owner and principal designer, Cynthia Tanyan. From multi-acre sites to courtyards, innovative, unique and custom projects have been our specialty and spark our creativity. Projects range from a master plan for a horsepark, backyard bicycle pump track, a Native American sculpture garden, an extensive modern greenroof, to countless of stylized outdoor living and entertaining areas. Though primarily working within SF Bay Area microclimates, projects have ranged from desert of Palm Springs, high plains of Colorado, and coastal forests of Washington - new horizons and challenges always welcome. Now accredited in greenroof design, Mozaic Landscapes can assist in your greenroof project from design to coordinating the professionals and materials required for success.

Cynthia Tanyan, Owner and Principal Designer

After building stone walls in southern France, and a desert survival trip in Utah, Cynthia Tanyan lived many years in a cottage off the grid on solar panels with water supplied from the natural springs. It is here, that the roots of her deep appreciation for and fascination with the natural world began.

Following Master Gardener training ,and an A.A in Environmental Horticulture, she earned her Master of Arts in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design, in Massachussetts where she learned the value of site driven design.Now certified as a greenroof professional (GRP, 2009) she is able to guide professionals and property owners in the multiple aspects of greenroof installation.

Ms. Tanyan's designs have been featured in various publications including Sunset, Watershapes, and People, and in the recent The American Meadow Garden, by J. Greenlee and S. Holt (2008, Timber Press). In February 1999, she received Sunset magazine's "Best in the West Award".

She frequently works on the project site during installation. and shares credit with her husband Francisco Villa, his talented crew, and other skilled professionals that work from the heart to insure excellence in the final result.

Cynthia is also available for speaking at various trade and other professional organizations on topics of Sustainable Design, Gardens for Children and Greenroofs.

She can be reached at

Sunset Magazine
Sunset Dream Garden Award, 2011

"Best in the West" Award
—Sunset Magazine 1999

People Magazine
"Up on the Roof", Sept 2008

Sunset Magazine
Viva Mexico designs

Meadows by Design by John Greenlee
Cynthia Tanyan meadow design feature

Silicon Valley Magazine

Watershapes

Sunset Outdoor Living, Sunset Publications

Garden Tour Selection
Association of Profession Landscape Designers, Bay Area Designers Tour, 2002 and 2005