A History Rooted in Nature

Back to Nature is an award-winning leader in regenerative design and green development. Principal Anthony Sblendorio, a certified landscape architect and LEED Accredited Professional, founded the company in 1994 in response to the need for aesthetically and environmentally advanced design for residential, commercial and municipal properties.While Back to Nature focused on ecologically inspired luxury landscape architecture during the first decade of its existence, it is now a multifaceted company with a Land Development Division that is responsible for some of the most innovative projects in New Jersey. Our core strengths include site and master planning, landscape design and construction, custom-designed outdoor furniture and fixtures, neighborhood development, and environmentally friendly farm and estate management.

As a design/build firm, Back to Nature develops long-term relationships with clients who, over the years, have come to see us as a resource for regenerative design and site planning. Many clients retain our services not only for landscape architecture, but also for more in-depth involvement with their home projects—often clients ask for help when they choose to move into or build a new home. While these important relationships continue, they have also helped Back to Nature use our unique capabilities to expand our service offerings beyond landscape architecture.

In the past, when clients came to us requesting natural and regenerative landscape designs, we encouraged them to incorporate their developers and builders into the process to ensure a healthy site. Over time, as our expertise in regenerative design grew, we realized that most of the damage done to land occurs during the development stage: we knew we had to be involved in the process early to make the best use of regenerative design principles. To serve our clients better and to fulfill our responsibility as stewards of the land, we began to seek relationships with developers who might work to protect and develop the land using a regenerative approach. Unfortunately, traditional developers proved unwilling to take the risks necessary to build the types of ecologically based green developments we sought. Out of our passion for regenerative design and our commitment to the needs of our clients and the environment, our Land Development Division was born.

In 2003, we bought our first piece of land. After a thorough site assessment, we created a site plan for a rustic, wooded community, took it through the entitlement process, and got it approved by local and state regulators. In 2005, the first residents of Fern Valley began construction of their homes. Since then, we have been working diligently with land owners, municipalities, and state agencies to make a regenerative design approach the norm for design and development in the communities where we work. Our efforts have paid off, as we now have the same kinds of relationships with municipal and state regulators as we do with our landscape clients. We are a trusted resource for designing and developing the healthy, beautiful, and eco-friendly home sites and communities we all want to live in.

As our experience and expertise has grown, so have our service offerings. Our landscape design and development divisions offer an array of services aimed at creating the Luxury of Nature for each of our clients and communities. Today we offer full-scale design/build landscape architecture and construction services, estate and farm management services, as well as site assessment, planning, and green development services. We can now help you to plan the energy uses and sources on your property, reduce your impact upon the land, and use the natural resources around you to enrich your home experience and sustainable lifestyle.

No matter whether a project is primarily a landscape architecture project or primarily a development project, or both, our clients and stakeholders rest assured that they will receive first rate work from an expertly trained team. Our design and construction capabilities are unrivaled, but what truly sets us apart is our ability to create the Luxury of Nature.