Home Magazine

"Beyond Creature Comforts"
By Judy Ostrow

Michael Mushak is mentioned in the article written about spiritual well-being in the home:

"Landscape architect Michael Mushak works with many high-power business people, entertainers, and other professionals, designing outdoor environments for first and second homes in Westchester County, New York, and Fairfield County, Connecticut. Although very few people ask directly for a meditation garden or a contemplation area, he notes that his clients immediately recognize the appeal and benefit of quiet seating spots in a design. "Even though they haven't specifically requested it, they immediately relate to a bench or a pair of chairs pulled together on a bed of gravel. They know it's a place to sit and reflect."

Through his designs, Mushak tries to help clients think about using the outdoor space around their homes. "Many people don't like to leave the comfort of their screen porch," he says. However, to preserve a wooded area on a property, he will often design paths through the trees with recycled wood chips, thus creating a nature trail that the owners can use and enjoy.  Or he will designate an un-mowed field in a landscape plan as a wildlife sanctuary, thus permitting his clients to recognize a more gentle, less artificial use of the land.

"To use your property as a connection to nature and the larger world is very comforting and very healing," says Mushak.