Mikiel Deguara is a Landscape Architect registered in Oregon with over 15+ years of experience in landscape design and implementation. He believes landscapes shape and strengthen our connections with nature and our communities.

Over the course of his career, Mikiel has reimagined built + natural landscapes for his clients that reflect their diverse needs while also improving the quality of life for our natural world.

He is fascinated with how people interact with their landscapes — some want to just observe, others want to entertain or be actively engaged. His designs highlight how the hardscape elements interact with plantings to foster experience and enhance natural systems + aesthetic. A signature design reflects the immediate needs and anticipates future growth.

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Immediately upon relocating to Portland, Ore. in 2007, Mikiel began his landscape design career at Huntington + Kiest Landscape Architects, a design firm that specialized in high-end residential landscape design and implementation. He went on to establish his freelance career focusing on landscape design.

In 2013, after almost a year of collaborating on landscape designs with Pistils Landscape Design, a landscape design + build located in Portland, he joined their team full-time. At that time, the design studio was himself and the owner.

In 2017, Mikiel was registered as a landscape architect in the state of Oregon - and holds this title today.

Currently, he is the Design Director + Senior Landscape Architect for Pistils Landscape Design, now a five+ person studio. He also continues his freelance practice.

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Outside of landscape design, Mikiel is most likely swimming laps. He is a member of the Portland Timberfish — a LGBTQ+ USMS swim team — and also served as a board member and the board president from 2015-22. As president, he doubled the team’s rooster, secured funding to help with team costs and scholarship funds, launched a new reservation system, expanded the practice schedule to accommodate demand, and successfully navigated the Covid-19 pandemic (truly a wild ride).

From 2012-2019, he was a founder and member of Bridge Club — a Portland based queer, music + community focused, production team which created events of all scales. Bridge Club was notorious for its first Sunday events that combined temporary art installations with local + global musical talents.