Company Profile: Modern Environment

Modern Evironment's Jake Wood Shares How the
Company's Full Service Offerings is a Recipe for Success

Serenity can be found in nature. It is why people turn to the outdoors to escape the busyness of life, and find relaxation, recreation, and a reconnection. Jake Wood (left) and his team with Modern Environment believe this peaceful atmosphere can be created in an outdoor oasis steps from your backdoor. 

Modern Environment works with homeowners in and around Oklahoma City to design, build, and maintain personalized outdoor areas. They specialize in features like lighting, patios, fireplaces, even ground pools, and each project is tailored to unique clients and homes. The overall goal though, is the same. 

“I want to draw attention to the outdoors. To nature. I am a designer who wants to incorporate the elements of the outdoors into your home lifestyle,” said Jake.

Harvey Cobbs (right) started Modern Environment as a maintenance company, working on lawns and other small projects. As the company grew, Harvey established the landscaping division, creating the full service business model that Modern Environment uses today. To help with the demand of his expanding clientele, he partnered with Jake in 2015, naming him the Senior Designer & Project Manager and Vice President of the company. With Harvey focusing on the maintenance division, and Jake leading the design team, the company is able to oversee every aspect of a project. They work with several commercial spaces, and several hundred residential clients throughout the OKC area, from the initial brainstorming to the maintenance tasks that come years after project completion. Jake says this brings the community something many businesses do not offer. 

“There are companies that do a portion of the work, but have to find a subcontractor to do a different part of the project. We want to offer our clientele a company that can do everything. You don’t deal with multiple contractors, you deal with one person who you met from day one. Construction as it is can be stressful. We want to take on the pressure and stress, and handle it all in one company.”

Modern Environment designers stay involved through each detail. They help pick out things like tiling in a pool or samples for a patio, and even visit showrooms with clients. These details help create the calming, natural oasis Jake and Harvey aim for.  

“When you bring in vegetation, it brings birds chirping in the background. Adding a water feature to the backyard brings the sound of water rolling over the rocks. But you must accommodate what the client is wanting and what they are needing. What their family has. For example, a lot of our families have children or dogs to accommodate. We don’t want to build an amazing backyard project, then the dog ruins it in the first week. So instead of doing a bunch of sod, we do a xeriscaping backyard so it won’t get damaged if the dog is rambunctious.”

Jake grew up in central Oklahoma and earned his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. During his college years he interned in New Mexico, and learned new styles of designing and building, like xeriscaping. He says more homeowners in Oklahoma are embracing these kinds of southwest techniques, and it is helping OKC attract and entertain residents. 

“Many downtown parks or projects use the southwest style, which allow for our plant life to thrive. “A lot of the city’s development happened within the last 15 years, and I love that landscape is a big feature.”

Jake and Harvey draw their inspiration from time spent in the wilderness, especially in Oklahoma. Avid outdoorsmen, they bike, hike, hunt, kayak, and fish in the many lakes and national parks across the state. They also pay attention to what grows naturally, how things manage against weather challenges, and how elements of nature can be featured at client’s homes. 

"When you can incorporate that & bring it home, to your personal space, it’s a game changer overall."

Get in Touch

Modern Environment

Phone: (405) 601–5001 
www.modernscapes.co