Inspiration, Partnership, and the Art of Belief: Fernando Wong’s New Book by Tim Johnson
Tim and Fernando with Martha Stewart
As a barware, lighting and home accessories design company, at Thomas Fuchs Creative we specialize in handmade goods.
Every week, we take you behind the scenes to explore the people, places, and things that inspire us. This week, we introduce you to a couple much like us—partners in both life and work.
This week we take you to the book launch and talk hosted by author Tim Johnson and landscape artist Fernando Wong, to whom we were introduced thanks to their client—and my childhood friend—Alison Strong.
When we picked up Fernando Wong’s new book, The Young Man and the Tree, written by Tim Johnson with a foreword by Martha Stewart and published by Vendome Press, it felt as though we were reading a reflection of a great journey through the love of landscapes and how it can make one dream. The book explores the beauty of creative partnership, the art of belief, and the profound impact of shared vision.
Fernando Wong and Tim Johnson started their company in 2005 with headquarters in Miami Beach. Since that time they have added offices in Palm Beach and Southampton and have completed commercial and residential projects across the country and around the world.
They are an internationally recognized leader in full-service garden design, landscape architecture, and project management. The firm is known for moving large trees (the largest so far is a 90 foot tall Kapok) as well as designing elaborate Garden Follies, Pool Pavilions, Outdoor Kitchens, Pools, Fountains, Sculpture Gardens and Hardscapes all using Classical Architectural Principles.
Tim Johnson and Fernando Wong are not just partners in business—they are life partners as well. This dynamic, deeply intertwined relationship is something Thomas and I relate to on a fundamental level. As we navigate our own business, designing and manufacturing home accessory lines, we’ve come to realize that success is not simply about business plans and marketing strategies. Instead, it’s about an organic synergy—an understanding of each other’s strengths and personalities that allows us to believe in one another fully.
Wong and Johnson exemplify this concept beautifully. Wong’s innovative approach to landscape design is complemented by Johnson’s ability to translate and share their work with the world. Their collaboration is not one of rigid planning but of fluid, intuitive growth. They don’t just market their work; they live it, breathe it, and embody it.
Much like them, we have found that when you truly believe in your partner—not just in their talents, but in their vision and essence—marketing becomes a natural extension of your shared passion rather than a formulaic strategy. The storytelling behind what all of us create individually and as a team is not about a sales pitch; it’s about connection, meaning, and empowerment. When belief is the foundation, the rest follows seamlessly.
Reading The Young Man and the Tree has reaffirmed the power of partnership in creative industries. Wong and Johnson’s journey reminds us that great things happen when two people support, challenge, and trust each other. Their success is not just about business—it’s about love, dedication, and shared purpose.
Their commercial projects include the Four Seasons Hotels & Residences at The Surf Club in Miami, with Richard Meier, Joseph Dirand and Lee Mindel, as well as the renovation of the Four Seasons Palm Beach and a new Four Seasons Resort in Fort Lauderdale, collaborating with designers Martin Brudnizki and Tara Bernerd. They also recently completed a new Starwood Luxury Collection Hotel in Savannah called Perry Lane.
Other select projects include the renovation of the landscape for Soho Beach House in Miami Beach, the design of the sculpture garden at the new Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Museum in Miami’s Design District, as well as a national park for the Bahamian National Trust in Nassau. Fernando Wong was also recently awarded work on the Thomas Keller and Le Sirenuse restaurants in Miami and the Gasparilla Inn & Beach Club in Boca Grande.
On the residential side the firm has completed or is currently working on projects in New York, Connecticut, Texas, Virginia, Florida, Louisiana, Lyford Cay, Bahamas and London, England. They have completed gardens for some of the most notable historic and landmarked homes in America by architects John Volk, Addison Mizner and Marion Sims Wyeth. They are especially proud to have created the landscape for one of the few Platinum Leed Certified homes in the United States.
Pick up a copy of their stunning book tap the image of book!
Have a great weekend,
Michou
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