Update 01-15-13 Muse Design Inc., est. 1998, is a professional practice of ecological landscape design and conservation development based in Sag Harbor, NY. The company’s founder and sole principle, Thomas Muse is an innovator in the landscape industry with over 25 years of field experience. Thomas works with residential as well as corporate clients. Under Thomas close direction the company strives to promote international design with an underlying foundation of principles founded in the scientific disciple of ecology.

Thomas graduated in 1986 from New York State University at Albany with academic honors and a four-year fine art degree in philosophy. After one year of work as a location scout in New York City, he moved to Long Island’s east end, where he had spent his summers as a youth.

In the spring of 1987, Thomas partnered with his brother John and started Liberty Landscaping. The new company was a fusion of Thomas’ entrepreneurial spirit and his fascination with natural processes. His passion for ecology and his fine art training quickly took root in the demands of a small landscape design/build firm. Growing into a respected and successful local business, Liberty Landscaping flourished in Bridgehampton, New York for over 11 years. As the company’s principle designer and horticulturalist, Thomas applied his knowledge of architectural history along with his accomplished drafting skills.

This work experience has also provided extensive field training with natural plant communities, environmental restoration, erosion control and large scale site engineering. Off-season, Thomas traveled to remote locations in countries around the world. He has photographed and studied indigenous landscapes (and architecture) while coordinating and participating in many nature expeditions, ecological restorations and sustainable agriculture development projects. This valuable experience working overseas has brought cost minded engineering and innovation to projects here at home.

In 1995 Thomas founded Big World Small World a non-for-profit environmental action and web based alert network. .

At the close of the 1997 season, Thomas seized an opportunity to specialize further in the field of environmental design, and in early 1998 he sold his share of Liberty Landscaping to his brother, and formed Muse Design Inc. Today Liberty remains a flourishing landscape contracting company under John Muse’s careful direction.

The spring of 1998 saw the construction of Muse Design’s purpose built 1500 sq. ft. studio and office in Sag Harbor. The following year the studio came on line with CAD (computer assisted design) and the latest GIS (global imaging systems-software). In this fully automated studio, Thomas and his experienced design team work on a wide range of projects; from stormwater detention wetlands to inspired residential landscape design with conservation features like solar heated pools to large scale conservation development. Recent alternative storm water management work (2009-2012) with New York City's Dept. of Environmental Protection has been entered into the NYC Building Codes as the first ever ‘green infrastructure code’ for the City of New York.

Environmental advocacy had been a powerful force in Thomas’s life since childhood. Recently his efforts have been focused on regional natural resource protection and restoration though his work with groups like GRACE, THE PECONIC BAYKEEPER, GROUP FOR THE SOUTH FORK, THE GAIA INSTITURE, RELI (RENEWABLE ENERGY LONG ISLAND), STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY and others. Thomas is currently the environmental director for eastern Long Island’s chapter of SURFRIDER FOUNDATION.

Thomas has recently coined the term 'PowerScaping'. The simple principles of landscaping with energy efficiency in mind have proved to be a powerful force in today’s challenging energy environment.