London's top Garden Designers
As summer is here and we get to spend more time outdoors, I thought I would share with you some luxury garden designs and details about their creators! With the world famous Chelsea Flower Show just behind us and the RHS Hampton Court Palace show on the horizon, many of us strap our gardening gloves on, grab the trowel and get back into our gardens! Although gardening can be a fun and relaxing hobby, when it comes to luxury garden design it’s usually best to leave it to the professionals.
So, what defines luxury when it comes to garden design ?
Well, there are many ways in which a garden can ooze luxurious elegance, from colourful, complimentary plants to innovative, bold designs around the actual landscaping. And luxury does not need to be synonymous to contemporary. Indeed, many of the designs I will share have a more 'stately home' feel. What’s important is how it makes you feel.
A luxury garden design will transport you to a new place, it will instantly provide you with a sense of sophisticated serenity and charismatic charm. The way geometric shapes are perfectly balanced with unusual features can often create a garden that will take people’s breath away.
A luxury garden isn’t something that you can quickly do, it takes time, effort and skill. You need to work on a plan, think about drainage, the various layers of soil, where you need to add paths, lighting.
Luxury garden designers in and around London
Not only is Andy Stedman an award winning designer, he was also chosen to create The Telegraph garden for the Chelsea Flower show in 2016. His designs are immaculately elegant and beautifully bespoke. Stedman runs an innovative design studio which works to the highest professional standards, continually pushing the boundaries and exploring new concepts for landscape and garden design.
Photo: Andy Stedman Studio
Charlotte Rowe is also an award winning garden designer who boasts an incredible portfolio. She has been included in The Telegraph, The Times, The Guardian and The Sunday Times for her fantastic work. In 2014 Charlotte Rowe won a Gold medal for ‘No Man’s Land’, the ABF Soldiers’ Charity garden to mark the centenary of the outbreak of World War One at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
From small courtyards to full-scale rural landscaping, her designs are recognised for their strong, architectural lines, lush planting and elegant contemporary styling. Rowe also specialises in discreet garden lighting and bespoke water features. She works collaboratively with her clients to ensure that the garden design brief is clear and is interpreted correctly in the finished plan.
Photo: Marianne Majerus for Charlotte Rowe. Small architectural garden.
A multi-award winning Design Studio and Landscaping team with an 'uncompromising commitment to quality'. Based in Richmond-upon-Thames, these guys are currently celebrating their 4th show at the Chelsea Flower Show whilst also being nominated for huge awards. Matt is a two-times winner of an RHS Silver-Gilt Medal and the prestigious BBC People’s Award for Best in Show in 2014 & 2015 at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Their designs are classic yet contemporary and can truly turn your garden into a living work of art. They work on private gardens, large and small, as well as commercial schemes. We love seeing them use ivy in an almost sculptural way (see example below) as well as create repeat patterns with large size planters.
Lighting is also really important for this team who know how to create entertaining spaces that can be used all year round.
Photos: Marianne Majerus for Rosebank Landscaping
Above: Knightsbridge roof terrace designed by Patricia Fox
Another award winning garden designer, Patricia Fox founded Aralia in 2004. Fox initially trained as a fashion designer, establishing a boutique design consultancy working alongside High Street retailers to source, design and develop high end cosmetic and confectionery products.
Bringing up her family in a rural landscape fuelled Patricia’s desire to hone her eye for design excellence into the horticultural arena, prompting her to study Landscape & Garden Design degree level at Writtle College. In 2004 Patricia set up her landscape and garden design company Aralia and has been working on commissions from compact urban gardens to large country estates, in Britain and abroad.Their designs are innovative, beautiful and wonderfully diverse.
We love the roof terraces that she has designed for the popular Chelsea Creek development (Chelsea, by St George's) as shown below.
Photos: Aralia Design, Chelsea Creek Rooftop terrace
Photos: Aralia Design, Ganton Street (top) and Chelsea Creek Dockside (bottom) rooftop terraces
Not sure a garden designer is for you?
In this post I tried to bust 6 myths about hiring a professional garden designer. A lot of you think that getting the pros in is going to cost too much for little benefit. However, you will not only get their insight into what works for your home (taking in consideration the style of the home and the quality of the soil in your area), you will also be adding great value to your home (usually tripling the value of what you put into the garden makeover).
Not sure where to start for ideas?
If you are thinking of turning your garden into a place of luxury and elegance then there are some fantastic designs out there already to give you inspiration. Start with Houzz. They currently have a fantastic page on garden design which is full of wonderful spaces, all of which will get your creative juices flowing! We really enjoyed reading 6 Simple Layout and Design Ideas to Enhance Your Small Garden by Amanda Pollard on Houzz and we are sure you will enjoy this post too!
For innovative and creative luxury gardens check out Garden Design Magazine. Their articles, tips and products are all extremely valuable when looking to create your own luxury outdoor space. It includes trends for 2018, regional garden advice and how to get luxury for less. Their stylists, journalists and researchers are able to constantly keep up with the latest trends, providing you with the some of the best advice around!
If you have a small garden but big ideas then have a read of this article on small garden design ideas by House and Garden.
