Chelsea Flower Show 2015
Garden Designs
This garden was designed very much with community in mind. I was drawn to the idea of the Bauhaus as a bunch of creative individuals and in particular Marcel Breuer who is probably best known for designing the iconic Kandinsky chairs, however, he also became a master of building in concrete. One of the many buildings he designed, just outside New York, had a big bold concrete arch at the front and it was this shape that drove the design.
The layout of the garden was very simple with a balance of bold rectilinear and circular shapes. A path led past a textured hedge and there were pools of water where the community could come together and dip their toes. There were also blocks of grass as break out points.
The curve I used for the building was reflected in the curve on the floor so the whole thing had a wonderful sense of movement. The top of the building offered another view over the garden and right at the back of the garden, framed by the arch, was a hidden woodland with a completely different atmosphere.
I also went for simplicity in the palette of materials, so concrete, cedar, steel and Corten steel. The materials informed the colours of the plants and included steely blues, crimson and orange. Apparently, I was the first designer to bring orange at Chelsea!
It was awarded a Gold medal.
