| Past
Projects
Domestic
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| Domestic | |
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It can
be a tricky task for a designer where features such as play space, a
patio, water feature, shrubs, flower beds, washing line, shed, shade and a
lawn are needed in a relatively small space. I enjoy the interesting
challenge given to me by clients to satisfying these seemingly conflicting
requirements in small spaces.
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| Business Improvement | |
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example of this type of project comes from the simple brief I was given by a
restaurant owner. I was asked to come up with a design that would optimize
the sitting space of an outdoor dining area while making the environment
comfortable and safe. Rather than
squeeze in as many tables as possible, I opted to provide a less cramped
dining experience, with unusual trees for added interest. I also included a
brick wall to divide the seating area from the car park and to provide an
element of privacy. The result was that the outdoor dining space was used
extensively by customers, whereas before it had been ignored. It is very rewarding to establish the needs of a business client and then find an appropriate design solution to the problem. Each business has a unique character that has to be identified and incorporated in the design. It is a challenge which I thoroughly enjoy.
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| Tree Planting | |
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a client wants a hedge or tree to provide an instant impact, I would
normally recommend planting small young specimens rather than something
older and larger. Young, small plants tend to establish themselves and
grow more vigorously than those twice their age. The older the tree the
higher the chances of it dying or at the very least suffering stress and
slow growth for two or three years after it is planted. Indeed, the
smaller plants can overtake a more mature tree transplanted at the same
time. The photograph opposite shows me installing one of three 20 ft high
copper beeches on an estate in Gloucestershire. I am pleased to say they
all survived their move from
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| Country Cottage | |
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in your mind’s eye an idyllic, warm summer Sunday afternoon spent in a
garden - bright flowers gently nodding hello to lazily buzzing bees, the
air sweet with the thick scent of nectar. Probably the most common and
popular garden style that we imagine is the traditional English country
cottage garden: lovely to look at in the spring and summer but high
maintenance and not much ‘bang for your buck’ in the winter. The trick is to come up with a design which gives the feel of a cottage garden but is not high maintenance while also giving year round interest. This is precisely what I achieved in the garden shown in the picture opposite. See articles
for more on cottage gardens.
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| BBC Gardener's World | |
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worked at the BBC Gardener’s World garden three days per week for 3.5
years (see photo opposite). I believe the intensity of those four years in
that particular 2.5 acre garden was worth many more years spent in a
normal garden of the same size. During that period I designed, built and
planted a range of styles and types of garden that would probably be a
lifetime’s work for the average gardener. The experience of working with
some of the
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| Town Center Public Space | |
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project was very exciting and very rewarding. I won the contract to design
six gardens in prominent public spaces in The photo opposite shows one of the resulting Brunel 200 gardens.
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