SoundPlace&Time

I've been giving some thought lately about aesthetics and key design principles within the realm of Japanese gardens and was asking myself the question, "What makes Japanese gardens look so Japanese?  Recently I was looking at some photos I took during the Easter holiday break. During that long weekend the weather was particularly amazing and, as we British do, made the most of the opportunity and left the house. A friend of mine visited a Japanese garden here in London a few weeks prior to the Easter weekend and took some rather nice photos. It took me by surprise so I asked her where this place was: Kyoto Garden, Holland Park, London. Considering I've been living in London since the beginning of 2012 I did feel kind of silly for not actually knowing about this beautiful place and the fact that I have wondered through Holland Park without actually crossing Kyoto Garden's path. Strange, I know. Although London doesn't really boast that many examples of Japanes...

One thing I've noticed with time and memory is that over time my mind tends to become increasingly nostalgic when recalling an actual place I once visited. I think part of the nostalgia is a certain wistfulness I sometimes feel and a longing while thinking that I may not ever get back there again.    These photos were actually taken just over a year ago in April last year. On this particular day the weather was mild and nice enough to venture outdoors and to leave behind London if just for the day, which is what I did. During that weekend Broughton Grange were having an 'Open Days' through the National Garden Scheme, and given that it was early Spring their collection of Tulips were in full bloom.   For those who haven't yet visited Broughton Grange it is situated in Banbury, north Oxfordshire - about 70 minutes by train from Marylebone station. The gardens are set on 350 acres of parkland, farmland and open meadow. Its original planting definitely owes its origins...

The process ​behind landscape design can be​ lengthy ​and at times arduous. All your creative energy funnels into one design project and then you may be ​asked to be involved in another. You then ​have to summon the same creative energy to produce ​a​nother ​design that looks ​just as ​inspired ​as your previous projects​. It is a very daunting task. Even the most experienced creative designers face this challenge and ​uncertainty​ that may arise. Stress, fatigue, creative block etc it is all part of the design process.   One method that I have been taught recently while studying garden design is the  Concept Board  or  Mood Board.  They essentially mean the same thing but for the purpose of this blog I shall refer to them as the 'concept board'. So what are they exactly? It is a method used whereby you collate images onto a large piece of hard board to convey a 'feeling' or 'mood' that your proposed design will create for the client. Sometimes wor...

And now for some music. I'll be discussing Friar Park a little later on. For now here is Ravi Shankar performing 'Friar Park'. The Holy Grail of British gardens. Friar Park - Ravi Shankar

Given that I reside in London if there is one thing most Londoners can agree on and that is space for housing, both exterior and interior, is limited. You have to make the most of what is already there. This may sound stifling to some reading this, but the opposite can apply here. Having a small garden space as your creative framework allows you to be not only creative but also economical and methodical in your conceptional thinking. It's about using the essentials and removing the clutter, because when you incorporate the essentials within a small garden you are capturing the essence of what is already there.   Defining a small or large garden is subjective. However, most gardens, certainly in British metropolitan areas, are usually the same width as the house i.e. 5 metres to 8 metres wide and sometimes a little bit longer in their length. What I tend to consider first is how aesthetics compliment the garden's function and purpose and vice versa. Within the framew...

  Being a Garden Designer would be a very nice way to earn a living. And if I can do it where I work from home even better. An old wooden desk. Swivel chair. T-shirt and jeans. Bare feet. A small stereo unit with a collection of music recordings to stir my creativity, and a nice hot mug of tea. What a conducive way to work, right?   However for the time being I am learning the trade and acquiring the knowledge as it were by embarking on a diploma in Garden Design. Before enrolling I looked at a few design schools in London that specialised in garden design and was very impressed with KLC School of Design, in particular their 'off campus' Design Diploma course. And that's the one I chose. It is a fabulous campus situated at Imperial Wharf in London. On paper it looks and sounds fantastic. And you know what? It is. Except for that one major obstacle: procrastination. But it is myself who creates these obstacles. And I know I'm not the only one but you have to be very d...

  Before I discuss gardening and landscape design, firstly, a bit of background to put this all in perspective . . .  I was in between jobs in London. I wasn't working at the time and waiting for a new job to come through. On this particular day I was sipping a nice pint of ale at the White Cross pub in Richmond on the patio overlooking the Thames river. Such a beautiful part of London. Normally on a day like this I'd be stuck in an office with poor air conditioning doing mundane HR work, always as a temp, and doing work no one else in the office wants to do. A 'hired mercenary' as it were. But regardless of how dedicated and reliable I was to the job it always had to come to an end. Such is the way of today's London job market. Organisations are always 'restructuring', and that requires extra staff to help sort the confusion out.    After six years of working in this manner and this way of life, an 'existential crisis' was looming on the horizo...