PROJECT GREEN LANDSCAPE STUDIO

As a designer, I always try to come up with innovative and fresh ideas. This being a tiring task at times as I have a variety of clients – with a variety of needs. Not only that, but sometimes I have to choose the outdoor decor for them, which makes it tricky to match items with what the client would actually like. I must admit, I’m a sucker for new things. I love trying out certain elements in my designs that evoke me to be a bit daring. If the client likes it – it’s a job well done! If not; don’t really know how I’d take it... don’t think I have experienced that before! I find few things as rewarding as receiving a project where the clients give me freedom to basically do whatever I feel necessary to create the outdoor space of their dreams. Just recently I landed a project where the client gave me free range to revamp his entire front entrance, and that’s not all! He even went as far as requesting that I remove the existing driveway – and come up with a new design. Now I love that!

As a Landscape Designer, I’m often faced with the challenge of having to see beyond current circumstances. I often meet the clients when their homes have not even been built yet, having to figure out what the house will look like by reading the floor plans. Worse even, is seeing the site for the first time while the builders are still actively working on site. These building sites are enough to make anyone feel inadequate to design a masterpiece. About two weeks ago I was contacted by an Architect and his client who have exactly reached this point. A nightmare of a building site, which even with my seven years design knowledge made me feel incapable.The Architect, with his sharp humour and chuckles said “well, I’ve managed to come up with a plan up to where the house walls end. The rest is up to you”. With minimal input from the client, I could immediately see what type of person he was, and what his primary needs were. They even went as far as requesting that I plant some violas or pa

At the tender age of 15, I, like any other teenager, wondered what life would hold, where I would end up and what I would do for a living one day. In the same year, my parents decided to buy a small holding in the Eastern Cape, close to Jefferey's Bay. As a family we used to pack all our necessities for a weekend trip to the farm. This enabled my Old man to start his new hobby, cattle farming. Now I never was a farmer, and to this day wouldn't want to be. We inherited this massive garden - of which I was entrusted to look after. My dad and I had an agreement that he'd mow the lawn while I look after the large beds which were designed and installed by the previous owner, a fine artist of note. Her attention to detail amazed me! I looked up to her as a child and always thought - If only I could paint like her! If only I could know plants like she does, and actually know exactly where to plant them! Ironically, her brother in Law was an expert landscape designer, working in It