The Design Process

When I first agreed to enter the Garden Shows,  my intent was to do a roof top garden as green as it could be.  I wanted to tie in all the cool green building products I could think of.  But most of all I wanted to design a garden that was functional AND beautiful.  I wanted some interior space to show the seemless transition of inside to out.  I want a comfortable lounging area and a dining table large enough for a family.  I knew I wanted an easy path thousands of people to walk through the garden.  I hate going to garden shows that have no access into the gardens.  I can’t imagine not exploring the layers and secrets planted within a garden. 

The truth is I desigend my dream garden.  If I had the money,  I would build this garden on the in the middle of Manhattan,  design my clients gardens from my penthouse office,  drink wine with friends nightly on the cement sofa and have Sunday brunch for girl friends only.  The shape and size was dictated by the Garden shows first and the concept of a skyscraper second.  I want a standard rectangle but given the fact that I had enter the shows so late in the came there were no rectangles left.  All this to say the positioning of the penthouse was dictated by the shape of the space.  The rest of the layout was like a puzzle so I actually made little pieces that represented the cement sofa,  the log dining table and a few stools and chairs.  I wanted a large carpet of the green grid in front of the penhouse so I marked that off limits right away.  It took a bit of finagling to fit the large peices of funiture but I was determined to use large pieces as I believe smaller spaces will feel larger with larger furniture and trees.  I spent the first two weeks  of the design process without a plant or container in sight.