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So, function before form should be the
rule. In residential garden or house designs it is
imperative to bear this in mind because most of us live
with the result of someone else's design ideas. And who
among us has not been disappointed or upset with what we
are sometimes expected to put up with?
Next we have to think of how to make
the functional design interesting and harmonious, not
only for the present, but in perpetuity, too. I believe
the first answer to that is relatively simple and goes
to the question of linkages; in other words, trying to
link each of the various elements to each other -
shapes, heights, spaces, materials, water etc., and most
importantly the plant material - in an interesting and
consistent way. Initially of course I try to show this
in plan form, but once the garden is built I believe the
internal logic of the design should become visible to
all. In some cases the links may not be immediately
apparent to even those who have spent some hours in the
garden, but in time they will begin to see the reasoning
behind the ideas.
I like to consider the design, with its
format and materials as the stage, and the plants as the
players, which in conjunction with the design create the
atmosphere, the sounds, the colour, the life and the
scent in an ever-changing and absorbing way"
What we do:
In residential work, we have a
particular interest in how houses and gardens work
together. After years of experience we have found that
garden design sometimes reveals limitations in a house's
design and consequently the question of the integration
of the two becomes important. In house design, thinking
often concludes at the outside of the walls of a house,
whilst in much garden architecture it finishes in the
same place - unfortunately few think to look in or out
of windows to find out what they will see on the other
side. And, of course, once the two entities are thought
of together, the question of interior design becomes a
consideration too - use of rooms, placement of
furniture, colours, materials, views through windows to
see the garden, or for light, or to monitor a swimming
pool from a kitchen for example. We aim to bridge all
those gaps.
Lastly, Intex Design has many years of
experience in the construction or renovation of gardens
and houses and can help with the practical side of
taking a design through to the completion of the whole
project.
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