A courtyard garden designed and installed by Woolcott and Smith at Chiltern Street Studios in fashionable Marylebone in central London continues to flourish. The Studio was launched by Whistles founder Lucille Lewin as an independent fashion house and fashion showroom and has been used for many fashion launches and events, for such names as Calvin Klein and Ghost.
In keeping with the ambience of the studio, the garden was designed to complement the studio and offer an attractive outdoor space that could be used for entertaining and as a backdrop for photography and events. Our brief from Lucille was quite specific in a number of ways as she wanted something quite unique and interesting that would make a statement. Taking inspiration from the work of artist Maria Grossman, the courtyard design evolved to become part art installation and part real garden. Entitled ‘Botanical Enigma’, the main feature was a large raised bed made of reclaimed brick with an old fireplace placed in the centre of it with old cast iron window frames, gothic arches and wooden mantelpiece. The backdrop of the garden was created by cladding the back wall with old reclaimed floor boards and other features including a planted up Victorian lavatory cistern, Victorian doors and vintage gardening tools and ornaments. A second raised bed, our ‘Wunderkammer’ feature, built against another wall, was a separate garden containing a ‘Cabinet of Wonders’; old shelves with antique apothecary bottles and botanical curiosities.
The planting had to be for shade and we used many large ivies and ferns and a large cycad to create the effect of an almost sinister space. Also included was Eucomis bicolor, Liriope muscari, Fatsia japonica, Leucothoe fontaneisiana ‘Scarletta’, Pseudopanax crassifolius, Hedera erecta, Polygonatum biflorum, Ruscus aculeatus and numerous sedges. Amongst the more rare and unusual plants used were the fabulous Trochodendron aralioides and the delicate climber Muelenbeckia complexa.
(The garden was featured in the Saturday Times magazine 3rd January 2009 when it was first installed )