Profile

Since setting up Living Colour Gardens in March 2003, Rufus Rawley and James Walsh have been earning themselves a reputation for creating unique and innovative gardens that perform well throughout the year and work in harmony with their surroundings.

The Practice is based in London, where an extensive range of projects have been completed, from roof terraces and paved courtyard gardens to larger ‘family gardens’ and fabulous garden offices.  More recently, the services of Living Colour have been in demand further afield with rural projects being completed across the UK, and designs completed for a variety of gardens across Europe.

Living Colour Gardens’ approach to garden design embraces a variety of styles from contemporary roof terraces to large country gardens with a more traditional approach.

Living Colour’s contemporary designs are characterised by their use of rich colours combined with uncluttered architectural lines, strong shapes and structure, and minimalist yet elegant planting. Both modern and traditional materials are used to create gardens with a sense of space which lend themselves to outdoor living. Water features and the use of subtle and effective garden lighting are key elements of Living Colour’s contemporary designs.

Traditional garden designs are often quite simple in their layout, but what is important is how the planting works within the design. Living Colour’s traditional gardens incorporate innovative planting plans ranging from striking architectural schemes through to soft naturalistic styles. Lighting, sculpture and furniture are frequently integral to the design.

Rufus and James work closely with their clients to ensure that the design brief is clear and is interpreted correctly in the plan, bringing their clients’ visualisations to reality. A key aspect of their approach is to develop the garden design so that it complements the existing architecture and colours of the interior of the house.

As the builders and project managers of their own designs, Rufus and James ensure that a seamless transition from drawing board to reality is made with the minimum of upheaval to the client.

They encourage the use of materials from sustainable or recycled sources for garden construction and turn waste plant material into organic compost at Living Colour’s base, later to be re-applied as mulch to the very same gardens it originally came from.

Ecological planting techniques such as drought tolerant planting are regularly employed to make designs practical as well as aesthetically appealing. Planting to sustain wildlife and increase biodiversity is also a concern, the aim being to eventually create a well-balanced and harmonious ecosystem that manages itself without relying on the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers.