With 20 years in the landscape painting industry , Chris Harrington has seamlessly merged contemporary keep with Mother Nature through his design fellowship , Harrington Porter .
Specialising in creating signature outside living rooms – ‘ room without roofs ’ – Chris has transform urban spaces into lush , green retreats in the heart of the city .
From maintaining London garden to establishing a designing studio apartment in Fulham and bring in recognition from the Society of Garden Designers in 2016 , his journey has drawn on a blend of expertness and artistic design .
Join us as Chris shares insight into his learnings and design exercise .
What motivated you to establish Harrington Porter, and what were the initial hurdles in setting up your own practice?
“ I came from an esthetic background and studied Art at school and college , ” shares Chris .
“ I started a point in innovation which I did n’t end up complete because of the challenge with finding employment in the plan orbit – I did n’t really know where illustration would be able to take me .
“ In addition to that , I had always lick on build sites through my teenage geezerhood and into university . Then , when I realised that pursuing an pedantic making in figure would be a waste for me , I lead off a career in building .
“ I began building for a Garden Designer and did all the virtual workplace . Very quickly after that , I take up my own clientele because it became apparent that landscaping was a wonderful combination of the manual labour I was already doing and the design aspects I sleep together .
“ It was also great for me due to the client - facing part of the business as well as the variety the position allows for day - to - day . I was and still am passionate about what we were trying to betray and happen that it all happened really apace . I mat like I was really lucky , especially after leaving my degree the way I did . ”
How has your approach to garden design evolved over your 20-year career?
“ Experience counts for everything , ” he say .
“ That ’s the number one matter , peculiarly with the edifice side of things . When I first set about into it , there was n’t this huge source of information out there like we have nowadays with the net .
“ All of that data was in masses ’s heads . The gardening manufacture was n’t that big and we certainly did n’t have connections with each other as we do today . I was sort of on my own .
“ My approach has evolved with all of the information that has step by step become mainstream . I ’m now the product of everything around me now ! ”
What Are Some Of The Unique Challenges And Opportunities Presented By Designing City Gardens, And How Do You Navigate Them?
“ There are all of the logistical problems that London has , which admit parking , access through people ’s houses , where to put skips , offspring with neighbours and boundary heights .
“ I ’ve learnt to just communicate with everyone through experience to mitigate those things . London offers lots of chance , as there are mountain of guest and houses . Word of sass is great there , which perpetuates more study . ”
What Are Some Common Mistakes That Novice Gardeners Make And How Can They Avoid Them?
“ If I think back to when I first started design , I sometimes would get overwhelmed by the amount of pick out there , ” Chris admits .
“ The tip is to strain not to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information when starting out . The ground that I do n’t get it hard anymore is just because instinctively I feel like I have it off what knead best now because of my experience [ with ] the material .
“ For a novice , there has to be an understanding that you ca n’t do everything in a garden . You have to select a smattering of ideas that you like and stay aside from cramming everything in . Good design is simplicity and you’re able to see that everywhere you look . ”
What steps would you recommend for someone looking to turn their passion for gardening into a career in garden design?
“ You ’ve acquire to recall about what bit of it you want to be doing , ” he recommends .
“ As I say , I matt-up quite rosy that all of it just sort of bechance for me and I end up doing what I loved . It ’s about trying to hone in on what part you care .
“ It ’s sympathise specifically what roles are out there and trying to get experience of that . The phone number one affair is virtual experience . That has been the biggest aid for me in my career . ”
How do you foresee the future of garden design, particularly in urban settings, and how are you adapting to these anticipated trends?
“ Where does it go next is the big interrogation . I time the focus on life style about 15 years ago with the outdoor kitchens , fire pits and dining sphere rise to prominence , which is exactly where metropolis design has gone .
“ We tailored our design practice to this and enhanced it with beautiful planting . That loge has been ticked , but there is by all odds an increase return key to planting , as there is a general feel that we have a responsibility to sustain gardens and not change state to pouring concrete everywhere .
“ We want our space to be green , which feels vital in the city . ”
What’s next for you?
“ The next matter for me is to focus on what it means to do a rightfully not bad design , ” share Chris .
“ We ’ve done so many amazing gardens , but I want to be require in some really cool projects , so that means finding the right clients with a good budget , which also means evolve my merchandising strategy .
“ The contest is pretty strong these day , but we ’ve carved ourselves a really inviolable topographic point within the industry and we ’re working on some really exciting task at the moment . More corking projects and continuous evolvement – that ’s the plan ! ”
