I originally trained as a Theatre Designer, so when I changed the ‘scene' from the stage to the garden, I still used (and still use) the method of creating scale models to visualise the space.  Time-consuming? Yes. A bit bonkers? Yep, some may think so, but I think it’s more of yes, and actually, no.  

The thing is, by making first the space and it’s boundaries to scale (if it’s the kind of garden that has them), I find I am effectively getting to know the space.  I’m starting to inhabit it. By starting from scratch with the basic perimeter measurements, you can literally see it for what it is; what it’s like with everything existing stripped out; what it’s like with some of it stripped out; what it’s like with some things added in.  With a 3-D model, you get a sense of the real proportions (which can sometimes seem elusive) and work out how you want to manipulate them.

For me, it’s a unique and preferred method of design as a quest - the search to find a solution that fits the clients’ brief and sits comfortably as a concept.  Once you’ve found the one that ticks all the boxes, the joy and challenge of building and planting begins.