By Anya Cooklin-Lofting
Nurturing a garden of which to be proud is no small feat. It involves months of pre-planning, consistent attention and dedication to detail. However, the benefits of nailing your garden design, from layout to colour, function to fragrance, is one of the most rewarding domestic pleasures. Whether you’re creating an oasis for entertaining friends and family, a peaceful enclave for getting in touch with nature, a kitchen garden or a florist’s paradise, now is the time to start prepping.
Getting Started
As an artist preps their canvas, a great gardener gives themselves the best chance of success with a clean slate. Tidying up the garden will give you a sense of clarity about what you want to achieve, how you’ll use your space and what the possibilities are for switching things up. Remove fallen leaves and branches using a rake or a leafblower, cut the grass and neaten up perennials that have sprawled over the winter. While this task won’t be quite as satisfying as picking bouquet flowers for friends or a few veggies to roast for dinner, it will definitely feel like an accomplishment by the end of the day.
On a more technical level, you can look at improving your soil quality. This may sound complicated, but there are actually a few simple ways do to this. Initially, you need to test your soil. The best way to do this, according to Old Farmer’s Almanac, is to dig up one cubic foot of soil, break it apart and search for earthworms. You should find at least 10 earthworms if your soil is healthy. If you find fewer than 10, the advice is to add organic matter into the mix throughout your planting areas, which could include compost, aged manure and leaf mould using a spading fork.
You can also take this opportunity to declutter your shed or gardening toolbox. A clean, tidy shed will help to preserve your gardening equipment and, of course, reduce the stress associated with chaotic, messy spaces, making for a more enjoyable gardening experience. It’s also advisable to clean and sharpen tools like secateurs and trowels for not just easier, but safer usage.
Design Ideas
Getting to grips with how you want your garden to function is the first important step. Work out where you might like to establish dining or lounge spaces, a section for games or play and beds for flowers, fruit or vegetables. Are there any specific features towards which you’d like to draw the eye, such as a pond, an outdoor sculpture or a particularly beautiful tree? There’s no right or wrong way to do this, but giving consideration to these decisions will give you some structure to work to.
Light-touch design ideas could include adding colour in unexpected ways. Paint fences or structures like trellising with bright colours that complement the colours of the flowers you might want to grow. Personally, I love the way paint weathers outside, chipping in places for a rustic feel. Another less intensive design idea is to use colourful pots in varying glazes, textures and sizes to bring different dimensions and layers to patios or decks.
What to Plant Now
Classic spring flowers will thrive in your garden right now. Opt for daffodils and crocuses, fragrant hyacinths and decadent dahlias. Now is the time to lean into tulip varieties, too, which make delightful displays at home, especially using the TikTok-famous tulip petal hack.
Getting ahead of the game on your vegetable garden will bring great rewards right the way through the summer. While it’s best to plant most vegetables in warm weather, vegetables including broccoli, cabbages, kale, Swiss chard, kohl rabi and lettuce can be planted in March for quick results. You can keep sowing seeds throughout the season to extend the harvest period.
Windowsill Gardeners
For those without the privilege of a garden, windowsill options are still rewarding, and there is something charming about miniature gardening. While planting bouquet flowers might be tricky because of the height and space they require, lower-lying plants like hyacinth can be grown in bowls in bright spots around the home very easily. Where your indoor kitchen garden is concerned, growing salad items like microgreens and herbs is a manageable place to start. If you have a bright enough window, the opportunities are endless. Last year, I grew cherry tomatoes all the way through until November!
Become Your Own Interior Designer
By Amira Hashish
If embarking on a home revamp seems rather daunting, fear not. Thanks to the rise of online workshops with some of the world’s leading designers you can learn from the best and gain access to the crème de la crème of the interiors world without breaking the bank. From a step by step guide to renovating with Rita Konig to lampshade painting at one of London’s loveliest hotels, these innovative platforms and events will enhance your home makeover skills whilst helping you have fun along the way…
The Ultimate Guide to Interior Design With Rita Konig
Known for her sumptuous but liveable style, Rita Konig’s interior schemes are coveted by the A-List set. The likes of Vogue, The New York Times, House & Garden and The Wall Street Journal celebrate her approach to design but it is more attainable than ever thanks to an online course by Create Academy. Rita opens up her little book of secrets to offer online tutorials from the comfort of her living room. Throughout more than five hours of video lessons, Rita delves into the techniques, suppliers and materials she uses. She also encourages her ‘students’ to be confident with their own skills and discover how decorating can be a little less daunting and a lot more fun. There are plenty more courses to explore on Create Academy as well. Through beautiful, thoughtfully curated videos, the expertise of today’s leading figures in food, interiors, gardening and craft are just a few clicks away.
Enrol me: £127, createacademy.com.
Firmdale Hotels’ Creative Workshops
Kit Kemp has inspired so many interior design lovers with her fabulous Firmdale Hotels and now she is opening their doors to those keen to learn from the best. Leading arts and craftspeople are hosting a series of Creative Workshops at the Ham Yard and Haymarket Hotels this spring. On March 17 set designer and decorative artist Tess Newall will give attendees their very own handmade card lampshade to paint and take home. Inspiration will be drawn from the shapes, colours and patterns found in Kit Kemp’s hotel interiors and in Tess’s own collections. On March 31 you can learn to paint interiors in watercolour with artist, author and host of the cult weekly painting challenge ‘Room Portrait Club’ SJ Axelby. It is over to world-renowned florist, author and designer Willow Crossley on April 17 for a flower arranging workshop on the Roof Terrace at Ham Yard Hotel. Ticket prices include all materials, morning coffee, lunch in the hotel and your completed item to take home.
Enrol me: from £195, firmdalehotels.com.
The Expert
British born, Los Angeles based interior designer Jake Arnold, who counts the likes of John Legend and Chrissy Teigen amongst clients, had the excellent idea of bringing together his network of movers and shakers from the design world to launch a platform called The Expert. The premise is that you can book a video consultation with designers of every kind at varying budgets. Appointments range from £125 to £1,250 and you can opt for a one-time consultation or several video calls for something more in-depth such as a full-scale home renovation. Gaining 1:1 advice from designers who are at the top of their game will give you an instant home makeover knowledge boost.
Enrol me: theexpert.com.
MasterClass: Kelly Wearstler Teaches Interior Design
It doesn’t get much cooler than California design queen Kelly Wearstler. Her eclectic but soothing approach has become the epitome of the modern American home aesthetic whilst the Proper Hotels she puts her stamp on are the stuff of dreams. In her MasterClass series, she goes behind the scenes to demystify interior design. She teaches you to make any space feel larger and to choose colours, materials, and textures with confidence. Through her 17 video lessons, she also offers an insight into where she uncovers her collections of art and objects to create spaces that tell a story.
Enrol me: £14/month (billed annually) for all classes and sessions, masterclass.com.
Upskill…With a Little Help From Noah
Noah is an online platform selling Craft Starter Kits that help you take the first step into a new hobby. Ever fancied making your own pottery? How about learning how to make DIY Jesmonite & Terrazzo? Perhaps some scented candle making is on the cards? Noah’s kits offer step by step guides to making whilst supplying everything you need to turn your new learnings into reality. Fun, informative and fuss-free.
Enrol me: from £26.25 per kit, noahsbox.com.
Paint a Piece of Furniture at Minerva Workshop
This short course aims to introduce the wonders of chalk paint when upcycling furniture. A range of painting techniques are demonstrated such as how to apply paint, age products and apply finishes to ensure your furniture or walls looks good for the long-term. You will use various chalk paints, waxes and finishes and take home painted board to use as a future reference. There is also 10% off any Annie Sloan paint you purchase on the day which could come in handy. Minerva Workshop in Kentish Town offers several other great workshops too, including a regular Design Surgery with textile designer and doyenne of repeat pattern Sarah Campbell.
Enrol me: from £85, minervaworkshop.co.uk.
Tablescaping With Wild at Heart
There is an art to tablescaping and Wild at Heart are here to help. In this workshop, you will learn how to create beautiful bud vases to style alongside tapered candles and tea lights. The team will walk you through the tips and tricks of how colours, themes, placement and flowers come together so that you can wow your dinner guests with your table wizardry.
Enrol me: £225 per person, includes a set of six bud vases, three tea lights and three tapered candles, wildatheart.com.
Partner Spotlight – Davenport Associates
When it comes to property projects, the complexities and intricacies are plentiful. That’s why choosing the right project management and cost consultancy firm is key. As chartered property professionals specialising in the prime residential market, Davenport Associates have the expertise and depth of understanding to offer a tailored service, ensuring projects run smoothly, on time and on budget.
To find out more about the services that Davenport Associates offer we sat down with Managing Director, Ross Van Ot, to talk about how Davenport was born, why they choose to be a deliberately small firm and how the ‘meticulous service’ of his expert team can make substantial projects seem like light work for support staff…
Let’s start with how it all began. Could you give us a bit of back story as to how Davenport Associates started?
Simon Davenport founded the company in 2009, to provide private clients with independent advice in relation to residential property projects. Simon recognised that clients were somewhat exposed, since the private sector has historically lacked some of the rigour that exists in commercially driven projects. He began by assisting a private family client with a major project in Chelsea. This was followed by other projects, for the same family. We took on our first project in the country in 2012, and ever since our portfolio has remained a mix of projects both in London and in the country. I joined the company in 2017, introducing quantity surveying services, and in 2021, took over the reins from Simon, who stepped down entirely from the day to day dealings of the business.
You describe yourself as a ‘niche firm of chartered property professionals specialising in the prime residential market’. Elaborating on this, what it is that sets you apart from your competitors?
Davenport is a deliberately small firm, to enable a highly personal approach with all clients. I am very detail orientated, and oversee all projects, with other members of the team supporting me on day-to-day delivery. I ensure that I always have capacity for in-depth knowledge about each of our projects, and am closely connected to the clients, and /or their support staff, for the full duration. The team is made up only of Seniors, no Juniors, and as such delivers a consistently meticulous service which is typically demanded by our high/ultra-high net worth client base. The company was established to protect private clients, and as such will always remain fiercely independent.
As well as your own specialist team you also work alongside leading interior designers and architects. How do you decide who is the right fit for a collaboration and what is it that you specifically look for?
Ideally, we are involved with projects from the very beginning. This enables us to advise on the design team, as well as the likely cost and programme. We are closely connected to numerous best-in-class architects and interior designers, as well as, for example, garden designers, audio-visual specialists, surveyors and heritage consultants. Every project and every client is different, and our design team recommendations are always tailored. We consider stylistic preferences, the size and scale of a practice and their ability to deliver, the likely fees and of course the chemistry. Building or refurbishing a private home can take a good few years and it makes all the difference to work with professionals who clients and their support staff like, trust, and feel wholly supported by.
In what ways do Davenport Associates make a private client and their support staff’s life easier when taking on a project?
I will respond to this question by quoting a PA who I have worked closely with over the last few years. She was given a great deal of responsibility by her Principal to oversee the delivery of a substantial project, creating a 12,000 sq. ft new build family home in London. Following the project, she said: “It was because of Ross, who was so organised, that I got on top of everything. Ross helped me to build a structure, so for example I could easily see what had been paid so far, and what was remaining to be paid. It provided such a comfort to me, and he helped me to set up systems that meant I didn’t need to be dependent on him, because he had explained everything so well, and I really understood what was going on”.
Could you tell us about a particularly unique project or one that stands out in your mind as being extra special?
There are many I could mention but will highlight one of our current projects, which is located in Ireland, and extensive. It is a project that will span a number of years, and our client is strongly motivated to regenerate the estate with huge sensitivity to the historic fabric, and to the local community. This is hugely gratifying, and we are enjoying working closely with the clients’ representative on the many decisions that must be made on (almost) a daily basis.
And finally, are there any exciting developments in the pipeline for Davenport Associates that you would like to share with the BBB community?
I am in the process of growing the team, which is exciting. Not on a scale that detracts from what we are all about, but just to enable us to have a little more capacity, since demand is strong. In addition, we are delighted to have access to some wonderful images from a recently completed project and I look forward to sharing these publicly soon. Since we work predominantly on private homes, we are very often restricted from sharing images. Therefore, I am particularly excited about being able to share a new example of our work in the months ahead.
For more information on the services of Davenport Associates please contact, Emily.