After an initial conversation and once you decide to proceed with a full garden design, we move into a design discovery meeting. Alongside discussions about budget, timeline, and logistics, there is one very important question I will always ask:
“Can you show me, or tell me about, one thing you love the design of?”
I use the word thing deliberately to encapsulate everything and it doesn’t need to be garden-related.
It could be an object, a painting, a poem, a colour, or a song. Essentially, it is something you feel drawn to. You may or may not know why, either are fine.
So why do I ask?
For me, well designed gardens connect us in ways that are often felt rather than consciously understood. They calm our nervous systems and offer sanctuary.
However, what works for you may not work for me, the difference is usually revealed when I see the One Thing.
For example, I once met a potential client who appeared, at least on the surface, to favour things that were all, tastefully, shiny and new. First impressions, however, rarely tell the whole story.
Her One Thing was a beautifully hand carved wooden fruit bowl. Natural, simple, and understated. Its beauty lay in its quiet craftsmanship.
Another client chose the work of Edward Hopper. That immediately told me they connected to perspective, contrast, and the kinds of questions we are invited to answer for ourselves.
The One Thing question isn’t intended to be invasive. Instead, it helps me understand what you connect to on a subconscious level, which, in turn, becomes the design thread, to shape the essence of your garden.
Ultimately it is this thread that connects you in a deeper, more meaningful way to your space, your place to be.
I look forward to hearing about your One Thing.
Joëlle
