Our Chelsea Flower Show Collaboration with Gaze Burvill

The Gaze Burvill garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, held 23 – 27 May 2023 at The Royal Hospital Grounds, Chelsea, is very much a garden that captures the reality of a home. ‘I wanted to ensure the space felt quite lived in and welcoming for visitors,’ says RHS gold medal winning garden designer Will Williams of Will Williams Garden Design.

The main focal point of the garden is a very large oak structure measuring 10.5 metres by 3.5 metres, hand made by joiner Oli Carter.

Underneath the structure is the perfect entertaining area for spending time with friends and family where Gaze Burvill’s furniture is showcased. There’s a relaxed seating area on the left hand side, with a more formal dining area to the right hand side. A step leads down to the exterior kitchen, and opposite that is a slightly larger entertaining space with benches and armchairs. Boundaries made from scorched oak provide a moody backdrop to the raw timber of Gaze’s furniture and the oak of the structure as well.

‘We balanced everything out by using neutral tones in the hard landscaping that complement the rich tones of the timber but also the soft, mature planting. I hope to capture the imagination of the visitors and show not only the versatility of the Gaze Burvill furniture but also how they can be put together as a whole. It definitely shows how these pieces can sit in multiple different locations,’ says Will.

The material chosen for the main paving is Artisans of Devizes Pierre Porcelain paving in Gris, a fabulous alternative to French limestone. There is also a cobbled pathway in Barnyard Cobble with its rustic finish and traditional aesthetic that leads directly through to the centre of the structure. ‘I really wanted to have a slightly cleaner, softer, more neutral finish so the colouring of the Pierre porcelain was perfect for that effect and the softness and more rustic, country feel of the cobbles lends itself really well to the design,’ says Will. ‘The porcelain is quite smooth but works extremely well, while the brick has a tumbled edge to it and provides texture within the hard landscaping.’

Planting provides a softening effect. ‘The quite neutral tones and rigidness of the geometry of the garden need to be softened, the planting oozes over the edges of the stone and we also have some lovely mature trees that create a lovely dappled shade,’ says Will.

Will has designed the garden so that there is more colour towards the front of the garden with blues and deep rouges, and then further back behind the structure is predominantly white with tall digitalis in front of a backdrop of acer campestre panels. The planting is classic contemporary, a style Will often designs in. ‘It’s got traditional plants within but used in a much more contemporary way.’