Charlotte Rowe | Elegance and Colour

Elegance and Colour

Known for their elegance and careful use of colour, Charlotte Rowe's gardens combine beauty and function. Based in London, this designer and her small team develop designs which complement the interior space and style of a home and reflect her clients' needs and taste.

To create these contemporary but lushly planted gardens, courtyards and terraces, Rowe uses natural creamy limestone, dark basalt as paving and western red cedar for decking and trellis. However, as a foil, she also uses more contemporary man-made materials such as frosted glass to create contrast and structure.

A subtle colour palette helps achieve a classic garden and she limits the colours in each garden to a small number of colours and tones - green combined with purples and deep oranges and red. Or simply green and lime green with a touch of white. "I like my gardens to feel welcoming and homely while at the same time being cutting edge and structural. But the planting must be organic and lush to make it feel like a real garden."

Water and light complement each other in these spaces, adding a new dimension which prolongs the interest into the evening. Rowe works with a small number of specialists such as Light IQ who produce lighting schemes which are at the same time, discreet, subtle and at times dramatic.

The result is a clean and well-organised place which provides the owner the peace and quiet they want at the end of the day.

Text by Noelia G. Rivas
Translation by Nuria Martínez Herráez

Photos by Charlotte Rowe and Light IQ