Claire’s designs start with listening. Understanding the ways that people will use spaces + their vision is key to the final success of any project - be it a private garden or a large commercial development.
Claire’s passion is the creative use of plants in the landscape. She believes no matter the size of the scheme, or the relative level of the clients’ ‘green fingers’, that plants can transform the hum-drum to create wonderful places, and that there is a way to bring fabulous planting to every scheme/ project in a way each client can manage.
Profile + philosophy
Claire is a Chartered Landscape Architect with over 20 years experience working on gardens and larger public landscape projects.
Inspired by natural landscapes and plant combinations, Claire spent childhood holidays on the west coast of Scotland where the wild landscapes and unusual subtropical gulf stream gardens informed her work.
She is experienced in working in the context of listed landscapes and buildings, and has been able to help achieve planning permission in a some very sensitive environments using this approach. She understands that some places require a ‘light touch’.
Background
Claire trained as an art historian and went on to study landscape architecture and horticulture. She has worked for Elizabeth Banks Associates (former RHS president), architects John McAslan + Partners and latterly as an Associate Director at LUC where she worked for 10 years before starting her own Design Practice in 2016.
Her work has spanned a broad spectrum of landscape projects including: private gardens, historic landscapes , housing / mixed–use developments, play design, healthcare, parks and education.
Her skills combine design flair with a clear understanding of detailed design issues and site analysis. She has managed projects from inception to delivery on site, working alongside a range of other disciplines and engaging with stakeholders and local communities. She has collaborated with architects and artists to create well loved schemes, including the widely celebrated Tumbling Bay playground in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.