EVERYTHING
WE DO IS ABOUT
BALANCE AND
AUTHENTICITY
We create considered, beautiful gardens and architectural landscapes in the UK and further afield. From contemporary urban spaces and heritage country estates, to hotels and wellness retreats, we think deeply, work respectfully and tread lightly.
We are an award winning, Society of Garden and Landscape Designers registered practice and often collaborate with leading UK architectural practices and designers.
Our work has regularly been featured in the press including publications such as; Dwell, The Guardian, The Telegraph, House & Garden, Homes & Gardens, Gardens Illustrated, Dezeen, The Modern House, Aucoot and The RIBA Journal.
RHYTHM
We design our gardens at the tipping point of harmony, creating spaces that feel at ease but that are also exciting. Balancing modern clean design with traditional practices and tactile materials, they feel natural, as if they’ve always been there.
The rhythm and pace of walking through them, the atmosphere, the naturalistic planting and colour palette, subtle details, quiet corners and changing elevations all complement each other. These are gardens for all senses and all seasons.
SPIRIT
Put simply, our gardens are designed to make you feel better. Our holistic approach ensures we consider every aspect of the experience of spending time there. From scents and sounds, to pockets of interest and the spaces in between, we create a natural flow.
A combination of practical and thoughtful planting and our strong desire for connection to the earth that feeds, shelters and supports us, creates a sense of calm and wellbeing.
CONNECTION
Collaboration is empowering. As is connection. They are essential features of our relationship with clients and other professionals and together we create a shared vision for each project. Every garden needs to be perfect for those who will use it and reflect who they are, not who we are.
We also collaborate with existing or planned architecture and respond to the wider landscape of each garden, ensuring a sense of place, while leaving space and time for nature to artfully bring everything together.
DESIGN
We begin every design by taking time to absorb and understand the unique spirit of an environment and what it’s telling us. This enables us to establish a clear vision before we begin to explore possibilities and ideas for structure, planting, colour, features.
Our gardens feel contemporary and timeless. They embrace ageing, heritage, patina, nostalgia. We mix modern aesthetics with traditional thinking. Materials are tempered with crafted detail. We are drawn to opposites and how they work together – light and shade, wild and cultivated, abundant and restrained.
At first glance the garden feels seductively simple, but every element has been carefully considered.
CONTEXT
Scale, locale, landscape, aspect and views – they all inform and enhance our work. And context – the place where architecture, garden and setting meet – is an essential element of conceiving a garden that will settle, evolve, and bring pleasure for many years to come.
We create a narrative that reads through everything, a solid framework overlaid with an elemental poetry that unfolds across the seasons and years.
CRAFT
We love to work with local artisans and craftspeople. Their use of traditional methods and local materials helps us embed a garden, to give it a sense of place.
There’s an immediate richness and palpable quality to something that has been handmade by someone immersed in their craft. Local history and cultural identities, beliefs and practices all inform our thinking.
RESILIENCE
The way we look at and care for the natural world has to change. Our work means we are in a position to help shape this change and our proposals are carefully evaluated for their ability to thrive and flourish in an evolving climate.
Our gardens are havens for local wildlife and we purposefully support a symbiotic balance of human requirements, wildlife and biodiversity. Longevity, durability and suitability are key and wildlife habitats, water capture and re-use, soil protection and harnessing the elements all play a part in our design.
We source the most sustainable and appropriate materials and plants we can from trusted forward-thinking suppliers aligned with our ethos. Reclaimed materials feature heavily and reusing and recycling waste materials on site is a natural part of our process. We are on the pathway to becoming B Corp, the modern measure of a sustainable business.
AUTHENTIC,
BALANCED,
LASTING
We are guided by a small strict set of principles that define the way we live and work. Everything we do is about balance and authenticity – how we communicate with our clients, how we select plants and materials, how we work with the individuals and teams that support us in creating our gardens, how we grow our own food.
Our inner need to feel grounded as people and our respect for the natural environment are the anchors of our garden designs. The Swedish concept of Lagom and the Japanese philosophy of Hodo-Hodo, both meaning ‘just enough’, flow through our work. The final pillar of our guiding philosophy is longevity. We make gardens that last, that will mature and change over time.
Harriet Farlam
With a lifelong interest in the creative arts and time spent volunteering on a National Trust estate, Harriet pursued her interest in the confluence of art, design and nature, studying garden design at Greenwich University.
Time spent at Roger Platt’s nursery taught her the fundamentals of growing and caring for plants, and led to a position at the renowned Arne Maynard studio as a garden designer. Working in landscapes throughout the UK and overseas, Harriet learnt how to create immersive, magical and theatrical gardens that evoke a sense of atmosphere, romance and otherworldliness. Principles that continue to inform her work today.
Joining her partner Ben in 2018 to form Farlam & Chandler, she leads the design vision for each of their projects. Their differing skills and influences, combined with similar interests, form an effective partnership. Harriet’s interest in growing her own food and cut flowers, practising ceramics and taking care of body and mind nourishes her creativity, and strengthens the strong connection between her way of life and how she works.
Ben Chandler
Ben’s formative years were spent in rural Oxfordshire, and born into a family of builders, learning about working with his hands and living off of the land. His early career was spent in horticulture and landscape construction, working for country houses and private estates in the home counties. After gaining practical knowledge and experience, Ben studied garden design at Greenwich University, where he met Harriet.
As a post-graduate Ben joined Jo Thompson as a project manager, focussing on residential garden commissions and on the creation of a gold medal-winning garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Forming his own practice, he was joined by Harriet in 2018 to form Farlam and Chandler. He combines his extensive experience in planning, project management and implementation with his interests in architecture, culture and the natural world. Climate priorities, home grown produce for cooking, and experimenting with planting concepts bring new depth and potential to how Ben looks at landscape and garden design.
“We’ve had a great time working with Ben and Harriet on our garden over the past two years and we hope our relationship with them will continue as the garden matures. It truly is a joy to look out and wander through the garden everyday and we’re enjoying sharing the transformation with family and friends.
We found the design process easy and enjoyable and they brought our garden to life in unexpected ways. We also appreciated their focus on using local and sustainable materials and designing with the architectural style and location of the house in mind.
Now in its second spring-summer, it really feels like the garden in its current form has always been here, a testament to their vision.“
Stephen and Lucy, Scotts Oast
“We cannot recommend Farlam & Chandler highly enough. The entire process, from the initial conversation to the finished garden was completely seamless and executed with a level of detail that you rarely encounter.
Ben and Harriet understood everything we wanted to achieve with our garden and envisioned something beyond our dreams. We wanted a garden that felt timeless and new all at once and that’s exactly what they gave us. Their balance of architectural and design expertise matched with deep horticultural knowledge is what sets them apart.
Everyone absolutely loves spending time in our garden and I truly believe it is testament to the enormous amount of care they put into their work.“