Garden design

 Although summer is far away where I am now, I am dreaming myself away and summer is in my heart. There's no hiding that I prefer the warmer months of the year and this is one of the reasons I moved south from Sweden to Italy some 8 years ago. This is the 3rd country I've lived in, 8th city, and I think this is my 17th home which surely won't be the last. Every place has given me something very unique which I treasure and has made me to be the person I am today.
My time in Australia as a kid surely brought on my passion for the outdoors. Outdoor sports, spending time in the veggie patch, tending to the garden. My degree in Architecture led to an interest in Garden design. A good garden design according to me is when the space is used in an optimized way, despite its size. Where it can have a multifunction, allowing both intimate cozy spaces as well as open spaces adapt for play, a colourful veggie patch as well as the amazing combination of colours and textures given by the choice of vegetation.

A very nice way to organize a small garden. Creating different seating spaces. It is a little bit too paved up for my taste but the combination of the wood, cement with the grey tiles works very nicely. I'm not sure what's inside the little room in the corner, but wouldn't it be nice if it was a sauna. The pond outside could be a dipping pool and I would also put an outdoor shower. Perhaps a fireplace in the middle of the seating area at the back?

This pavillion in the Chelsea Flower tries to resemble The Barcellona Pavilion by Mies Van der Rohe. The pebbles in the shallow pond combined with the cement of the building. A winning concept. Here they combine these "harsh" materials with soft vegetation and sweet white flowers. The combination of the Veronica (?) spiral flowers coming out of the otherwise orderly row of flowers, gives a unruley touch despite the otherwise geometrical shapes.

I like the patterns created in this flowerbed. Very sweet.

This was the Australian pavilion at the Chelsea Garden Show. The typical burnt Xanthorrhoea give an amazing dramatical touch. Their seed capsuals resemble tall spears. These are often burnt during the fires in Australia and release their seeds in this extreme heat, letting new life grow shortly after the fires.

This is a very sweet imaginative pavilion. The purple Alliums create a playful touch from the otherwise dull grasses. Also the way the hedges have been pruned to create the center of the flowers is very sweet. I would love to spend an afternoon here with a good book. 

I can see this being a great garden for an office building. Allowing the workers to eat their lunches in small secluded places. Getting an escape to their hectic day. Hearing the sound of the water trickle underneath them.

This is such a nice combination of different plants making it look very natural. Very "english cottage" style garden. Also the combination of materials is clever. Re-using the brick even for the bridge ties it all together.

Very modern. These hanging pots are very sculptural and create a unique feel. I would like it if some of them were used in different ways, for example to have an open fire?

This one gives me warm feelings inside. I see myself in northern europe on a rainy afternoon. Sitting under the roof while hearing the rain outside. The white stemmed Betullas are one of my favourite trees. Here they almost create a second room outside: the stems being the columns and the foliage being the roof. Again a Veronica (?) type flower.  

I found these in a Swedish online magazine, but I forget which one. Oops. Anyway, they're giving tips for a good garden design and they do it well. The combination of materials and spaces is fundamental. Having different "rooms" in a garden created by different heights of the terrain. I don't think the choice of plants are ideal as the colour combinations don't work 100% but as a whole it's definitely nice.

A detail of the combination of the materials

I love the idea of having an open fire in a garden, although this one scares me a bit. Don't want to get distracted and accidentally trip over this fire place. But it does look cozy doesn't it?

The Wedding _ 18 August 2012 _ Lake Garda _ Italy

So after all this planing, the wedding has now taken place!
It was a perfect day and I couldn't have wished for anything more. We all had a great time, filled with lots of love and happiness. Seeing the international guests interact made it all unique. All the decorations fit perfectly together and I am very happy with the overall result. I got many compliments and many that said it was the best wedding they'd ever been to.
I don't have the official photos yet, but here is a little taste of what our wedding looked like.

18 August 2012. Castello Scaligero. Lake Garda. Italy

Here is the first kiss. Uploaded instantly to FB. I was very impressed by the effectiveness there.
I designed the dress myself. 

 At the end of the ceremony we sang That's Amore together with all our friends and relatives. It was a lot of fun and a great way to end the ceremony!

 A kiss at the end of the ceremony. 

 Walking up the stairs. We are about to become husband and wife! Look at the stunning view in the background!

 The ceremony venue. My brother Liam in the middle of the picture. 

 I love this photo. The beautiful bridesmaids and groomsmen as well as the adroable flowergirl! 

 Just before the wedding. A friend comes in to take a sneak peek!

 Some of the decorations. From the left: The wedding ceremony fan (with a summary of the ceremony, names of the wedding party, and text to That's Amore), The wedding invitation with the cartoon, a pearl bracelet I made for the bridesmaids, a ivory hair flower with pearls, pearl earrings, a note for the guests about the buses taking everyone to the venue.  

 The table decorations: A terracotta pot with the table numbers and grass growing out of it, a milk bottle vase for the Protea with burlap and lace, a jar with a candle with the same style decoration, as well as a mini-milk bottle with fabric flowers in it. 

 Cheers to the bride and groom!

 The road sign with the distances to the main cities where our guests had travelled from. 

 Playing with the beautiful flower girl. Crazy facial expression. 

 Here come the wedding party. The bridesmaids and groomsmen and the beautiful flowergirl Lima (who's dress I made but it was a tad too big). 

Our wedding cakes. I loved the way these turned out. The restaurant owner thought I had gone completely mad when I told him my idea, but he even asked to keep the logs for further events in the future. I collected these seeds for months before the ceremony, as well as the tins with babies breath flowers in them. I had also made the cake toppers (that were supposed to be kissing).

So what do you guys think??