MY GARDEN LIFE Luciano Giubbilei
Award-winning designer Luciano Giubbilei discusses his love for landscape, passion for art and how creating gardens around the world is an instinctive process
“GARDENING IS EVERYTHING I KNOW. IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT PLANTS AND TREES BUT PEOPLE AND
PLACES TOO. IT’S ALL ABOUT DIALOGUE”
Q When did you become interested in gardening?
I grew up in Siena inside the medieval city walls. The colours of the stucco façades, terracotta roof tiles and mellow brickwork had a strong influence on me. Then I moved to the countryside and discovered I liked plants. I asked Silvano Ghirelli, head gardener at the historic Villa Gamberaia, about working there and he took me on.
Q Describe your early career.
I moved to London when I was 21 to study at Inchbald School of Design and set up my London studio in 1995. My first commission was a roof terrace. I learned it’s not about how many things you put in a garden but the arrangement and proportion. My breakthrough was a private garden in The Boltons in Kensington for Kelly Hoppen. In 2009 I was invited by Tom Stuart-smith to design my first garden for Laurentperrier at the Chelsea Flower Show and was awarded a gold medal.
Q You split your time between London and Mallorca…
In 2017 I bought the Potter’s House in Son Servera, previously home to ceramicist Maria Antonia Carrio, and began redesigning the courtyard garden and terraces. I invite artists as part of an on-going dialogue with other creatives; the natural landscape there is a great source of energy.
Q Where do you find inspiration?
My childhood home, Siena. Creating gardens requires an affinity with the space and growing up in such a beautiful place influenced my work. I have collaborated with artists including sculptor Stephen Cox and it was a life changer meeting Fergus Garrett at Great Dixter. He gave me a border there to experiment with.
Q What’s your philosophy?
Attention to detail is important. It’s about atmosphere and the integrity of your vision, about being true to the space and making it personal; making a connection. Q What are you working on? A five-acre walled garden at Raby Castle, County Durham. It’s my first public project, due to open in 2023. I’m also excited about an ambitious flower garden in Virginia in collaboration with perennial plant expert Roy Diblik.
Q And your all-time high?
Being asked to design a garden in my birthplace Tuscany.