A RELAXED AFFAIR Jimmy Choo creative director Sandra Choi’s garden is all about unwinding
THE COUNTRY RETREAT OF JIMMY CHOO CREATIVE DIRECTOR SANDRA CHOI AND HER HUSBAND TAMBURLAINE GORST HAS A GARDEN EQUIPPED TO RESTORE MIND, BODY AND SOUL
“I LOVE KNOWING THIS IS A SANCTUARY NOT JUST FOR ME, FOR MY MIND AND THE WAY WE ARE AS A FAMILY, BUT AS A SANCTUARY FOR EVERYTHING AROUND US”
SANDRA CHOI
As creative director of global shoe brand Jimmy Choo, Sandra Choi’s daily job is all about focusing on the intricate, demanding details of creating the A-list’s favourite ‘Choos’. Yet at weekends, when she escapes with her husband Tam, an artist, and daughters Phoenix and Cyan to the family’s property in the countryside, tucked away at the top of a verdant valley with the lights of Bath twinkling at night across the horizon, her garden is an altogether more relaxed affair.
Spread over 65 acres of steep, sometimes tricky, terrain, which extends all the way down to a brook running off the nearby River Avon – the terraced garden is surrounded by ancient woodlands, wildflower meadows and orchards. The previous owner, a botanical artist, created much of its structure, including sequences of terraced garden, divided by steps created from old sleepers; long tunnels wound with hazel; arches overhung with old roses; and vibrant borders filled with large balls of box, lavender, alliums, peonies and foxgloves.
Sandra and Tam arrived seven years ago – ‘we have always thought of ourselves as custodians rather than owners of the land,’ says Sandra. Dedicated to preserving the land for the many future generations of badgers, foxes, deer and birds that pass through the property on a daily basis, they recently welcomed volunteers from the local Avon Wildlife Trust who planted a ‘wildlife corridor’ – including a new orchard and mixed species hedgerow – to provide shelter for insects and small fauna.
Working with Bristol-based gardener Matt Croucher – ‘Mr Meticulous’, says Tam – the couple have also respectfully tamed some areas of the garden, previously left wild, for family use. Like flattening out and grassing over particular patches for the girls to play on, because otherwise ‘everything is on a slant,’ says Sandra. At the same time, they removed some of the existing fencing, erected to keep the previous owner’s chickens safe, so that the garden could flow more freely.
An enviable kitchen garden has also been created, overseen by a very dapper scarecrow, dressed in an outfit of bleached, aged denim, complete with flat cap, the remnants of Tam’s former life as a fashion designer. Here they have experimented with everything from peas and French beans to chillies, beetroot, artichokes, and different types of potatoes, as well edible plants such as marigolds and nasturtiums.
The garden, a constant blaze of colour throughout the seasons, sweeps from early new year yellows – including daffodils and euphorbia – to pale pink cherry blossom in the springtime. There are the blues of forget-me-nots, ‘Jack Frost’ Siberian bugloss and wisteria cascading generously across the front of the family’s 18th-century farmhouse and then deep reds, burnt oranges and vibrant pinks in the autumn. ‘Nature is always inspiring – it never gets the way colours blend from one to the next wrong,’ says Sandra.
Fervent swathes of stinging nettles provide safe haven for butterflies to lay their eggs; vast tranches of cow parsley are encouraged to grow in abundance. It is a constant work in progress, with plenty of trial and error, not least because ‘I’m not a traditionalist – I like to have surprises – so I tend to give everything a chance, learning as I go,’ laughs Sandra.
Ultimately, Sandra and Tam have created a family retreat that restores mind, body and soul, and where they can spend quality time making memories. ‘When I’m in London, everything is hectic, it’s a little like being on a treadmill,’ Sandra reflects. ‘But here, I look out across this valley and nothing else matters. It’s a true hidden gem.’