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Thank you for speaking with us Jane. You're an award-winning stylist, TV interior designer and author, could you tell us how your journey to making beautiful spaces began?
I've been very lucky to have been able to do a job that I love, and opportunities have opened up along the way to expand into different areas of the media. Visual culture is at the heart of it all, and I find the harder I work the luckier I have become.
You've worked on some amazing projects, including providing creative consultancy for George Clarke's shows. Are there key differences working for film and TV, with quicker turnarounds, versus creating garden designs built in phases?
Each of those styles of work involves working to a brief or writing yourself a brief, and each has creatively satisfying elements. It's fun working on set for film or photography and creating something fictional that will last just for the time of the shoot, but other projects are more based in reality and have a permanence. Often, I find the creativity of working in one field feeds the other ... one idea begats another…
Is there one, particularly extraordinary, garden project that stands out for you?
Cleve West is an extraordinary garden designer whose work always inspires me. We featured his allotment in the "Cool Shed" book. He created an allotment with a seating area, shed, and homebuilt pizza oven, made with clay from the ground. So, after a day of digging, he could sit in the shade of a tree and cook a wonderful homemade pizza using produce from the plot. There was a lovely circularity about that, and it struck me that this is the result of great design. Which was enriching in many ways.
Where do you begin when designing outdoor spaces? What are the most fundamental things you consider?
Whether interior or exterior, for a space to be successful it has to have character and an atmosphere that is particular to its owner and how they want to feel. So way before thinking about styles or objects, it all starts with 'tuning in' to the people involved and getting the feel of the space.
You have been awarded for your work in small spaces, what are the secrets you can share for turning even the most minimal area info an outdoor oasis?
Create a space for yourself right at the centre of the project rather than tucking it into a corner. Being surrounded by planting will feel great and il will make for a much more dynamic space. You will feel that you are part of the space and that will create a special experience.
If your garden makeover budget only extends to focusing on 3 things, what should they be?
Hmm .. that's a good question. It's got to be good to look at, and to feel good to be in. So comfort is a must, as is a feeling of privacy. The trick then is to minimise distractions so that you can relax. Having somewhere good to sit is also essential.
People often describe the garden as an additional room, what do you think is key in achieving a harmonious flow between indoors and out?
helps to create a harmonious flow. Choosing a colour that exists throughout the seasons helps too. It can be colour from the garden foliage, or an exterior feature like furniture, fencing, flooring, or even the colour of door and window frames.
One key concept I have learned from working with George is to carefully consider the architectural elements like sight-lines so that vistas are opened up and therefore enjoyed, in a pleasing way both inside and out.
What are the most important things our readers should consider when thinking about garden layouts?
Gardens are spaces you look at and experience being in, so it's ideal if you can consider both of those perspectives. I think previously the 'looking at' element took precedence, but in recent years newer products and materials have helped make 'being in' more relevant. This is true of even the tiniest spot where you can sit and enjoy the space.
Given your hectic schedule, what do you do to relax when you have a moment to yourself in your garden?
Last year, we finally bought a nicelooking square sunshade over the garden table. I love the garden and enjoy having the shade to be outside for longer and wherever the sun is in the sky. It opens possibilities for breakfast outside, to work outside, read a book, or light a lantern and chill out in the evening.
And finally, we're turning 25 this year and thinking a lot about what the future holds for gardens. Would you like to hazard a guess at what garden design may look like in another 25 years' time?
I think that the big shift in gardens is that they are seen much more as living spaces with a real focus on the planting, and I see no reason why that will not continue to grow and develop.
Learn more about Jane Field, her latest projects and books at jane-field.co.uk or follow her on Instagram @janefieldsimages