At Oxenwood, the design is central to everything we do. Our furniture is at home both in the garden and as part of an interior scheme. We know that creating synergy between indoor and outdoor makes for great entertaining spaces.
In this article, we have a conversation with Bradley Burgess, who knows a thing or two about designing both indoor and outdoor spaces! Bradley Burgess formed his design company A V Design, after having worked in the property and design industries for over 16 years. Bradley graduated from Bristol UWE with an RICS / RTPI accredited degree in Property Development and Planning. He spent seven years working for a real estate firm in Mayfair before his passion for design led him to study interior and landscape design at KLC School of Design.
Since graduating, he has worked for some of the most prestigious developers and design agencies in London. Bradley now runs successful A V Design, a company that adds value to properties through impeccable design, both indoor and outdoor. A V Design shares Oxenwood’s passion for quality and timeless style, as well as a practice of extending entertaining space by making the most of exterior spaces.
Which of your projects has most inspired you?
We were asked by Luxury Hotel Group YTL, to reinvent the neglected seven-acre estate and gardens for its new luxury boutique hotel, Monkey Island Estate in Bray. The brief was to create a romantic and sensory experience for its guests which would look stunning all year round.
The estate was a relatively blank canvas for our team, and we wanted to give it a fresh and contemporary redesign to excite guests through the seasons. As it’s an island, it also needed to look good when viewed from the River Thames.
The island location presented some rather unusual landscaping challenges, such as having to manually wheelbarrow in 160 tonnes of new topsoil and compost over the footbridge and taking the large construction equipment across to the island on a barge.
The Design
Our design infuses traditional herbaceous, prairie and architectural block planting in borders to create harmony and a sense of place while carving out views and vistas.
The first phase of the scheme included a central avenue of Pleached Hornbeam trees in rectangular borders, framed by low hedges of clipped yew underplanted with blocks of successional planting. In spring there are tulips, daffodils and alliums, moving through to summer with Hydrangea ‘Annabelle’ and accents of purples from Allium sphaerocephalon and blue agapanthus.
Monkey Island’s quirky spa barge is moored on the edge of the island, so we developed a soft, sensory prairie-style walkway down to it, planting Stipa gigantea, ligularia, echinacea, thalictrum, Verbena bonariensis and numerous grasses.
Outside the hotel’s bedroom windows, we designed deep borders featuring practical planting, that require minimal watering and maintenance so as not to disturb guests, so we chose cistus, penstemon, perovskia, euphorbia, phlomis, phlox and stachys.
We introduced a range of trees onto the estate, including an avenue of liquidambar trees and a mixture of acers and cypress pencil trees to break up the large expanses of lawn and provide guests with vibrant autumn colour. We loved working on this project – it’s such a unique and special site and helping to bring it to life was an absolute privilege.
Why do you think gardens and outdoor spaces are so important?
Human beings inherently need a place to belong and to feel a sense of ease. Studies have shown that gardens enhance both our mental and physical wellbeing, so keeping this in mind, we always design gardens and interiors which create a sense of place. A well-designed garden should be a fusion of purpose, style and function.
Why do you think it is so important for gardens and interiors to work together?
Gardens can be a seamless extension of the indoor living space if the design is considered and both work in harmony. Ideally, a garden should reflect the interior and vice versa.
How do you approach designing a garden?
As a design agency, we’re always looking for fresh ideas whilst also adhering to classic design principles.
We then concentrate on the bones of a garden and the layout of both soft and hard landscaping areas. From there we look at the use of lighting, sculpture and water. Stimulating all the senses is something which always strives towards. Once all these factors have been agreed we look at materials, plants, trees and shrubs, the use of colour schemes and of course, furniture!
How do you utilise garden furniture in your designs?
Creating areas in which to lounge, entertain or enjoy some solitude is critical to any garden or outdoor space. Furniture helps to create the stage and backdrop for various activities that might take place throughout the day.
The development of a variety of outdoor furniture styles is exciting as allows us to evoke a certain mood, style and feel.
What role do you think furniture plays in the home and garden?
When choosing pieces of furniture, we look at how they lend themselves to the ergonomics of the intended purpose. Oxenwood’s furniture certainly lends itself to relaxing and socialising! The oversized tables especially are just calling out for a lazy afternoon barbecue with lots of friends.
What stands out most about Oxenwood’s creations for you?
The style of the pieces has something very ‘Soho House’ about it and clients are always looking for that boutique hotel look. The AV Design team absolutely love the versatility of each piece, the earthy materials used, the architectural styling of each design and how each piece has an element of sculpture. The pieces are also very versatile and can be used in both contemporary and classic spaces to great effect. The furniture creates a real sense of place, which is always something we are looking to create in a garden.
What’s your favourite Oxenwood piece and why?
This is a tough one! Both the Aubrey and the Harry tables make such a statement. They instantly transport you to a glamourous destination where you can envisage yourself enjoying a sumptuous al fresco meal surrounded by people you love, with wines on ice. These are tables where memories are created.
