Côte Magazine recently did an interview of Brigitte Dematteis, the landscape architect, here is an excerpt :
While travel is still restricted, gardens and outdoor spaces have, more than ever, become havens of escape…So care is taken to nurture, plant and sometimes even totally rethink these living spaces that have become so essential.
Gardens and terraces are places of well-being, conceived as an additional living room where you can enjoy a certain amount of freedom. A trend confirmed: ”Garden owners are primarily looking for a convivial, festive, vibrant living space that’s an extension of the home and consistent with the local identity”.
The notion of pleasure
As landscape architect Brigitte DEMATTEIS says, “when we talk about extending your interior, the idea is to be able to enjoy contemplating your garden from your living room or kitchen all year around. The choice and placement of plants to achieve this is a specific task. In the South of France, we are talking about Mediterranean plants and evergreens. Species that don’t lose their leaves seasonally. Of course, a garden will always be more beautiful in full bloom. Bu tin winter, it’s essential to see something other than bare branches or trees covered to protect them against the frost”. The gardening expert notes another significant development : “The younger generations want to take ownership of their garden and spend time in it. My last few sites were entrusted to me by couples aged 35-40”.
Distinctively designed
This outdoor life is organized around several distinct spaces ranging from a terrace to a summer kitchen, swimming pool, convivial dining room and kitchen garden. Swimming lengths in the shade of your olive trees is a luxury you always dreamed of, but pools that look like water parks are a thing of a past. The swimming pool trend is the swimming corridor in a design spirit, surrounded by a large lawn and some sunbathing. An uncluttered environment. And in terms of colour ? “ Before, we were being asked for lagoon blue, but now the emphasis is on a deeper blue, turquoise, water green. You think about the colour of your swimming pool as you would the colour of the tiles in your house”, notes Brigitte DEMATTEIS. “Landscaping a garden appeals to the emotions. It’s essential to play with light and shadows, with space, and compose with the green palette of nature offers us. Making is possible to broaden the space or create a perspective”.
Lastly, city dwellers are not left behind. You don’t need several hectares of land to enjoy “green therapy”. Vegetable gardens have become very fashionable, and harvesting your produce is hugely popular with a generation short or greenery. “ Opt for strawberries, cherry tomatoes, aromatic plants on a terrace…in combination with other plants to achieve an aesthetic result”, concludes Brigitte DEMATTEIS. Gardens promise genuine pleasure, whether you are green-fingered or not.
cotemagazine
