Rochelle Greayer is founder of Pith + Vigor (a garden interest digital magazine launching September 2014) and author of Cultivating Garden Style. She also created the popular blog Studio ‘g’, co-editor of Leaf Magazine, and weekly columnist for Apartment Therapy. A graduate of the English Gardening School in London, she spent ten years designing gardens for international clients and earned a coveted medal from the Royal Horticultural Society. So we are proud to bring you the Designer Insights of Rochelle Greayer. Her book can be bought here.
- Transcript -
1) In your own words describe your unique style and creative aesthetic?
My gardens tend to be a reflection of my own tastes and my Colorado roots. There is quite a lot of Handsome Prairie - as you can get in the middle of New England, with healthy dashes of Sacred Meadow, Forest Temple, and Homegrown Rock ’n’ Roll thrown in.
2) When starting a new project, what is your creative process?
I use words. I try to pick up on something the client wants or said, and mix it with something else that will excite them. These words help me launch my creativity without being too constraining. I used this method in my upcoming book….each chapter is defined by a couple words….so for example Wabi Sabi Industrial. These words start connoting moods and feelings and in turn colors, textures and elements that build up to a beautiful and interesting garden design.
3) Out of the creative people you have worked with, who is it that you respect and admire the most?
There are so many, it is impossible to pick just one! I say it all the time…Gardeners and people who work outside and in the landscape are generally the nicest most generous people you will ever meet. But in general, I love colleagues who are team players, who get things done and who dream big.
4) When looking for inspiration is there a particular thing you do to get inspired?
I work in gardens, so of course nature is a constant inspiration. But I think things get interesting when cues are taken from interiors, fashion, graphic design and really any other design practice. Cross pollination is the best, and that is why I love writing about my industry, it helps inspire me, but also others.
5) What has brought you to this point in your career? And what is your advice for people looking to follow in your footsteps?
I started my career as a physicist/ software engineer working in the aerospace industry. I loved the technology but not the burnout and corporate culture. It is great to come from that though; there is never a question of being able to pull something off and I am always grateful to be able to choose my projects, enjoy the creative people I work with, and follow an entrepreneurial path.
