RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2015

We’re always on the look out for fresh creative inspiration here at Mzuri, and RHS Chelsea Flower Show is always such a great provider of this. With a myriad of creative minds coming together every year to generate an unforgettable display – it’s no wonder attending Chelsea is a must for so many creatives.

We were excited to hear about the return of world-renowned garden designer Dan Pearson to the show after an eleven-year absence, with his recreation of a trout stream at Chatsworth, Derbyshire sponsored by Laurent-Perrier. The garden represented a small and under-explored part of the 105 acre Chatsworth Garden and went on to earn Pearson the gold medal for Best Show Garden. Well deserved!

While we sadly couldn’t attend in person (next year for sure!) we enjoyed watching the BBC coverage of this year’s event during the week. The interview with Sir Paul Smith really struck a chord. The designer, who loves Chelsea and has been attending for about ten years, said, “whatever you design, whatever you’re inspired by, come to Chelsea, it’s all there”.

Sir Paul Smith, although not a gardener himself (he commissioned Dan Pearson, who is a friend, to design his own garden), adores gardens and finds great inspiration in them. In his interview with Monty Don, he said that this echoes fashion collections in many ways, as the vibrant colours of a hot garden often make up his winter lines, while cooler tones form summer collections. Sir Paul’s attitude to the displays acts as a wonderful reminder that inspiration can be found anywhere, and in Sir Paul’s words, “it’s all there, but don’t just look, look and see.”

It’s a wonderful instruction, to look and see. It encourages us to think a little more about the meaning of  what we take in visually, whether it’s gardens, clothing or brands. Interesting food for thought!

You can read Sir Paul Smith’s own blog post about Chelsea here, it also contains a link to the coverage by the BBC that includes his interview with Monty Don.