What a day to go to Chelsea Flower show, courtesy of Kohler! The sun was beaming and there was not a cloud in sight. Chelsea Flower Show is a well-established event and well known for its iconic gardens designed by leading names, attracting people worldwide and of course Royalty. Therefore to say we were excited was an understatement!
We started the day by meeting everyone at the beautiful Daylesford organic coffee shop along Pimlico Road. It was a great place to meet, with its prime location and rustic floral interior feel. All the shops along the street had fantastic window displays; we particularly liked the flower display of a character from ‘Where the Wild Things Are’.
Before heading to our VIP area we had a quick wander round the gardens + shops. There was a huge selection of items being sold, from swing chairs to bird baths to scented candles. There was a combination of materials being used from wood, stones + rustic weathered metals which was all very inspiring! Making us long to have a garden ourselves. The VIP section was tucked away out of view like a ‘secret garden’. There was a grand flower archway making the entrance, where of course we had a photo! The layout inside was focused around the central open kitchen and surrounded by a pathway that lead to the individual private dining rooms where we had lunch. At the open kitchen chef Raymond Blanc presented a live cooking demonstration on the food we were about to be served for lunch.
The dining rooms were decorated with neutral colours, and delicate touches of purple and green, creating a summer romance feel. Almost like a Pre-Raphaelite set up in which nature was brought inside into every aspect. The three course meal started with a sharing board, main course and sweet dessert. The centre piece to the table was a beautiful decorative green house that housed a selection of herbs that we could cut ourselves creating an elegant self-service aspect. The lunch created a great opportunity to network with some new people around the table. Interacting, sharing work and non work related ideas in a beautiful relaxing environment.
After lunch we enjoyed a couple of Pimms in the British spirit, whilst enjoying the live jazz music before heading out to further explore the gardens. The structural trends that stood out to us most were the simplistic abstract solid forms. These reminded us of the abstract style Neoplasticism – recreating the straight lines thus generating voids within shapes, almost as an antithesis of natural organic form. The minimal natural solid colours are then gently weaved within the bursts of wild flowers (organic shape). The contrast between the two complements one and another beautifully. The flowers adapt and grow around the new structures, whilst the natural materials deteriorate elegantly.
We really enjoyed our first trip to the Chelsea Flower show and would recommend it highly for those garden fanatics wanting to be inspired for their next challenge! Thank you Kohler for inviting us to share this wonderful day out.
For more information on Chelsea Flower Show visit: www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show
For more information on Kohler visit: www.kohler.co.uk
