Garden and landscaping design featuring outdoor pool with view of mountaintops in Tuscany

Our Studio

We are a landscape design and consultancy studio based in Brighton, Sussex.

Dedicated to transforming your vision into a stunning, functional garden, we design imaginative, thoughtful gardens in the South East, UK & internationally, lending deep horticultural expertise with creative vision and practical know-how.

By carefully listening to your needs, we create bespoke designs tailored to your lifestyle and practical requirements. Our approach blends creative expertise with in-depth practical knowledge to deliver exceptional outdoor spaces.

Luxury cottage garden interior design using naturalistic design methods, lavendar and rolling hills in a beautiful cottage

Our Services

Garden and landscape design

  • From initial concepts to detailed plans and the finished garden design

  • Conceptualisation to masterplan, detailed plans, planting plans and garden lighting - creating unique visions for your space

  • Onsite management - we work closely with appointed contractors to make sure the garden is built just how it should and address any issues along the way

  • Planting - we are extremely passionate about plants and make sure the planting works perfectly with the design

Garden consultancy

  • Onsite/hands-on work to enhance existing gardens that need some guidance with expert advice, insights and programmes specially tailored to your requirements

  • Collaboration with you or your regular gardener to enhance your garden and resolve problems and issues

About Stuart Barfoot

Stuart Barfoot, the visionary creative director behind the studio, is a highly experienced plantsman, gardener, and garden designer whose deep-rooted passion for horticulture began at the age of seven. Nurturing his first greenhouse and gradually transforming his family’s garden, Stuart’s early fascination with plants quickly evolved into a lifelong vocation. His professional journey commenced at the renowned Hillier Nurseries in Hampshire, where he honed his foundational knowledge of plants and horticultural practices and then quickly on to Pershore College of horticulture where he gained a distinction.

Stuart’s dedication to his craft took him beyond the UK, working internationally as a gardener—first in France, then Lebanon, and ultimately Italy, where he spent a decade at an ambitious and immersive garden project led by esteemed designer Dan Pearson. Tasked with interpreting and developing Dan’s vision, Stuart brought depth, sensitivity, and a profound understanding of planting to the project, cementing his expertise in plant-focused design.

Poolside retreat - garden and landscape design in rural italy
stuart barfoot smiling in a garden he designed, background shows blossoms, trees and greenery

Encouraged by Dan to further refine his design skills, Stuart returned to the UK to pursue a Postgraduate Diploma in Garden Design at the prestigious Inchbald School of Design in London. Following his studies, he established the studio in 2008, blending years of hands-on horticultural experience with a refined design sensibility.

Stuart’s extensive practical experience—particularly his immersion in Mediterranean planting and long-term garden development in Italy—has afforded him a rare depth of plant knowledge. This, combined with his creative vision, enables him to craft gardens that are not only aesthetically compelling but also deeply rooted in horticultural understanding.

His design philosophy is grounded in a reverence for nature. Stuart’s signature style pairs a clean, contemporary aesthetic with an untamed, organic edge—always attuned to the spirit of place and the practical needs of the site.

With a diverse portfolio that includes international landscapes, London town gardens, small city gardens and expansive rural estates, Stuart brings a nuanced, plant-led approach to each project. He is passionate about creating distinctive, responsive outdoor spaces that enhance the existing landscape while offering a unique reflection of the client’s lifestyle and vision.