Christine London on Curating Your Dream Exterior

Rip & Tan: As someone with an education in both horticulture and design, how do you first approach a specific landscape design? What informs an overall aesthetic?

Christine London: My studies led me to my profession but it’s really years of being in collaboration with architects, interior designers, and the artisans that build the designs that inform my work today.

The first step in formulating a design, however, remains the same: getting to know the land. Site analysis is time spent gathering knowledge of topography, light narratives, vistas, and significant trees—but also asking what the essences and ambient elements of this property are that create a sense of place.

Rip & Tan: Landscaping can be overwhelming for a lot of us—what are some of the things people tend to overlook when they design their space? Are there some simple ways to remedy these mistakes?

Christine London: I think it helps in approaching a landscape project, at any scale, to understand that a good garden takes time, patience, and nurture. It’s definitely a long-term relationship.

Taking a long-term view, investing in large trees to hold the framework, and undertaking what is comfortable for one’s time and budget is a good foundational phase.

In Southern California, with the right care, a garden can triple in size and value in three years. As the garden matures, additional seasonal blossoms can always be layered in over time.

Rip & Tan: What’s the easiest way to educate ourselves on which plants are best suited to our environment? Any tips on finding the balance between seasonal and perennial foliage?

Christine London: Walk your neighborhood and photograph the plants you love that are thriving. Use the camera tool on the google app which will automatically search and identify the plant. Visit a nursery or botanical garden to see, touch, and respond to the plants.

Books can give the most beautiful inspiration in choosing an aesthetic, while local horticultural knowledge, perhaps consulting a nurseryman, gives practical guidance in preparing the canvas.

Choosing perennials with seasonal interest such as ceanothus, heteromeles, and salvias helps to keep water use lower, and the landscape more durable.

Rip & Tan: Are there certain plants that work in any space, regardless of size or season?

Christine London: It’s probably better to think in terms of an ecosystem. Plants have evolved spectacularly over millennia to survive in their microclimates and region of origin, so knowing what will be happy in your conditions and choosing accordingly is really the way to go.

Rip & Tan: Do you have any advice for creating an outdoor area that feels unique to our own aesthetic while still honoring the organic landscape and architecture of the space?

Christine London: The most important thing in creating an outdoor living is a combination of physical comfort and a beautiful environment achieved in balance.

Relate to your garden space as you would an interior, as an extension of the flow of the house, true to the architecture, but functional for living.

A collection of planters, lanterns, and a water element all curate a garden space to one’s lifestyle in the same manner as an interior.

Rip & Tan: When it comes to pathways and borders, when should we try to keep things a bit wild and natural versus purposefully contrasting or distinct?

Christine London: Pathways and borders will primarily be key to the architectural aesthetic and be attuned to the flow and use of space, but there are options for achieving a harmonious composition.

The classical approach is to give hierarchy to the areas closest to the house with tidy structured forms, becoming looser and more natural the further away the grounds extend.

A contemporary house may best suit clipped, tailored green architecture throughout or, alternatively, sit entirely within meadows and fluid natural plantings.

Rip & Tan: How does sustainability factor into your design? What can we do to make our own outdoor spaces more sustainable?

Christine London: My first choice is to use indigenous trees which best provide a habitat for native flora and fauna. Then, there is a large palette within the Mediterranean equatorial band to choose from: trees and shrubs that really acclimate to the Southern California desert climate.

Lawns can be re-interpreted with lower water use alternatives, such as achillea and carex pansa or buffalo grass if the client is okay with a seasonal approach. To make our own spaces more sustainable, we need to use every drop of water wisely and keep water that is generated by the property on the property.

Rip & Tan: Are there any secrets to creating a landscape that’s built for hosting and gathering? How can we create an outdoor space that fosters a life well lived?

Christine London: A strong invitation to entertaining outside is having a space that needs minimal setup and knowing that different areas can be preferable at varying times of the day due to the light conditions. A pergola or grove of trees that offer dappled light and comfort during the heat of the day; easy flow from cooking to dining; heating sources incorporated into the design for the evening such as fireplaces, firepits, and overhead heaters; and of course lighting to extend the hours of outdoor living.

Being comfortable outside lends to greater use of the space and thus more opportunity to simply immerse in the sense of well-being that nature gives us.