THE MODERN MINT BLOG
Estudio Caruncho is the garden design studio of one of our favourite garden designers, the Spaniard Fernando Caruncho.
Minimalist rather than maximalist, he has made some of the most iconic gardens of the last 20 years. Recently his own garden has taken something of a transformation too, as a plague wiped out the vast plantings of evergreen boxwoods and escallonia.
Reduced as the evergreen components were, it allowed him to replace it with masses of the annual white cosmos – you can read and see photos here of Caruncho’s Temporal Cosmic Garden.
But it is his work space we concentrate on today, via this wonderful article in Architectural Digest – Estudio Caruncho.
This is what the exterior of the office looks like…
In typical Caruncho fashion, it uses deep greens set against strong forms. The buildings, of which there are 3, are cubes with little ornamentation to them and few windows.
Meanwhile, the interior is all concrete, skylights, high ceilings and Spanish pine…
Fernando Caruncho did something beautiful with the entrance to the Estudio. He made it small, so that when you enter you must stoop.
“The mere act of lowering one’s head, marks the beginning of a new story and a refreshed vision.”
We love to read what this man says, as it is always interesting and thoughtful, whilst provoking our own thoughts in turn…. this fable he recounted to the interviewer is a fine example of what we mean…
“There was a man who wanted to build himself a home. He started with the garden, and then he built a loggia where he could gaze upon the garden. Only later did he build a bedroom…
Trachelospermum cover the walls.
… the art of living, this story suggests, is not about comfort. It is about keeping our relationship with nature at the center of our experience.”
Cultivating a relationship with nature, even if you do it in such a controlled and considered way as Caruncho has at his Estudio, sounds a fine way to go about designing your garden.
Read more about Fernando Caruncho and his planting palette.
Or see some notes on his Temporal Cosmic Garden.
Modern Topiary, the Book, at Garden Media Guild
My book about topiary, Modern Topiary, has been mentioned on the Garden Media Guild newsletter…. As the screenshot says, the book can be read for free online here. At the bottom of the screenshot, it looks like another Garden Media Guild member has a book out called ‘A Year In A Cottage Garden’…. so if that is where your garden heart lies, check that out too! And at the top of the screenshot, it looks like I was listening to Pelleas et Melisande, by Debussy. What a classy chap I am, listening to classical music as I reply to emails. …
Start of the Whitby Topiary Library
I have been offered a space here in the centre of Whitby, south-facing aspect, with some raised beds in, so that I can make a Topiary Library. In my head, a topiary library is a place to showcase the common (and then not so common) shapes you can make out of topiary. With classical topiary plants, as well as some more unusual pieces. This Topiary Library can act as a reference for people to learn more about pruning and clipping. The space is small but the aspect is great and the beds are deep enough to put some plants in. …
Delivery After Dark – From the Makers of The Amelia Project
Last week I spent most nights stood in cold water streams on the moors of North Yorkshire, helping to film a new project called Delivery After Dark from the makers of the Amelia Project. I worked on the Amelia Project back at the end of 2024, lending my terrible vocal talents to a small part in the episode Didius Julianus. But this project is something new – and exciting! – and thankfully only needed me to be filmed, rather than to actually say anything. But not only did I have to stand in cold moving water at midnight, I also …