Sneak Preview: Chelsea Flower Show

Chelsea Flower Show opens on 21st May and we’re buzzing with anticipation.

Every year 157,000 visitors flock to the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea for the most prestigious flower show of the British gardening calendar.

The very best in garden design is showcased over the five-day event – which remarkably is built from scratch in just 19 days!

A select group of artists will be exhibiting and demonstrating their work in the Artisan Area on the Plateau in the wooded Ranelagh Gardens. They follow in the footsteps of designers like Rob Ryan, Orla Kiely, Cath Kidston and Wild at Heart florist, Nikki Tibbles.

Malvern Garden Buildings are proud to supply the studios again this year for the seventh year running. The Artisan Area was created in the redevelopment of the Plateau in 2012 as a place of relaxation and refreshment away from the hustle and bustle of the main showground.

Each artist is invited to decorate their garden building in their own unique style to turn the space into their creative retreat for the week.

So, without further ado, let’s reveal the artists and their wares you can come and see this year at the show:

Unveiling the Ultimate Writers Retreat

As well as having a stand at Royal Hospital Way, we will be exhibiting a Holt shed in the Artisan Area. We are creating a “concept shed” paying homage to Virginia Woolf and marking the 90th anniversary since the publication of her essay “A Room of One’s Own”. The title of the essay comes from Woolf’s conception that “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction”.

We’ve been working with the Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain and the National Trust team at Monk’s House (the home Virginia shared with husband Leonard) for their input to create a writing lodge similar to the one Virginia used.

Natasha Hulse

Bespoke fabric artist

Natasha creates floral inspired designs for headboards and interiors. Each one an intricate work of art, every piece is hand painted on linen, hand-embellished with embroidery and beading, and appliquéd in layers, creating a unique sculptural effect.

 

Charlie Whinney Studio

Steam bent sculptor

Charlie Whinney studio creates one off commissions, largescale outdoor art pieces and beautiful furniture using specialist steam bending techniques. Their projects blur boundaries between fine art, architecture and design and explore the relationships between materials, people and the environment.

 

Corrie Bain

Ceramicist

Corrie uses the vessel as a sculptural form of expression, finding inspiration from microscopic imagery of seed pods, pollen and fractals. Her work is related to Cymatics (the scientific study of wave phenomena) visual dynamics, kinetics and movement.

Lola Lely 

Artist, designer and maker

Lola Ley practises craft in fresh and unexpected ways by linking contemporary practices and technology with age-old techniques. Storytelling, heritage and a respect for craft are important elements of her work. Lola enjoys working in interdisciplinary environments where new ideas are forged, and knowledge is exchanged. Collaboration is a strong feature of her work. Her collaborators have included an anthropologist, a storyteller, boot makers John Lobb, and the British Pop Artist, Allen Jones.

Laura Jane Wylder

Sculptor

Laura Jane’s elegant contemporary bronze and stone sculptures range from small table top a handspan high to impressive larger life-size pieces for the garden.

Each original artwork is sculpted in clay by Laura Jane, then husband and business partner Sebastian, a highly skilled mould maker and an expert in casting creates a mould and casts these in their South Oxfordshire studio.

This vibrant creative couple specialise in bespoke sculptures as their combined skillset makes almost anything a possibility.

Come along to see the retreats for yourself and pick up some original ideas to take home for creating a stylish hideaway of your own at the bottom of your garden.

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