Glorious 20th Century Garden Design

 

Take a look at most modern gardens and you will see the influence of modernist, Art Deco and cubic movements of the early 20th Century, that use the guiding principles of style and 'functionalism', which is still important to us today.

Landscape architect Thomas Church, designed the Donnell Garden in Sonoma California, which is one of the best preserved examples of Modernist garden design of its time. Completed in 1948, the garden is famous for its unusual, kidney-shaped swimming pool with an Adaline Kent sculpture in the centre.
 

Bentley Wood, Sussex,1928 by Christopher Tunnard

Christopher Tunnard, promoted modernist garden design from the 1920s onwards, used an early expression of modernist design for the garden of Bentley Wood in Halliford, Sussex in 1928.  The garden was designed to be a functional space and included a terrace to relax on and a 'cat walk' that took you towards a cubic garden screen and a Heny Moore sculpture.

Cubist Jardin de la villa Noailles,1926 by Gabriel Guevrekian

The Jardin de la villa Noailles in the Cotez Azure, France,1926, is an example of a Cubist style, designed by Gabriel Guevrekian. Triangular in shape, the garden used white wall, geometric designs and regular planting; elements commonly used in modern garden design.  


Mien Rhys Garden

Mien Rhys, a Dutch garden designer who began her career in the 1930s, experimented with geometric landscaping using unusual materials, softened by planting. Her style has influenced modern garden design and seems very familiar to us today.


Mien Rhys garden design for public spaces

Mien Rhys Gardens in the Netherlands and the Jardin de la villa Noailles in France are open to the public.