garden

Julie Moir Messervy (right)
designed the Toronto
Music Garden (top) as
an interpretation of a
seven-part musical suite by
Johann Sebastian Bach. She
collaborated with cellist
Yo-Yo Ma on the project.
Above: She traces her love
of landscapes to childhood
explorations, discovering
trilliums in the forest.
96 GARDEN DESIGN APRIL 09
on desi
JULIE MOIR MESSERVY
Form follows feeling in gardens designed to feed the soul
A PROLIFIC DESIGNER OF BOTH PRIVATE
and public landscapes (including the Toronto Music
Garden), Julie Moir Messervy also loves to write
and lecture about design. It's one way she wresties
with concepts and coaxes them into shape. Her new
book, Home Outside (The Taunton Press, 2009),
presents design theory as well as practical advice.
— VIRGINIA SMALL
Q; How did you come to take an unabashedly emotional
approach to designing landscapes?
A: As a child, I spent a lot of time playing outside,
building forts and making special places in mossy
beds or under trees. I'd bury my nose in peonies and
I studied trilliums in the forest. Being outdoors was all
about feeling good. As a designer, I want each of my
landscapes to feel just as special for my clients. For me,
form doesn't follow function; form follows feeling.
Qj Whafs your concept of "home outside"?
A: Home is not just the house where you live,
but also the entire landscape around the house.
Basically, all the same things can happen outside a
home as happen inside — you can play, eat, frolic —
you can even tryst there!
Qj So where do you start?
A: I begin by analyzing the actual site and learning as
much as I can about what the client's "ideal site" would
be. Then I figure out one or more big moves that give
me an organizing strategy for the design. Then I look
for the desired level of comfort in specific outdoor
spaces. For example, the front yard should ideally be a
welcoming zone. If it does not feel welcoming, I look
for ways to create a sense of comfort there.
Qj What other types of spaces promote a sense of comfort?
A: People like places to gather with family and
friends, and these are often best close to the house.
We also like getaway spaces, such as for a hammock,
which can be farther from the house.
Qj HOW does your training in architecture influence your
sense of design?
A: The same design principles apply to both buildings
and landscapes. I take cues from the architecture and
connect the lines or materials of a house with those
around it. I create open-air rooms with some type of
frame, but they don't always need to be symmetrical.
Then I think about wayfinding and how to make it all
feel part of a continuous, flowing whole.