Design Dream Team! Why having a garden and interior design duo is game-changing
Need a home and garden makeover? Meet this husband and wife team that combine their design talents to give you the property of your dreams.
Does your home and garden need a makeover? Heard of Barker & Farris? Let us introduce you to this husband and wife team that combine their design talents to give you the space of your dreams.
Interiors expert Beth Barker and Garden and landscape designer, Mark Farris, are the perfect team to transform your living space – both inside and out. Here’s how.
1. Working together
Located in Tunbridge Wells, and working predominantly across Kent and East Sussex, Barker and Farris, together with Beth Barker Designs are family-owned garden and interior design specialists, led by husband and wife team Mark Farris and Beth Barker, who have a combined experience of over 50 years in their industries.
Alongside their expert teams Barker and Farris specialise in landscaping all types of gardens from urban townscapes to expansive rural areas and Beth Barker Designs is the go-to expert for designing and constructing exquisite interiors.
BETH & MARK SAY: ‘Our projects can vary extensively – from Garden Design to Planting, from Terraces to building Pergolas and roomscapes to orangeries. If you have a project in mind we are always happy to have a no-obligation chat about any of our services that you feel could be useful for your inside or outside space.’
‘Everything begins with a conversation and gaining a deeper understanding of our client. Often our clients have no idea how to move forward or what exactly it is they want, they just know, right now, it’s not working.’
‘That’s where we can really help, investing time early on with the client asking the right questions, we find people will see their home and their garden from a whole different perspective. No project is ever the same and we tailor everything to each individual client needs whether inside or outside or both.’
2. Linked up thinking
More people than ever are looking for that seamless link between indoor and outdoor across the whole year, upgrading their homes to include bifold doors, glass extensions, fire pits, outside heaters and even garden rooms, annexes and orangeries. The lines between in and out really are blurred these days so the space we live in works really hard for the owner and brings maximum enjoyment.
BETH & MARK SAY: ‘We believe a garden well designed is an extension of your home. It’s your social space and a place to relax and reconnect. It’s important for your garden to complement your home, and our unique advantage is being able to offer joined up home and garden design to create synergy between interior and exterior spaces.’
3. Saves on stress and money
Well thought-through and implemented design can transform your property and increase its value. Whether you’re struggling with a small or irregularly shaped space, lack of kerb appeal, no privacy or an interior lacking flow and practicality – all these issues can be solved with the right expert input and it will hugely improve the overall look and feel of your home.
BETH & MARK SAY: ‘Well-designed interiors and landscapes can add significant value to a property, making it a worthwhile investment for homeowners planning to sell in the future.’
‘With your home and garden in the care of a joined-up design team everything is thought-through to reduce unnecessary complications and mistakes so reducing client stress. Our experienced and longstanding teams can project manage and install seamlessly as we move from interior to exterior.’
4. Bringing the outside in
The idea of having indoor/outdoor homes that merge seamlessly between our interiors and our gardens has long been popular, with the aim of creating a connection that brings a sense of nature inside, while also offering a flexible extended space outside that is perfect for family life and entertaining.
BETH & MARK SAY: ‘All things organic and natural are big right now. Interiors blend organic forms with flowing curves, natural elements, recycled materials, and interior gardens. No design is now complete without drawing nature in through the trending use of planting.’
‘Visualise splendid interior garden rather than the odd houseplant here and there. Conservatory style extensions will adopt a more greenhouse feel. Think more potting shed in the kitchen or living area, rather than just massive plain glass expanses, with pale porcelain and concrete.’
5. Outdoor ‘rooms’ trend
But it doesn’t stop there of course – because gardens are increasingly taking the inside outside. Whether it’s chic outdoor bars or a kitchen garden, our outdoor spaces have become extensions of our homes.
Yes, we all love a good BBQ, but what we’re really dreaming of, however, is a full outdoor kitchen a la Jamie Oliver. And outdoor kitchens aren’t just for TV chefs and the super-rich. A recent study found that they have become one of the UK’s most popular home improvement projects, ranked somewhere between installing new windows and replacing the roof.
BETH & MARK SAY: ‘A perfect example is a project we are currently working on where an orangery extension designed by Beth is being constructed and complemented by a rework of the surrounding landscape by Mark to include a bespoke outdoor kitchen, BBQ and pizza oven.’ (Pictured above).
‘Working together has allowed us to use complimentary materials and form. Sight lines both from the garden to the house and vice versa have been considered at every point of the design process.’