The big reveal: A first look at Country Life's RHS Chelsea Flower Show stand

Drawing inspiration from both Italianate architecture and English country house style, my design is for a loggia, an indoor-outdoor ‘drawing room’. It’s a space that offers somewhere sheltered to sit and enjoy the garden views from spring through to summer and on into autumn, whatever the weather. The idea is that, as in so many Mediterranean houses, it’s a transitional space that blurs the divide between the inside and outside of a house.

The structure draws on Classical proportions and symmetry. The back wall features pilasters that frame a central stone trough, which makes an elegant water feature. Tall windows, stone architraves and sills accentuate the strong architectural bones of the design, as a timber ceiling — often seen in Italianate buildings of this type — helps to accentuate the indoor-outdoor feel of the space.

The front of the loggia is entirely open, except for some blinds that hang from the top, reminiscent of the awnings used to protect against hot sun. A convivial central seating area surrounding an antique sofa table forms the heart of the scheme, with an antique enfilade to one side. In front, lemon trees grow in pots, inspired by the historic Boboli Gardens in Florence, Italy, and infuse the space with their beautiful fragrance.

The open fire is a wonderful way to provide warmth on a cooler evening as the seasons change, helping to extend the number of days the space can be comfortably used. The walls are painted with custom-mixed Chalk Wash paint in a golden turmeric shade. It has a dry, tonal finish, which brings in a certain softness — not too sharp, not too clean. The colour looks bright and joyful during the day, making a warm backdrop to candles and firelight in the evening.

With vines growing up around the windows and the subtle, aged quality of the finishes, I hope that visitors will feel they have stumbled across an enchanted space with a sense of faded grandeur.

Click here for more information on this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Stone

Edward Smith, director, Artorius Faber

'We wanted a resilient, yet sophisticated stone floor to suit the indoor-outdoor nature of the loggia, so decided on hardwearing Beckford Drift English limestone flags with a beautiful cream-to-taupe colour and good shell and fossil content. The stone is from our quarry in Dorset and has been used since Roman times, here cut into coursed, random format to create a traditional look and hand finished to create an aged appearance.

‘The fireplace is hand carved by craftspeople in our Somerset workshop to Isabella Worsley’s fine Italianate design. It is made from Lansdown limestone, another English stone with a light cream colour, which is well suited to the intricately carved details. Lansdown has also been used to make the window sills and surrounds, with their elegant keystone detail, and also for the water trough. Using the same stone across these architectural pieces draws the design together.

‘The plant troughs are made from Combedale English sandstone, a tough buff gritstone which suits their simple design. Stone adds structure to this space, as it does in any building. The architectural details will withstand the weather and use, outliving many iterations of redecorating, their appearance continuing to improve over the years.’

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Furniture

John Danzer, founder, Munder Skiles

‘Furnishing an outdoor space is no different from an interior one. There are always three key questions to ask: what is the space to be used for, what is its size and what are the style preferences, including the architectural design of the house? The answers to these questions will inform the choice of furniture.

‘An outdoor room should be a place to relax, socialise and enjoy the garden, so I would seek a furniture mix representing our three materials — teak, metal and all-weather wicker — for an evolved look that offers comfort, flexible use and timeless appeal. As does an interior space, an outdoor room should offer multi-functionality, as well as making a pleasing arrangement. Here, we have our elegant Belmont chairs in all-weather wicker to evoke a sense of unhurried lounging, ideal for a traditional loggia. Coupled with our Xylo teak bench, the space instantly relates to the garden, signalling a casual and perhaps briefer spot to sit when time is short. A statement chair on its own — here, our historic metal Windsor — adds interest and a spot for quiet reading or reflection. Almost everyone seems to enjoy having a meal outside and our Kelso Folding Square table is an ideal way to create a stylish dining setting for occasional use. The mechanism is simple to use and, when folded, the piece is easy to store.’

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Paint

Tom Balch, director of Rose of Jericho

'For the walls of the loggia, we have chosen a beautiful tonal finish, Chalk Wash. It is akin to historic limewash, but can be applied to a variety of substrates, making it a versatile solution. Unlike other chalk-wash formulations, which typically use synthetic binders, our product is mixed from entirely natural ingredients: chalk, water and glue size binder made from gelatine. The latter sets at most temperatures, unlike traditional rabbit-skin glue, which doesn’t set well in the heat of summer.

‘We use natural powdered pigments of artists’ quality, rather than liquid pigments, which distribute evenly through the paint. Powdered pigments produce paints that reflect light differently, producing gentle variations in colour as the light changes during the day, creating a more dynamic and interesting result.

‘Chalk Wash is ideal for sheltered areas, but its gelatine binder makes it unsuitable for outdoor use, where it is likely to wash away under rainfall. In settings exposed to the elements, limewash — made from quick lime and water — makes a good solution, as it is a weatherproof and highly permeable paint that won’t trap moisture. Like Chalk Wash, limewash delivers a beautiful finish with a subtle aesthetic rarely found in modern formulations.’

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Planting

Hugo Elwes, director, Studio Elwes

'The planting is designed to accentuate the Italianate feel of the loggia, albeit with a taste that is distinctly English. A pair of lemon trees in terracotta pots from Italian Terrace create a beautiful feature, one on each side of the credenza, the citrus colour of the fruit working so well with the turmeric shade of the walls. The trees will be underplanted with herbs, such as rosemary, and zingy lime-green Euphorbia myrsinites spilling out of the pots. I am also hoping to fit in some Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ wallflowers for a pop of purple.

‘Some climbing jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) will be growing up each side of the windows, the dark-green glossy small leaves providing elegant contrast against the golden walls. The planters below the windows will be filled with a mix of wild, wiry Muehlenbeckia complexa (necklace vine), with fresh white Allium cowanii poking their way through.

‘Above the central water feature, some heavily scented pelargonium with elegant fine flowers in light pink will be planted in wall-hung shell ornaments. To complete the planting, small hand-thrown terracotta pots with blush-toned poppies will be arranged across the width of the chimneypiece above the fireplace.’

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Fabrics, rugs & lighting

Isabella Worsley

‘Designing an indoor-outdoor space always requires a balance. Of course, practicality is important, so I would steer clear of delicate fabrics that will be quickly ruined when exposed to sun or damp. There is now a huge range of very good quality outdoor fabrics from companies such as Perennials, which will perform well in all sorts of weather. They make an excellent option, and, for a covered space like this, I have opted for durable interior fabrics, including our Paris weave in Mustard for the chair cushions and Ionic Stripe silk-linen mix in Copper for the blinds at the front of the loggia. The windows are hung with Tatiana Tafur Magnolia blinds, handwoven from the natural fibre of the abaca plant, and the bench cushion is covered in Schumacher’s Weaved Basketry fabric, which looks like handwoven raffia. I have included a plaited jute rug from Peter Page in this design, because a rug always does a great job in anchoring a space, and particularly in zoning a seating area in a larger space. Lanterns by Jamb complete the design, their antique style and beautiful weathered finishes adding to the aged appeal of the loggia.’

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