Fabien was called to the landscape profession by his love of plants, which can be traced back to his childhood. Son of a forest ranger and a vegetable garden and flower aficionado, he grew up honing the hallmark traits of rural life: common sense, keen observation, self-reliance and living with the seasons. His first garden memories are inextricably linked to his free-range childhood in communion with the natural world.
All of these early experiences crystallized into a desire to pursue a degree in landscape architecture. He chose a program with an apprenticeship component since he believes that classroom and book learning can give you information, but only physical contact can give you any real understanding of the art of garden-making. Throughout his university years, Fabien worked in a variety of settings such as plant nurseries, landscaping companies and design firms in Paris and elsewhere.
After earning his final degree, Fabien joined a renowned Parisian full-service landscape company, where he was responsible for both design and worksite supervision of high-end residential gardens. From rooftop gardens with views of La Défense to undeniably Parisian courtyards where time stands still, the spirit of place is always felt in the development of his projects.
One of Fabien’s projects in Paris led to a fortuitous collaboration with a New York-based firm. The firm’s principal told Fabien that he could come work for him “if one day” he was ever in the city that never sleeps. That promise was honored when Fabien moved to the United States with his family and learned invaluable lessons in technique, botany and inter-cultural relations.
Fabien always knew that he wanted to settle down and “take root” in more familiar ground. So he decided to return to the countryside where he grew up to start his own business and experiment in his own garden.
Fabien is an avid, if not compulsive, collector of garden-related books by everyone from Russell Page to Pascal Cribier, René Pechère and Gertrude Jekyll. When searching for inspiration, he doesn’t need to look any further than his massive bookshelf.
Fabien is a member of the International Dendrology Society, Mediterranean Garden Society and the European Boxwood and Topiary Society.
Philosophy
When Fabien begins to think about a garden’s composition, he contemplates it as a painter would a canvas: his main concern is the relationship between all of the elements of the site. It is essential to manage the interaction of their unique characteristics and know how to accentuate or temper them judiciously.
In order to transform a garden into a living work of art, the gardener must have developed the capacity to know and love living things. With his green fingers and verdant heart, Fabien uses his botanical expertise to personalize every project.
Defining the style of a garden is the art of synthesizing all of the site’s existing elements while adding fresh ones that honor its DNA. Every bed, silhouette, color and bloom – from the major structural lines to the smallest decorative detail – must reflect the soul of the place. That which is superfluous or detracts from the idea of unity must be discarded.
Fabien’s commitment to environmentalism plays a major role in his professional ethos. Every one of his creations constitutes a mini ecosystem defined by a symbiotic relationship between people and their natural surroundings. At a time when it is easier to acquire plants and materials from halfway around the world, he always strives to work with endemic plants, local artisans and regional or recycled materials.
Unlike the aforementioned painter, Fabien does not seek to leave his signature on any of the gardens he designs. He believes garden-making demands a certain humility, which opens up the possibility to be inspired by everything around us. In this spirit, Fabien’s work is always informed by the home’s architecture, local traditions, the surrounding landscape and the terroir. This ensures complete continuity between the garden design and the genius loci.
Methodology
I.Site evaluation
II.Concept development
III.Technical phase
IV.Installation
V.Maintenance
Site evaluation
The perfect alchemy of any garden is the fruit of thoughtful dialogue amongst the client, the landscaper and the people who maintain the garden. These conversations help hone the clients’ wishes and empowers them to participate in the creation of their garden. During the preliminary site evaluation, conditions such as the residential architecture, the existing plants, the soil composition, and sun and wind exposure are recorded and analyzed.
Concept development
The conceptual phase is one where imagination and reverie are allowed to run free in order to zero in on the essence and style of the site. The client is presented with several different creative angles, along with sketches and mood boards to illustrate the design intention. While perusing the botanical palette and customized decorative proposal, the client is immersed in the ambiance of their future slice of heaven on earth.
Technical phase
In order for this dream to become a reality, we develop all of the elements necessary to build the garden. We create working drawings (including 3D illustrations), carefully finalize the plant and material lists and draft the installation documents.
Installation
During a garden installation, we ensure that all of the design principles and the clients’ overall vision has been carried out with precision, taste and faultless expertise. We take particular pride in how we source and place each plant so that it thrives in its new habitat. We liaise with the other professionals involved on site and provide solutions when adjustments need to be made to the original plan.
Maintenance
Making a garden is a complex art in that one works within parameters that are ever-changing: climate, soil, exposure and, above all, time. A garden is never static and thus never “finished”… much like people themselves. We define a follow-up and maintenance plan to support your maturing garden, season after season.
