The brief
This courtyard garden in Provence, part of an old mas or agricultural property, was open to the road and full of rubble when designer James Basson first saw it. The striking new design is the result of a collaboration between James and the owner, a bold American client. “She was hugely inspired by the landscapes of the Spanish landscape architect Fernando Caruncho, known for his daring, minimal, agricultural landscapes around big rural properties,” explains James. “She loved that look, and it was very different from what we do, which is a bit prettier, more planty and less structurally focused. So we had this nice contrast between who and what we are, and who and what she is.
“The client wanted something strong but that allowed us to be creative and come up with solutions, as long as
