The Tree of Life - the gardens of Robert Kime

Known for many things, Robert Kime’s connection to gardens as both practice and refuge has long been entwined with garden designer Richard Leeming. From the early days, much like his decoration work (Robert famously did not call himself an interior designer), his work in his gardens was about arrangement rather than traditional gardening. Richard explains that for Robert, “the outdoors was another place of curation.”

Robert and Richard originally met through a family connection, and Richard has continued “to garden” with us at Ebury Street. Indeed, Richard saw many seasons of gardens with Robert, both intrigued with how the gardens intertwined with the larger project, how they evolved, and how Robert, as a decorator, influenced gardens with his curation and romanticism of the outdoors.

“It's madly clever. Nothing matches” - Nancy Reagan on one of Robert’s early projects.

This sentiment journeyed with Robert and Richard as they worked together; gardens, like houses, evolved organically rather than through a formal design process. The work was collaborative, not hierarchical and those who trusted Robert’s instinct would get the most out of the process.

When Richard and Robert met up at the gardens they worked on together, Richard was always very happy to see Robert outside, furiously watering. Especially at Ebury Street - this was a haven for Robert, a piece of the countryside that he could visit every day with friends that had travelled with him for many years, from garden to garden — the citrus, the figs, the jasmine. In the showroom, he filled garnitures with frittileries and bud vases with Lily of the Valley, and the team learnt quickly that we should be able to see the tension of the water near the top of the vase. “They are thirsty!” Robert would say as he left for a walk down the Pimlico Road.

A handwritten shopping list of flowers for a project was a finishing touch on a Kime project, and this continues today. Robert brought the garden inside — digging up a wisteria and sending it to France, or, as Richard fondly tells, “we brought a rose bush inside, and Robert had it as a focal point in his sitting room - no need to trim it. The wilder the better. Just as it grows”. This is the ongoing mentality at Robert Kime and with Orlando. We frequently bring the outside in, but just as important is making the garden here at Ebury Street an extension of the showroom, another room to be admired and arranged.

“I often think about the gardens we did together. It is the only way to live”, says Richard, “Submerged in it, and remembering the Rules of Robert”.