Cevan draws inspiration for his garden design concepts from a wealth of experience gained in his extensive travels through Asia and a background in stage set design. He likes to think of creating a ”private country” for each of his clients to express their fantasy or even to reflect the gestalt of their lives. His main objective is to create a place that will be an emotionally satisfying experience for them on a daily basis, where they can entertain, play or relax. Some clients seek serenity and privacy while others want a dramatic stage to play out their lives against. Cevan spends extensive time determining their needs and seeks to impart a playful and adventurous interpretation for them.
Winner of Garden Design magazine’s prestigious Golden Trowel, Cevan’s landscapes are featured in "The Plant Hunter: Truth, Beauty Chaos and Plants" by Georgina Reid, Zahid Sardar’s book “New Garden Design: Inspiring Private Paradises”,  as well as the New York Times and National Geographic.

 

Cevan’s Style and Design Sense

His personal style focuses on a sensual mix of antique stone, ethnic artifacts and architectural pieces played against his custom designed contemporary architectural elements that express a tactile and visual drama, making the garden part of the home’s living space rather just pretty landscaping that surrounds it. For many clients, space is at a premium and it is Cevan’s art to mold the exterior spaces of a property to extend their living space to the outdoor areas in a sophisticated and gracious way, providing places for privacy and parties.

He loves to pair the Asian artifacts and architectural details from his travels with contemporary concrete installations:

  • Hardscape is paired with a drought tolerant focus and a mix of native and exotic plantings
  • A narrow side yard is transformed by building a loggia with transparent fiberglass roof panels that contains a 25-foot long cast concrete dining table lit by amber shellac glaze lanterns, turning it into the perfect place for entertaining
  • Fluted concrete pedestals resemble oversize Greek columns to provide seating and bases for planters
  • An ancient Chinese water trough is set in a box of river rock to create an outdoor sink
  • Cast posts that evoke timber bamboo are used for uprights to lend sculptural effects
  • A contemporary sculptural cast concrete pond full of lotus and Koi has water pouring into it from a traditional bamboo spout.
  • Custom concrete lounges have holes for placement of tall Indonesian umbrellas to provide shade on hot and sunny days
  • Repurposed and salvaged architectural elements that set an eclectic scene as well as a thoughtful concept of artisanal reuse