From Sea Breeze to Heathland Haze: A Designer's New Muse

Having recently moved just ten minutes down the road, I've been struck by how a short distance can transport you into an entirely different world. We've left behind the coastal estuary and now find ourselves nestled on the edge of a Pebblebed Heath - an ancient and ecologically rich landscape unique to parts of southern England, particularly East Devon. 

The new environment couldn't be more different. Gone are the salt marshes and seabirds; in their place lies a wild, open expanse of heather, gorse, acid grassland, and hidden bogs. The Pebblebed Heaths are not only visually striking, with their rugged terrain and sweeping views, but ecologically vital too. They support an extraordinary variety of life, from the elusive Dartford Warbler and Nightjar to the shimmering Silver-studded Blue Butterfly. Reptiles like the Adder and Common Lizard also thrive here, all drawn to the open sunlit conditions of the heath.

For me as a designer, this transition has been more than a change of scenery. Nature has always been my deepest source of inspiration, and this new setting is an endless well of ideas. Just in our garden alone, butterflies dance through the air, familiar birds flit from tree to tree, and the variety of flora and fauna is nothing short of a living sketchbook. 

Every walk becomes a practice in observation. Nature lays out her masterpieces in every direction: the blazing oranges and deep purples, the lush greens and ever-changing sky blues overhead. Every element offers a unique blueprint for form, pattern and detail.

This move may have been a small step on the map, but creatively, it feels like I've arrived in a whole new world.