What a journey! The idea for Luxury Landscapes has been on our planning docket for years. We became convinced there was a need for the magazine after meetings with the ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects), the APLD (Association of Professional Landscape Designers), the ANLA (American Nursery and Landscape Association), select landscape architects and designers, garden center retailers, and our own editorial staff.
We have been publishing Luxury Pools for 10 years, but this is different. After all, the landscape encompasses the entire outdoor space… garden design, walls, pathways, fountains, ornaments, sculpture, steps, stonework, terraces, verandas, trees, shrubbery, flowering plants, annuals, perennials, and mulch. But it goes further, into luxury outdoor living environments, arbors, pergolas, outdoor kitchens, dining rooms, entertainment rooms, outdoor fireplaces, outdoor furniture, lighting and yes, even water features.
What we found is a tremendous movement by affluent America to make the most of their outdoor environments. It’s almost as though we’ve all been cooped up for hundreds of years and we’re discovering a new place to live… outside.
In our meetings with the outdoor furniture manufacturers, they taught us how they are investing in material innovation and technology. There are collections that function very much like regular sofas with deep seating in a poly-acrylic shell, shiny electro-polished stainless steel bases and all-weather cushions… proving that the outdoor living environment can be just as stylish and comfortable as the indoor one.
We discovered that even conservatories are making a comeback. From the beginning, conservatories have blurred the very lines they’ve drawn. They extend a home into nature while keeping that selfsame nature at bay, delivering all the beauty of the outdoors and all the comforts of home. But many conservatory designs are opening onto outdoor terraces and verandas, linking the outdoors and the indoors. The outdoor living movement has even affected these architectural wonders… inviting the outdoors in, whenever the situation calls for it. But the real centerpiece of Luxury Landscapes is the landscape architects and designers who have shared some of their best work with all of us. Imagine, a single place where we can go to find the top designers, showcasing their finest work, for some of the most affluent clientele in the world. Not that all of us have these kinds of residences. But we can all be inspired. I know I was… as was most of our editorial team.
So here we are. Luxury Landscapes magazine. A place where we can all peek over the entrance gates and see some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. A place where we can better understand that living was not meant to be done only indoors. A place where we can all be inspired and impressed. I hope you enjoy it.
Patti Plummer, Editor-in-Chief