What was your inspiration for the ME+EM balcony garden?

The inspiration was a woman who wanted to create a space to unwind and relax, turn off from technology and just take a moment to pause in a city. I really wanted that person to feel like they're surrounded by nature. We wanted a space that she was actively gardening, not just a bunch of evergreens that stay the same the whole year round. It's about taking time to grow and nurture seedlings, to have cut flowers which you can bring into your home.

One of the other things that was really important was that it was multi-functional, just like ME+EM’s clothes. We've really thought about that in the way that she will use the garden. So we've made a bespoke day bed that fits really perfectly into the small space and it's designed to be exactly the right size to sit cosily with a friend, you can sit and meditate, it's perfect for reading a book - it's got lots of different uses. 

Where did you start with the design?

One of the things that I find really relaxing is texture and the way that light interacts with it. So rather than really thinking about the design, I was thinking more about the material palettes and the way that sunlight will fall - this balcony is west-facing, and so you get the last of the light at the end of the day. One of the things I really love about ME+EM’s clothes is the materials and I wanted to echo that in the garden.

What do you hope people will take away from the garden?

I think that when people think of a ‘feminine garden’, they always think of a cottage garden and everything kind of very old, like wrought iron - really, really traditional. I wanted to show that you could use really natural, traditional materials, but in a way that feels much more modern and contemporary, but it still has a softness and a femininity to it. 

The slow reward of gardening is the antithesis of the pace of the music industry. 

Yes. With music videos, you literally have a day, two days to create something. And with gardens, it's usually at least a year from the point of meeting the client to the garden being finished. I'm an extremely, extremely impatient person and gardening forces you to slow down. But even in the slowness of it is this real alchemy where suddenly you see this tiny little green bit that's a millimeter high...and so actually, even though it is really slow paced, it's amazing how quickly nature grows and changes and makes something that feels really barren, suddenly really green. 

Do you get your kids involved?

Yes - my son in particular actually is really, really good. And neither of them eat that many vegetables but when they grow them themselves they're just shoving them in. They just eat so much more than they ever would do if I was forcing it into them at the table. One thing that I found about moving down [to the country] is having them understand where the food comes from has been really, really great. Seeing it grow from a seed - it's like alchemy, it's magic. 

Do you have any advice for how people without a garden can enjoy that connection with nature?

For me, it started with houseplants - don't underestimate the power of houseplants. And you don't have to just have a cactus on a window. You can get clips to tidy wires for your desk and stick them up the wall to train the plants up the wall - you can literally make it like an indoor jungle. And if you've got any outdoor space, even if it's a really small outdoor space, you could get a grow bag and grow tomatoes or carrots, or even herbs - just having things that you can smell and where there's different textures makes a massive difference.