Profile
Lynda Harris is a British Landscape Architect based in Paris with projects throughout France and Europe. She has 18 years experience of garden and landscape design, of which fourteen have been spent working in France. She is particularly interested in designing landscapes and planting schemes that respect their environment and promote biodiversity.
“My love of plants, of wild places and the charm of a landscape designed perfectly for its surroundings, all strongly influence my design philosophy. Gardens and nature bring such calm and harmony into our busy lives. My objective is to create atmospheric spaces that bring people back in touch with their local environment, ecology and the change of seasons. I like to use local materials and construction methods alongside a naturalistic planting style that ensures the site is in harmony with the wider landscape. The human aspect of landscape design is also very important to me, including gaining a thorough understanding of the client’s requirements and lifestyle, analysing the use of existing and proposed buildings and working closely with plant nurseries and craftspeople.”
Lynda has a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Greenwich (2002) London and a BA in Sociology from the University of Essex (1992). She has worked for world-renowned landscape designers including Dan Pearson in London and Louis Benech in Paris. In 2017 Lynda won a competition to design and build a garden for the International Garden Festival at Chaumont-sur-Loire. Her garden “La Fleur du Mal”, an abandoned village of opium-eaters, explored the festival theme of ‘Flower Power’.
Lynda is the great-niece of British Landscape Architect, Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe and his wife and collaborator Susan Jellicoe and is helping to curate an exhibition of their work to be held at the Garden Museum, London in 2021. She leads garden tours for Susan Worner Tours, the Chateau of Courances and the Chateau of Saint-Jean-de-Beauregard, and writes her blog ‘Jardins à l’Anglaise‘. She is also a coordinator for Open Gardens / Jardins Ouvert, a French version of the National Garden Scheme.
Lynda is registered with the French Ministère de Transition Ecologique as an accredited “Paysagiste Concepteur” (Landscape Architect) and is authorised to use this official title. She is a member of the Federation Française de Paysage, the French professional body for Landscape Architects.
Process
Lynda offers a range of design services which she tailors to the needs of each client. Whether you are looking for inspiration, a redesign or a complete transformation, she can help and advise you on the services you may need. Lynda is biligual and has worked in the French landscape industry since 2005 enabling her to help smooth the way, sourcing and negotiating with landscape contractors, surveyors, tree surgeons, plant nurseries, suppliers and craftspeople. Her usual design process is listed below but each project is different and not every stage may be necessary or appropriate. Lynda has experience of the French planning system and alongside your architect can help advise and provide the correct documentation for obtaining planning permission.
Typical Design Stages
1. Initial site visit and consultation
2. Survey and clarification of the brief
3. Initial sketch design
4. Planning permission (if required)
5. Detailed design
6. Production of design, construction and planting plans
7. Tendering for local landscape contractors and artisans
8. Site supervision for construction and planting
9. Completion/Reception
Please do not hesitate to get in touch to discuss your project further.
Lynda Harris Paysagiste 