TRANSFORMING YOUR GARDEN INTO THE SPIRIT OF OUR SOUL
The eye moves instinctively towards the harmonic, believes Grant Adam. Thus a beautiful body can easily be overlooked if it is poorly dressed. Similarly a fine, elegant house can disappear into its surroundings without appropriate landscaping.
Grant's artistic vision is underpinned with a pragmatic acceptance that one has to work with the material at hand. "Above all, one has to be flexible", he says. "How else can one transform a very ordinary piece of land into something striking and beautiful? It doesn't immediately come to one. It is not a magic process. Often I have to go away, relax, open my mind and let the ideas flow. There are some basic elements: geometric forms, the harmony of shapes and textures, the blending of colours and the use of focal points. It is so much more than merely laying down lawn and putting in plants."
Often the aesthetic boundaries are more important than the physical constraints and limitations. Landscaping has to compliment the style of the buildings. A thatched house, for example, looks great with an African theme. On the other hand it could be returned into an English cottage with suitable traditional treatment. A Tuscan house would carry off an Italian theme. "It takes years of experience to avoid costly and disappointing discord," says Grant.
Experience is something Engadini - which is the Zulu word for garden - has in abundance. Grant's perfectionist nature is reflected in the quality of his work and that of his expert team. Then there is the painstaking service rounding off the other qualities of Engadini's quality product. Engadini has repeatedly shown its capacity to tackle large and prestigious international, regional and national projects. The company's portfolio extends through landscaping and interior decorating.
Over the years, Grant has won national and international awards for his creations. While the company has achieved rapid growth and international distinction, it has resolutely retained its contact with smaller clients in its home city of Pretoria. Thus, in a typical week, grant is happy to find himself dealing with a glitzy five-star hotel in Tanzania one day, subtly rearranging the natural beauty of a game farm lodge the next and then flying home to supervise the finishing touches to a small Japanese garden in an Eastern suburbs townhouse. It is this combination of technical expertise, passion and versatility that will make Engadini your partner in creating a dream environment. |
