Chris Harrington’s Signature Outdoor Living Rooms – ‘Rooms Without Roofs’

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With 20 years in the landscape industry, Chris Harrington has seamlessly merged contemporary living with Mother Nature through his design company, Harrington Porter.

Specialising in creating signature outdoor living rooms – ‘rooms without roofs’ – Chris has transformed urban spaces into lush, green retreats in the heart of the city.

From maintaining London gardens to establishing a design studio in Fulham and earning recognition from the Society of Garden Designers in 2016, his journey has drawn on a blend of expertise and artistic design.

Join us as Chris shares insight into his learnings and design practices.

Please note that imagery in this interview was provided with permission by Chris Harrington.

What motivated you to establish Harrington Porter, and what were the initial hurdles in setting up your own practice?

“I came from an artistic background and studied Art at school and college,” shares Chris.

“I started a degree in Design which I didn’t end up completing because of the challenges with finding employment in the design arena – I didn’t really know where illustration would be able to take me.

“In addition to that, I had always worked on building sites through my teenage years and into university. Then, when I realised that pursuing an academic qualification in design would be a waste for me, I started a career in building.

“I began building for a Garden Designer and did all the practical work. Very quickly after that, I started my own business because it became apparent that landscaping was a wonderful combination of the manual labour I was already doing and the design aspects I loved.

“It was also great for me due to the client-facing part of the job as well as the variety the position allows for day-to-day. I was and still am passionate about what we were trying to sell and found that it all happened really quickly. I felt like I was really lucky, especially after leaving my degree the way I did.”

How has your approach to garden design evolved over your 20-year career?

“Experience counts for everything,” he says.

“That’s the number one thing, especially with the building side of things. When I first got into it, there wasn’t this huge source of information out there like we have nowadays with the internet.

“All of that information was in people’s heads. The gardening industry wasn’t that big and we certainly didn’t have connections with each other as we do today. I was sort of on my own.

“My approach has evolved with all of the information that has gradually become mainstream. I’m now the product of everything around me now!”

What Are Some Of The Unique Challenges And Opportunities Presented By Designing City Gardens, And How Do You Navigate Them?

“There are all of the logistical problems that London has, which include parking, access through people’s houses, where to put skips, issues with neighbours and boundary heights.

“I’ve learnt to just communicate with everyone through experience to mitigate those things. London offers lots of opportunities, as there are lots of clients and houses. Word of mouth is great there, which perpetuates more work.”

What Are Some Common Mistakes That Novice Gardeners Make And How Can They Avoid Them?

“If I think back to when I first started designing, I sometimes would get overwhelmed by the amount of choice out there,” Chris admits.

“The tip is to try not to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information when starting out. The reason that I don’t find it hard anymore is just because instinctively I feel like I know what works best now because of my experience [with] the materials.

“For a novice, there has to be an understanding that you can’t do everything in a garden. You have to choose a handful of ideas that you like and stay away from cramming everything in. Good design is simplicity and you can see that everywhere you look.”

What steps would you recommend for someone looking to turn their passion for gardening into a career in garden design?

“You’ve got to think about what bit of it you want to be doing,” he recommends.

“As I said, I felt quite fortunate that all of it just sort of happened for me and I ended up doing what I loved. It’s about trying to hone in on what part you like.

“It’s understanding specifically what roles are out there and trying to get experience of that. The number one thing is practical experience. That has been the biggest aid for me in my career.”

How do you foresee the future of garden design, particularly in urban settings, and how are you adapting to these anticipated trends?

“Where does it go next is the big question. I clocked the focus on lifestyle about 15 years ago with the outdoor kitchens, fire pits and dining areas rising to prominence, which is exactly where city design has gone.

“We tailored our design practices to this and enhanced it with beautiful planting. That box has been ticked, but there is definitely an increasing return to planting, as there is a general feel that we have a responsibility to maintain gardens and not turn to pouring concrete everywhere.

“We want our spaces to be green, which feels vital in the city.”

What’s next for you?

“The next thing for me is to focus on what it means to do a truly great design,” shares Chris.

“We’ve done so many amazing gardens, but I want to be involved in some really cool projects, so that means finding the right clients with a good budget, which also means evolving my marketing strategy.

“The competition is pretty strong these days, but we’ve carved ourselves a really strong spot within the industry and we’re working on some really exciting projects at the moment. More great projects and continuous evolvement – that’s the plan!”