The best gardens create a sense of belonging: for the people who live with them, and with the world around them.
A garden is an extension of home: not a separate space but a continuation of how we want to live. Somewhere to enjoy time, notice the seasons, and connect with the world beyond our walls. Yet a garden is also part of a much wider landscape, shaped not only by the people who live with it, but by its setting, the environment and the passage of time.
Every place has its own character. Understanding that character is where good design begins. Working closely with my clients, I look at what is already there: its landscape and architecture, its natural rhythms, the interconnections that shape it, and the traces of what has come before. I get to know the people who will live with the garden and how they want to use it, exploring how their lives and the design of the space will inform one another.
This understanding unearths which relationships matter, what deserves to be revealed rather than replaced, and where change is needed. The design might be bold or understated, but every decision is grounded in a knowledge of the place and the people who will live with it.
The resulting spaces speak truth to their place in the world: gardens that feels rooted in their surroundings, responsive to their landscape, in harmony with the seasons, and deeply connected to everyday life. Joyful, sensitive, beautifully at home. Gardens that feel they belong.
ABOUT ELIZABETH ELLIS
I believe that great design transforms by understanding before intervening, by revealing rather than imposing, and by creating meaning rather than merely achieving beauty.
My approach to garden design is led by this philosophy: creative thinking, asking why before how, and understanding the relationships between people, place and experience—an approach honed over 20 years as an award-winning brand designer and consultant.
Having worked with some of the world’s leading brands and consultancies—and through co-founding the design practice, Counter Studio, and typographic workshop, The Counter Press—I understand the power of design in shaping the world around us and our experience of it—from the very biggest projects to the smallest details.
Bringing this same intelligence, rigour and creativity to garden design, I graduated from the London College of Garden Design with distinction in 2026, before founding Studio Elizabeth Ellis to continue this work.
Photo: Emma Lewis
OUR CLIENTS
From the largest to the smallest projects, we work with clients who are engaged with the natural environment and who care about creating outdoor spaces that will be cherished for years to come.
Based on between the beautiful and vibrant cities of Bath and Bristol, we are perfectly positioned to work on gardens and landscapes throughout the South West, and across the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Oxfordshire. But we’re not limited by geography, and are more than happy to discuss projects further afield.
