Secrets Of The Stars: Luciano Guibbilei

The gardens of international superstar Luciano Guibbilei are filled with great ideas both for people who love to work in gardens and for people who just love to look at them.

FREE & AMAZING | I’ve collected lots of garden design books over the years, and one of my all-time favourites is a 1971 black and white photo essay on Villa Gamberaia. I’ve never visited this surprisingly sculptural 17th century garden in Florence, and although I’d love to see it, I feel like Hungarian architect Balthazar Korab’s photographs already capture Gamberaia’s startlingly dramatic moods and educate me in ways no single visit ever could.

I pulled Korab’s book from the shelf recently when I realized that several of his photos had been used in Luciano Giubbilei’s 2010 picture book The Gardens of Luciano Giubbilei. Giubbilei, a garden design rock star in England who will be giving a FREE LECTURE in Vancouver on November 19, traces his passion for the style of gardens he makes to a stint in the trenches at Gamberaia and a gift of Korab’s book.

The Guibbilei Takeaway

Guibbilei’s gardens—primarily urban, wholly modernist and mostly on the small side—are in many ways a contemporary represent- ation of Villa Gamberaia’s baroque design ideals. All of them demonstrate a deep understanding of axis; a masterful balance of positive and negative space; and an appreciation for the power of light and shadow. Like Gamberaia, they use a design vocabulary comprised of a few simple elements (albeit luxurious and refined ones). These are all things anyone making a garden on a city deck or a rural acreage (and on any kind of budget) would benefit from knowing about. —Ron Rule (founder and head of the Certificate In Garden Design program at the University of B.C.)

On November 19 at 1:30 at UBC Robson Square, Luciano Guibbilei will  discuss how and why he designs gardens plus demonstrate how to create a unique design. Drop by UBC Robson Square for this lecture—it’s free.