A time for renewal

This month, we raise a glass to Them Outdoors.

I promised you another birthday celebration this month and here it is: February marks one whole year of Them Outdoors. Hooray! And what a year it has been.

To the uninitiated: Them Outdoors is an online gallery of original, design-led furniture, sculpture and planters - for gardens.

The collection features work by British artists and craftspeople who’s creative practices traverse a kaleidoscope of materials and processes - cleft oak, shells, aluminium, steel, bronze and clay to name a few. Read on to hear more about this exciting new venture, and how it’s increasingly complementing my garden design practice.

And… if you keep scrolling to the end you’ll also see the small but beautiful splashes of colour beginning to emerge in our garden in South West Wiltshire.

Thanks for reading, and see you in March.

Tabi x

GARDEN FURNITURE, SCULPTURE+ PLANTERS

ONE YEAR OF THEM OUTDOORS

Sheep Benches by Fred Clark, one in a terracotta finish and one in charcoal, available exclusively through Them Outdoors Photography by Sarah Frances Kelley at Bonni HQ.

My boyfriend Tim and I set up Them Outdoors together: his background being in tech and more recently furniture making, mine in writing and design. It was 2023 when we started discussing the initial concept - and we officially launched last February.

Them Outdoors has had an amazing reception from the press, the gallery featured twice in the FT, House & Garden and House & Homes and also reached audiences via TAT London, Sunday Times Style and ELLE Decoration.

Another growing arm of the business which I’m really enjoying is developing new pieces for my own garden design clients, working on bespoke commissions with Them Outdoors artists. Garden-making is even more interesting when I’m collaborating with other designers and makers.

We are now slowly growing the collection with some exciting new launches planned for this spring. Please follow along if you like the sound of it - Instagram here and newsletter signup here.

And, we have an exhibition this May in an historical central London garden - which I will share more details of soon. It would be wonderful to see you there.

Cleft Oak Planters, the result of a design collaboration between craftsman Jack Ritson and me, available exclusively through Them Outdoors. Photography by Ash James at Berdoulat, Bath.

IN MY OWN GARDEN…

IRIS RETICULATA

THE BRIGHTEST BLUE

I would love to tell you I knew exactly which bulbs I had planted where; but my garden note-taking is ill-disciplined, and I played a good game of tetris when placing the pots to find the perfect arrangement. So I will have to wait with anticipation for each plant to reveal itself to me: first up, these Iris reticulata ‘Clairette’ from Peter Nyssen.

ETERNAL SUNSHINE

PRIMULA VULGARIS

Primula vulgaris is our native primrose and it can be a sign of ancient woodland. Our exposed and decidedly lacking in trees walled garden could not be further from woodland these days but these incredibly charming plants are extremely happy here, and I’m very happy to see them pop up wherever they fancy.

A FIRST WINTER FOR OUR GRASSES

TIME FOR THE CHOP

Last spring I planted fifteen Calamagrostis brachytrycha to our front garden, to introduce some rhythm and structure. They have kept me company all winter; their tall, blonde and fluffy flowerheads reflecting the occasional bit of low light. Despite the non-stop rain they are still looking rather fantastic, and I am loathe to cut them back, but alas. It is time for renewal.

TABI JACKSON GEE