I’m fortunate enough to have travelled the world with my work as a sculptor, and indeed been lucky enough to visit truly extraordinary private gardens of all shapes and sizes, influenced by different cultures, climates and space constraints.

If there is one lesson I’ve learned, it’s the importance of getting all the elements of your garden working in harmony. How ever you select and position art in your garden, it’s vital for the piece to have a relationship with its environment and to have a sense of purpose.

Dark Planet is made from hundreds of irregular black puddle stones, fixed together to form a unified whole

Having just come back from setting up my new rooftop exhibition garden in Manhattan to what can only be described as a quintessentially English spring day, I am yet again reminded how lucky we are in British cities to have the amount of green spaces – and indeed private gardens – that we do.

That said, we don’t always take the time to fully appreciate the relationship between urban living and the therapeutic influence of green spaces, however compact.

City gardens are by their very nature an extension of the home and form an invaluable living space. They allow us to reconnect with the fundamentals and re-charge our depleted energies in this natural nurturing environment.

The Fire Chalice is a water feature in stainless steel which marries the classical elements of fire and water

I have, over the years, been commissioned to create site specific sculptures and water features for many urban garden settings. These art pieces act as a focal point in the garden – a talisman giving meaning and setting the mood. At times highly contemporary – with sophisticated mirrored surfaces and crisp, clean lines – and at others, subtle and organic.

When choosing art for your garden, you need to decide what kind of statement you want to make. Is it bold and defiant? Or something more gentle that mimics and harmonises with its leafy neighbours?

Inspired by the reflective facets of a cut diamond, the fragmented, mirrored surface of the Iris Torus emulates the iris of an eye

I see my sculptures as acting in harmony with their environment – reflecting, distorting and disguising – but always paying homage the true talent that surrounds us: that of nature. For me, the abiding importance of the sculpture is to embellish its environment, to entertain, beguile and remind the onlooker that an investment – emotional, aesthetic and financial – have been made.

A well-considered sculpture, created with passion and integrity, can form the jewel in the crown of a garden, irrespective of its size or format. It will serve to extend the property by adding a sense of value and purpose to the outside space. The garden becomes a gallery where we are encouraged to take a moment of aesthetic pleasure in our otherwise frenetic lives.

RHS Chelsea 2019

David Harber and Savills are joining forces once again to sponsor a Show Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The garden, by renowned garden designer Andrew Duff, is a celebration of the environmental benefit and beauty of trees, plants and grass in urban spaces. The garden seeks to create a beautiful, sustainable woodland clearing in a city garden.

Further information

Contact David Harber