Landscape architect Piet Blanckaert champions style and innovation
Belgian landscape architect Piet Blanckaert is the go-to expert for those looking to imbue private gardens, hotel grounds, industrial installations or sculpture gardens with distinctive character. Whether luxurious or understated, his designs are always infused with elegance and style. Blanckaert has built a formidable reputation for himself, securing prestigious commissions both in Belgium and internationally.
Born in Bruges in 1955, Blanckaert’s early years were marked by an incident that proved fortuitous. As a child, he received a mild reprimand from his father, who instructed him to research every item in his African art collection. What began as a punishment eventually sparked a lifelong passion for art, culminating in Blanckaert later opening an ethnographic art gallery. However, his true calling emerged after graduation, when he decided to devote himself fully to landscape architecture, beginning in 1979. Operating from his independent studio, Piet Blanckaert Landscape Design in Bruges, Blanckaert has crafted extraordinary spaces for over four decades that leave his clients in awe of their beauty.
Some of his 30 or so own designs in and around Bruges are influenced by the landscape elements characteristic of a traditional English garden. These include artful topiary, sweeping curves, long mixed borders, wild meadows, floral abundance, yew hedges, terraces and varying heights. His affinity for these elements speaks to his deep passion for garden design. Yet he views his work as part of a broader artistic vision, blending cultural influences from Belgium, the Netherlands, France, England, Italy and even Japan’s minimalist garden traditions. He continues to adapt to his clients' evolving tastes and the changing seasons, always striving to create spaces that are not necessarily perfect, but undoubtedly the most enjoyable. Lately, nature has expressed itself by regularly portraying water, subtly or exquisitely, to the point of dramatisation.
What does Piet Blanckaert consider to be his showpiece? The Flanders Fields Memorial Garden located near Buckingham Palace in London. This poignant circular garden was created with soil gathered by hundreds of Belgian schoolchildren from various military cemeteries. The memorial, which honours the British soldiers who fell in World War I, was visited by Queen Elizabeth II and King Philippe in 2014. Blanckaert's exceptional designs can also be found across Europe and beyond, with notable projects in the Netherlands, France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Greece and Morocco. In many of these gardens, there are two main themes: underlining invisible lines and marking the location with strong gestures.
Photo: Jean-Pierre Gabriel