In the Garden With... Rachel Carvell-Spedding

Elevated design, a sense of ease and relaxed elegance are some of the reasons why Soto Gardens collaborated with Navygrey this summer. In the next instalment of In the Garden With.... we chat to their founder Rachel Carvell-Spedding about why she loves summer in the garden.

What makes an outside space feel like an extension of your home?

It's the ease. The sense that you can move seamlessly from indoors to out without needing to adjust who you are or how you feel. When a garden or terrace feels lived in – for me that’s textiles, well-worn furniture, a favourite mug and a jumper (of course) thrown over the back of a chair — it stops being a “space” and starts becoming a place. One where you read, eat, rest, gather. Or where the children cause chaos!

It’s less about perfection and more about permission - to be relaxed, to be yourself. Just like inside. 

What’s your favourite garden?

The garden I grew up with - until I was about ten - is still the one I think of most. I can only see it now in old photos, but I remember the feeling. The house was small, but the garden felt vast. There was a pond, a mix of trees and flowers, and even some woods at the back. It was real, generous, and slightly wild in the best way. It was also very much my dad’s space - he was Mr Outdoors. He’d take the Flymo and carve out little paths in the lawn. It was a garden that was lived in, cared for, and full of life.

I can’t go back to it now as we moved when I was 10 - but the garden I love most today is my in-laws’. It has a very similar feel to the one from my childhood but also one that has grapes, tomatoes, and figs, growing in abundance. They’re very green fingered. But above all, it’s real. It’s loved. And that, to me, is what makes a garden special - when it’s not for show, but for living in.

What are the key components of good design?

Good design begins with intention - it’s not just about how something looks, but how it makes you feel, how it works, and how long it lasts.

It’s about clarity - no unnecessary fuss and a quiet confidence in simplicity. But it’s also about care: the feel of a fabric, the weight of a button, the curve of a chair arm, or the balance of a room.

Good design considers the everyday - how something is used, touched, worn, or moved through. It respects the materials it’s made from, and the people who make it. Above all, it endures. It doesn’t chase attention. It quietly earns its place.