Introducing Kawauchi Rowe: A New Chapter for an Award-Winning Garden Design Practice
Today marks an exciting new chapter for our studio. Following more than 20 years of designing award-winning gardens and landscapes, the practice is evolving under the leadership of Tomoko Kawauchi, who is now at the helm of the studio she has helped shape for almost two decades.
To mark this new chapter, the practice is becoming Kawauchi Rowe Garden and Landscape Design.
The new name reflects both where we have come from and where we are going. It recognises the long-standing creative partnership between Charlotte Rowe and Tomoko, while marking the beginning of a new era in which Tomoko is leading the practice and developing its creative vision for the future.
This is not a departure from the foundations that have made the studio successful. It is an evolution – bringing together more than 20 years of experience, knowledge and expertise with a renewed perspective on how gardens and landscapes can be designed for the way we live today and for the future.
As founder, Charlotte Rowe remains an important part of the leadership of the practice as a close partner and collaborator to Tomoko. The transition represents a natural progression of the studio that Charlotte established in 2004 and that she and Tomoko have developed together over many years.
As Tomoko takes the practice forward, Kawauchi Rowe will continue to build on its established strengths while exploring new creative directions: combining strong architectural structure, generous planting and meticulous craftsmanship to create gardens that are purposeful, immersive and deeply connected to their setting.
From Charlotte Rowe Garden Design to Kawauchi Rowe Landscape and Garden Design
Charlotte established her garden design studio in 2004 following a significant change in career direction. Tomoko joined Charlotte in 2006. Over the years that followed, Charlotte and Tomoko worked closely together, developing a shared approach to garden design and establishing a distinctive design language that would become the hallmark of the practice.
The studio went on to receive widespread recognition, including a Gold Medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2014 for No Man’s Land, a Main Avenue show garden commemorating the centenary of the start of the First World War, alongside numerous industry awards and accolades.
Today, after more than 20 years and over 300 gardens, the practice is an established and highly experienced studio designing gardens and landscapes across London and the UK, from intimate town gardens and terraces to larger country landscapes.
A new chapter, rooted in experience
The launch ofKawauchi Rowe Garden and Landscape Designmarks an important moment in the evolution of the practice. Charlotte Rowe and Tomoko Kawauchi of Kawauchi Rowe in a Mediterranean-style show garden with a white arched pergola, a stone water feature and outdoor furniture.
It is a continuation of more than 20 years of experience, expertise and shared creative endeavour, combined with a renewed vision for the future. Under Tomoko’s leadership, the studio will continue to create gardens and landscapes that are carefully considered, beautifully crafted and deeply connected to their setting – places that balance architectural clarity with the richness and spontaneity of nature.
The first project to be unveiled under the new Kawauchi Rowe name was an award-winning stand for furniture company Nth Degree at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show – an exciting first step into this new chapter.
As the practice moves forward, our ambition remains simple: to create gardens that are not only beautiful, but meaningful. Landscapes that are purposeful and enduring, that invite people in, and that become more deeply rooted in their place and their lives over time.
This is Kawauchi Rowe. A new chapter, rooted in experience.