Country Life Stand

ADAM Partner George Saumarez Smith was invited to design Country Life’s stand at the 2026 Chelsea Flower Show, which they envisaged as a garden lover’s library, celebrating the heritage of Country Life by bringing together gardening, architecture and literary culture in a room inspired by the traditional English country house. It received a five-star trade stand award in recognition of the craftsmanship, creativity and collaboration behind the stand.

Given that drawing has always been central to the way in which George develops his designs, it seemed natural to enliven the elevations of the stand with hand drawings. These were expanded to life-size proportions and printed on linen by Watts 1874, specialists in historic fabrics and wallpapers. The soft blue-grey floral wallpaper is reminiscent of a coffered ceiling design and includes architectural elements and detailing as well as artworks and a trompe l’oeil window, and a hand drawn inscription running around the top of the three walls.

The hexagon pattern of the wallpaper was repeated in the floor, designed by George and created by British stone specialists Artorius Faber. Hexagons of blue-black Crawford limestone from southern Ireland were interspersed with triangles of grey-cream Taddington limestone from Derbyshire. Artorius Faber also realised George’s designs for the fireplace and obelisks.

The project had a personal resonance; George’s father, John Saumarez Smith, was a renowned bookseller and editor of the book review pages of Country Life in the 1980s and 90s. In recognition of one of the themes of the 2026 show, of recyclability and sustainability, many objects and items of furniture came from George’s home, including a bookcase he had designed years ago, which he filled with a personally curated collection of vintage gardening books. There was also a desk made for HMS Orion, which took part in the Battle of Trafalgar and was at one time captained by a distant relative. The plants which brought the stand to life were selected and potted up by Jane Kennerley.

Before the Chelsea Flower Show opened, George said: “I hope that anyone who loves books and gardens will recognise this library as belonging to a true garden lover, not just a serious gardener. My reference point is really Jane, my fiancée, who understands the natural world in an extraordinary way. It is a tribute to her, and to my affection for the worn English country house look. It is also a homage to my father, who spent his life in books.”