Malene visited our exhibition in Denmark on a dark and cold December day in 2024. She was curious about the living willow art. She had discovered our website and was intrigued by what she saw.
During her visit, she shared that she and her wife, Pep, had been building a house in Surrey Hills. Tragically, Pep had recently passed away from cancer, and Malene was now completing their magnificent home on her own.
The house was designed around a Nordic theme. Every architectural element and interior detail was carefully chosen with a focus on design, sustainability, and harmony — all beautifully wrapped around the Nordic vision.
After a walk through our exhibition area — and a warm cup of coffee — Malene made up her mind. A version of The Living Umbrella® with uplighting would become the focal point of her garden, symbolising life and honouring Pep’s memory.
In keeping with the house’s Nordic inspiration, Malene named the willow sculpture Yggdrasil. It is the immense and sacred tree from Norse mythology, also known as the Tree of Life. The sculpture stands two metres tall, woven from Salix fragilis ‘Belgian Red’.
To complement Yggdrasil (The Living Umbrella®), Malene chose to line the driveway with 15 Sif willow sculptures, each with integrated uplighting. These are the only “trees” in the garden, standing 180 cm tall and woven from Salix purpurea × daphnoides, also known as “bleu.”
The rest of the garden surrounding the house is designed as natural meadowland.
Featured in a Grand Designs episode
Pep and Malene’s remarkable project was documented by a Channel 4 film crew and is now featured in an episode of Grand Designs. Throughout the process, the crew followed the building of the house — and the creation of the garden. On a very hot day in May, Heinrich planted The Living Umbrella® in front of the house, along with the 15 Sif sculptures lining the driveway, while Channel 4 captured it all on film.
You can watch this Grand Designs episode on Channel 4.
(Please note: Channel 4 streaming is only available in the UK and Republic of Ireland.)
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