I pulled up to my new interior design workshop this week as my landscaping crew began building the wattle fencing, which I’ve been looking forward to seeing go up. We recently moved into our new space, and we’ve been busy unpacking and renovating. The latest project is the landscaping, specifically designing and building the wattle fencing. 

What is Wattle Fencing, You Ask? 

Now, I am not the biggest fan of fencing unless it serves an aesthetic purpose and helps define and enhance the outdoor space. Wattle fencing does just that. So, what is a wattle fence? 

 

Wattle fencing dates back to Neolithic times, and examples have been found from the Iron Age and Roman Empire. It’s a classic style of fencing that uses interwoven branches. They are typically accompanied by cairns or pillars of hand-stacked stone to define the edge of a property. The weaving technique resembles that of a basket weave, providing a rustic appearance while also having a stable construction. Wattle fencing can be seen along the English countryside, serving as garden enclosures and livestock pens. 

I find it to be delightfully charming, and the irregular woven edges are the perfect contrast to our straight-lined cinderblock building. However, it took me a while to come up with this unexpected design. 

 

Creating a Design Story for “The Workshop”

We’ve taken up residence in a 1955 structure that originally housed a stone-cutting business. I lovingly refer to it as “The Workshop.” It has a flat roof, cinderblock construction, and giant casement windows. It looks like a very charming retro auto body shop, and I absolutely adore it! However, the building’s straight lines are a bit austere, and the exterior needed some texture and curves to soften them. 

This new space for our Austin interior design firm is a huge change from our quaint little bungalow on 52nd Street. However, it has just as interesting a history. It started as a stone-cutting workshop in the ‘50s and eventually transitioned into a metal-cutting shop. Later, it housed a printmaker, and by the time I came across the property, it had been the offices of a sports marketing company. 

 

I intend to brand the building as The Highland Design Atelier. We’re located in the Highland neighborhood of Austin. We do design work. And the definition of atelier is “workshop,” which captures the beauty of the space through its storied history. 

 

Weaving Together Inspiration

When looking for design inspiration, I kept returning to this idea of work. We’re located in a very old part of Austin next to a long-lived muffler shop and other more industrial workshops. I love the idea of being amidst these trade spaces that repair and create interesting things. It’s vibrant and functional, which is all we aspire to be. 

I’d given the landscape plan some thought over the weeks and decided to emulate the look of a weavers’ workshop in the Cotswolds or some imagined carpentry shop in the Welsh countryside. I’m taking the spirit of The Workshop and drawing contrasting inspiration from the weavers of Scottish wool, blending the hard lines of our building with a much more rustic landscape inspired by journeys across the pond. 

 

To soften up this highly functional space, I asked my landscaper to bring in wattle fencing and cairns to mimic a more picturesque old-world look. After all, why can’t we have a bit of the English countryside here in Austin?  

 

A Texas Take on the English Countryside 

When designing a creative workspace, it is important to incorporate elements that inspire you. For me, that is the beautiful rolling hills of the English countryside. Of course, we’re not actually in the UK. So, we’re taking our own Texas take on the traditional wattle fence and country garden. 

 

Pulling into The Workshop, I saw the fencing guys contemplating how to make this waddle fence out of strips of Texas cedar. Cedar is not at all a supple and bendable material that a true wattle fence might be made of, so weaving the boards together presents a challenge.   

I got out of my car and waved to the fencing guys, asking, “Is this difficult to figure out?” with a big, sheepish smile on my face. Their response made it clear that what I had asked them for was indeed a challenge and not something they had done before. They replied, “Well, it’s not easy!” 

 

It may not have been easy, but it was a success! The wattle fence looks great. It is still too fresh to have the full effect. As it weathers with time, it will turn gray and wear beautifully. And the plantings we plan to incorporate will enhance the overall look and add much-needed texture. It will be a huge success! 

 

The next step is building cairns. When I explained to my landscaping team that I did not want a Texas-looking yard but a country workshop in old England where one might expect sheep to roam, they decided that instead of giving me boulders or large rocks to delineate parking areas, they were going to add cairns out of stacks of stones to mark off boundaries. It made me so happy to hear! I want folks to expect a fairy to poke its head out from around the side of the building.

 

Growing the Garden 

I am thrilled to see how the rest of our English country garden grows in. The Workshop is coming along nicely, but is far from done. My design process is slow and complex, and that is just the way I like it. So, there will be a few more updates before the finished product is revealed. 

 

Stay tuned; we have work to do!