The Expressive Work of John Sharp: Dreamy Gardens as Visual Compositions
As a disruptor in the landscaping industry, we’ve long been fans of John Sharp. His work transcends traditional landscaping, crafting dreamy, ethereal gardens that function as true visual compositions. With a fearless style and a disruptive yet poetic spirit, Sharp breathes life into any oasis, transforming them into sensory worlds that tell botanical stories.
His innovative approach has not only reimagined the outdoor spaces of historic homes designed by iconic architects like John Lautner and Richard Neutra but also created garden paradises for Hollywood celebrities.
With a practice that focuses on the dynamic use of outdoor space, expanding living areas from the indoors out, his designs incorporate elements such as pools, jacuzzis, saunas, ice baths, showers, and wellness areas, as well as dining spaces, edible gardens, chicken coops, and entertainment zones. Each project is a uniquely art-driven environment, emphasising sustainability, organic textures, and a deep integration with nature.
Sharp emerged as a pandemic-era breakout designer, transitioning from interior and spatial design to focus on exterior spaces. With a background in mixed media, sculpture, and event production, his work reflects a deep love for nature, regenerative systems, and poetic living.
In 2018, he founded Studio John Sharp in Venice Beach, California, “We work with nature to create a visual composition, designing drought-tolerant and water-conscious gardens for regeneration, wellness, play, dreaming, sustainability, relaxation, and entertainment,” says Sharp. “The goal of these outdoor classrooms is to build a reconnection with the natural world, understanding that we are all part of the greater ecosystem.”
Scroll on for some of our favourite projects from Studio John Sharp.
1) John Lautner’s Garcia House (Hollywood Hills)
Inspiration: "Imagining the landscape through a retro-future sci-fi lens-home for the spaceship, home as spaceship."
The project began as part of a major restoration of the property, which had been ongoing for ten years since its purchase in 2010. The owner sought to realise an original pool design by John Lautner that had never been built and to establish natural transitions to and from its location.
Plants Used: A variety of drought-tolerant, Jurassic, low-water specimens, including sculptural, layered, and colourful elements. For the shaded parts of the property, the team selected Australian tree ferns, aloe bainesii, red banana, philodendron, and monsteras. The sun-exposed sections featured a spectrum of desert varieties.
2) Richard Neutra’s Hailey House (Hollywood Hills)
Inspiration: Richard Neutra’s modernist architectural vision combined with the client’s desire for a world-oasis feeling.
This project began with an abundance of unused space, and the client was looking for a designer who could preserve the home's architectural integrity while developing a new environmental vision. The client wanted to establish an outdoor living area that included a dining area, a jacuzzi, an outdoor kitchen, a movie theatre, and fire pit.
Plants Used: Sharp created a meditative, jungle-esque environment, with monstera, philodendrons, bamboo layers, succulents, giant birds of paradise, Australian tree ferns, elephant ears, and Meyer lemons. The front section of the property featured a restrained, classically modernist design, while the back revealed a more transportive, otherworldly experience.
3) Gerald and Betty Ford Estate (Rancho Mirage)
Inspiration: The elegance, spark, and femininity of First Lady Betty Ford herself.
The modernist architecture of the house inspired a landscape design that contrasted seriousness with whimsy and sculpture. The client owned a collection of modernist architectural pottery, and Sharp sought to utilise these in creating a colourful, four-season botanical narrative.
Plants Used: The design incorporated mostly native desert specimens as a counterpoint to the existing Mediterranean palette of olives, palms, citrus, and roses. Structural cacti, yucca rostrata, barrel cactus, Mexican fence posts, and palos verde trees were introduced to add greater definition and identity.