A Courtyard Built on Quiet Foundations
Photography by James McDonald & Milo Brown
The Munder Skiles Courtyard at WOW!house 2026, designed by Richard Miers, is an enclosed space of aged, patinated stone, conceived as a quiet sanctuary where footsteps fade and the day softens into evening.
Miers describes the courtyard as a synthesis of accumulated memories, drawn from years of visiting historic estates and landscapes. The result is a sense of curated seclusion, classical in structure yet contemporary in its craftsmanship. Multi stem London plane trees rise from sculptural willow planters, a finely worked water feature sits at the heart of the space and patinated walls carry botanical bas reliefs that reference classical garden architecture.
The floor had a particular job to do. It needed to feel as though it had always been there.
For this, Miers chose our Vieux Bourgogne Seasoned limestone, hand selected to replicate old, reclaimed floors, the kind worn smooth by generations of use. Its soft cream tone settles into the garden's natural palette rather than competing with it, and the seasoned finish carries the warmth and gentle irregularity of stone that has been lived on. Look closely and the surface rewards attention, with natural fossil detailing and a subtle shift in tone from one piece to the next.
"Ca' Pietra stone flooring has long been a trusted choice across my projects and was an immediate consideration for this courtyard," says Miers. "Its timeless character, natural fossil detailing, and subtle tonal variation bring both solidity and quiet interest to the space, helping to create a refined and peaceful atmosphere."
That balance, between solidity and quiet interest, is what the floor brings to the whole design. Limestone has been used in courtyards and cloisters for centuries because it grounds a space without demanding to be noticed. Here it does exactly that, holding the planting, the furniture and the changing light in calm relation to one another.
A garden like this is never really about a single material. Even so, the floor is the element every visitor stands on, and it sets the tone for everything above it. In Bourgogne Seasoned, the courtyard found a foundation with the character of age and the quiet the design always intended.
About Richard Miers
Richard Miers, a member of the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers and named one of the Top 20 Finest Garden Designers by Country & Townhouse Magazine, is renowned for integrating classical principles with contemporary elegance.
Richard has designed gardens for The Gardening World Cup in Japan, the House & Garden Fair and Festivals, and he won the People’s Choice Award at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Best in Show at Suzhou Flower Show, China. Richard Miers’s designs are classically contemporary, balancing proportion, geometry and refined planting to create immersive gardens that rejuvenate and inspire.
Collaborating with architects, designers, and crafts people, he creates timelessly elegant spaces from courtyards to country estates, which become a natural extension of the home.
Visit WOW!house 2026
WOW!house takes place at the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, bringing together leading designers and brands to create a house of immersive interiors.
Tickets and event information can be found here.
We look forward to welcoming you inside.