With Miria Harris and Humaira Ikram
This full-day interactive workshop will explore the rich traditions of Islamic Garden design through the lens of William Morris’s ideas on community, socialism, and craftsmanship. Participants will engage in discussions, presentations, and hands-on design activities to reimagine a “Paradise Garden” for contemporary urban spaces.
This workshop is open to all adults with an interest in garden design. No experience necessary. FREE event. Use the booking button to reserve your place.
Part of the William Morris & Art from the Islamic World events and activities programme.
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
Morning session (9.30am to 12.30pm):
- Welcome, tea & coffee
- Guided gallery walk and discussion on William Morris’s connection to Islamic gardens
- Presentation on the principles and significance of Islamic Garden design
- Design masterclass covering foundational principles and techniques
- Introduction to the design brief
Lunch break (12.30pm to 1.30pm):
- Lunch is not provided but you are welcome to bring a packed lunch
- Deeney’s Cafe at the Gallery will be open
Afternoon session (1.30pm to 4pm):
- Hands-on garden design workshop using various creative materials
- Discussion on next steps and potential applications of the designs
An introduction to the workshop and opportunity to sign up to join will also be shared at the Leyton Boundary Garden spring opening on Saturday 1 March from 10am to 2pm: Leyton Boundary Garden, 6B Brewster Road, London E10 6RG.
About the designers:
Miria Harris is an RHS Chelsea Flower Show award-winning landscape designer. Her studio is based in east London where it undertakes a wide range of public and residential projects across the UK and internationally.
Ever conscious of making new things in a world where we produce and consume so much, the studio advocates for organic principles and looks to integrate and implement a circular ethos – often favouring moving and reusing materials and plants with integrity and character. Sensitive low environmental impact choices are always prioritised, ensuring that the hidden infrastructure is sufficiently robust to future-proof new designs.
Projects include contemporary reimagining of historical gardens for listed buildings, family and wildlife-friendly gardens in urban and rural settings and large-scale public planting schemes. Collaboration is at the heart of studio’s creative process. Working closely with architects, artisans, fabricators and suppliers, the ambition is always to seek out new and inventive ways to bring designs to life. Miria Harris’s studio has worked with a number of celebrated architects and interior designers including Ilse Crawford, Julian Harrap, Morrisstudio and Sergison Bates.
In 2024, Miria’s main avenue show garden in support of the Stroke Association was presented at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. This garden was redesigned and installed the same year as a permanent garden for the Stroke Unit of Chapel Allerton Hospital. In addition to this her work has been shortlisted for a number of awards over the years including a prestigious Society of Garden Designers 2025 for sustainable design. The studio was also an integral part of the design team for Sergison Bates’ Lavender Hill Courtyard Housing project which in 2023 was awarded a RIBA London Award, National Award and was shortlisted for a Stirling Prize.
Humaira Ikram has been working as a professional Garden Designer at Studio Ikram for over 10 years and specialises in client focused landscapes, which are pollinator friendly and as sustainable as possible.
She runs the Garden Design Diploma at the KLC School of Design and has curated a course that values the importance of creativity, visual representation, technology and the environment as well as design and planting principles and horticultural. Over the last few years she has cultivated a special interest in collaborating on show gardens and other planting projects.
She is currently a regular contributor on BBC Gardeners Question Time on Radio 4, has been a Guest Judge on the Netflix Series The Big Flower Fight, is a Gardens Advisor to RHS Hyde Hall and is on various selection and advisory panels for the RHS.
In her previous life, she read Environmental Science at Kings College, London and worked for Reuters, before retraining as a Garden Designer.
Image: Apple wallpaper, William Morris, designed 1877
