Meet the Maker: Sean Pritchard
Sean A. Pritchard is a garden designer, author and creative director with a garden design studio based in London and Somerset. After a career in fine art and brand strategy, he graduated with Distinction from the Garden Design School in Bristol and has since designed show gardens at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival and The ODD Pavilion at the 2025 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
His books, Outside In and Atmosfloric, explore the relationship between gardens, flowers, colour and the home.
Here, Sean reflects on the inspiration behind Atmosfloric, the emotional power of colour, and why reconnecting with nature through flowers and gardens feels more relevant than ever.
1. What inspired you to write Atmosfloric?
Atmosfloric was a natural progression, I think, from my first book Outside In. Where Outside In focussed more broadly on the idea of displaying what you grow in the garden, Atmosfloric is more of a detailed exploration of the ways in which what we display moves us and affects our mood, specifically through colour. In this book, I was also interested in the idea of visiting other people’s worlds – the homes and gardens of interesting and idiosyncratic creatives. I think the windows into the ways in which they use colour is perhaps my favourite aspect of the book; we all see colour, pattern and texture differently and, to me, it’s so fascinating how one person’s view of the world differs from another.
2. Why do you think people are increasingly drawn to reconnect with nature through floristry and gardening?
I don’t necessarily think it’s a new phenomenon; people have always looked for ways in which to connect more deeply with the world around them, and the garden and flowers have always been a major source of inspiration for artists and designers throughout art history. What is clearly different nowadays is the inescapable pull that our digital lives have on our time and the connection we have to the world outside our front door. I’m not someone that thinks technology and progress is always something to be derided – it brings so many benefits to daily life – but I do get a sense that as we are drawn deeper into a world seen through screens and fed to us by algorithms, there is a certain yearning for something more honest and tangible, something we can feel and experience for ourselves. Our gardens and the flowers we take from them offer that escape; they are places and objects to become lost in, private realms that we cultivate just for ourselves. I certainly switch off and allow myself to be taken somewhere different in my mind when I’m in the garden or putting together a display of flowers in the house.
3. Atmosfloric is a beautiful balance of photography and ecology. Could you describe the process of bringing the book to life?
Colour in the garden is a subject that has been widely written about, but I wanted to tell the emotional story of colour, the ways in which it moves us. It was important to me that the book was grounded in the science and the theory of colour without it becoming lost in the technical detail. As with anything creative, once you understand the ‘rules’, they are there to be broken, and it is this idea of rebellion that I suppose has always driven everything I do with the garden and flowers. I’m always more interested in something personal and imperfect than something manicured and conventionally accurate. I suppose the process started with me really considering what colour means to me and how it affects my mood in day-to-day life; the things I take from colour, the way I use it to elevate the everyday. Once I was sure in my mind of my own approach to colour, my attention then turned to other creatives and that’s really how the other people and spaces ended up in the book – I wanted to share their stories, investigate colour through a wider lens.
4. How has working so closely with flowers shaped your understanding of seasonality?
Working with flowers has taught me patience. I am not naturally a patient person, but following seasons and embracing their rise and decline has allowed me to find a certain satisfaction in the slow evolution of the natural world. It is probably the only area of my life where I feel satisfied and content with a slower pace; in that respect, gardens and flowers really are a kind of meditation to me.
5. What excites you most about the future of sustainable floristry?
Most exciting for me is how the idea of sustainable flowers that has been developing in the UK over the past few years is starting to filter into other European countries. On trips to Italy and France recently – who are still someway behind us in this regard – I met with local flower farmers who are championing the idea in their areas.
Atmosfloric- Sean A. Pritchard in conversation with Lizzie Metcalfe
FRIDAY 10th JULY 2026, 10:00 - 13:00
Join us at Thyme this July to celebrate the launch of Atmosfloric: Flower Colour in Home and Garden, the much-anticipated new book by garden designer Sean A. Pritchard. In conversation with writer and editor Elizabeth Metcalfe, Sean will explore the ideas behind the book, his enduring fascination with colour, and the ways flowers can transform both gardens and interiors.
In gardens and cut-flower displays alike, colour is the most powerful element. Unlike the fixed palettes of our interiors, garden colour is ever-changing, inviting experimentation throughout the seasons. In Atmosfloric, Sean explores this relationship through three mood-based chapters, sharing favourite flowers to grow, planting ideas and creative ways to display them. Illustrated with Sean’s own photography, the book also features celebrated gardens and interiors across England and France, including Charleston Farmhouse, Kettle's Yard and other iconic homes.
Following the discussion, there will be time for an audience Q&A and a book signing.