Neville Trickett and his wife Sharon are people who, upon discovering, I became instantly fascinated with. I first read about them on one of my favorite blogs, sfgirlbybay (more than 15 years ago). It helps that they have traveled widely, that they live in Dargle, Kwazulu-Natal South Africa, Neville works in fashion and writes a super interesting blog (the Saint Verde Digest) and together they have owned multiple botanically inspired boutiques – including one that was bought and moved in its entirely (fixtures and all) to Liberty London (my most favorite shopping place in the whole world, ever).
The Trickett’s succulent garden appears to have evolved since these shots were originally taken – but I am actually drawn to the lack of pretense and honesty in these shots.
As I was resurfacing this post (that was originally from 2009) I just took a very enjoyable trip through Neville’s Flickr feed. (also not updated since 2009). But interestingly, the age just doesn’t matter – I found about a hundred pictures of timeless objects, fabrics, and general ephemera that instantly made me feel a kinship to another designer – even though we have never met. I’m always a sucker for seeing the fabulous inspirational images of a designer.
Sharon’s plant collection and their photos of it are also utterly fascinating to me. This garden is so charming in its complete imperfectness. It is messy and a little wild, filled with an overwhelming collection of succulents, cacti, and desert plants. It oozes style and taste but is as un-ostentatious and relaxed as you can get.
What is your favorite thing about it?
I like the chandelier in the greenhouse and the locker storage for pots.
Neville and Sharon Trickett’s home and garden were featured in Architectural Digest—it is worth a click.
You can rent it through Perfect Hideaways.
Also, here is a fun interview with Neville.
And lastly – Follow Neville on Instagram.