Living Matter, a small independent landscape design company, is turning heads in the Cape Town landscape design scene. Their clean, contemporary design approach combined with their sense of community, ecological awareness and integrity have earned them recent recognition as one of the most promising urban landscape design companies in Cape Town.

From humble beginnings Living Matter has flourished as the brainchild of Cheral Kennedy, who left the fast track corporate world to pursue an inner calling to create outdoor spaces that provide a refuge from the chaos of everyday life, spaces that are infused with an aura of the magical and the serene. Her experience in the corporate world combined with an innate creative flair and passion for all things botanical make for an approach that’s not only innovative, but also practical and functional.

A recent project gave Living Matter the chance to give something back – the Noordhoek Farm Village Playground was in a state of disrepair and she dedicated her time and expertise to help refurbish the playground, making it a safer and more welcoming space for children to play. Cheral explains her motivation for this project: “It’s important for all of us to make the effort to be more involved in the upliftment of the communities we live in – we are all products of our environment and anything we can do to improve it, or the lives of the people we share it with, is something everyone benefits from.”

Another factor contributing to Living Matter’s success is their ‘green’ approach to their projects. In a recent column written for The Property Magazine Cheral bemoans the slow uptake of environmentally friendly solutions by the landscaping industry, “Urban gardens and commercial landscapes are unfortunately still monopolized with the use of wood from unsustainable forests, chemical fertilizers, electrical lighting and other non-recyclable, non-compostable materials.”

Living Matter encourages the use of green alternatives such as organic fertilizers, recycled or sustainable materials and solar-powered technologies. The use of natural water filters, like slow sand filtration and rhizofiltration, can reduce the electricity demands of water features and the inclusion of floating plants minimises surface evaporation, thereby reducing the need for unnecessary water top-ups. “Every little bit counts and we all have a responsibility, both personally and professionally, to our environment,” Cheral enthuses.

Living Matter also presents courses open to the public on garden design, from the basics to more advanced and specialized subjects such as Organic Gardening and Zen Landscapes. “Knowledge is power,” says Cheral, “and although many companies are tight-fisted about sharing their professional knowledge, Living Matter sees sharing their expertise as an opportunity to empower people and give them the opportunity to learn and grow.”