Four designers nominated for awards
Four designers nominated for environment design awards in South Africa, bringing expertise to the field of environment design.
The 2026 House & Garden South Africa Designer of the Year Awards has nominated four environment designers, each with distinct perspectives shaped by experience, place, and a deep understanding of the living environment. Hannes Stander, Carrie Latimer, Patrick Watson, and Tim Steyn are the nominees, bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise to environment design in South Africa.
Environment Designers
Hannes Stander is a prominent South African environment designer and co-founder of Ecozest, a premier creative studio. With nearly three decades of industry expertise, Stander’s signature aesthetic is deeply rooted in the scenic Garden Route, and his work has been widely celebrated in top-tier design publications.
Carrie Latimer, on the other hand, has redefined environment design by creating biodiverse, functioning ecosystems. Her designs are rooted in the belief that nature is timeless, and she collaborates closely with architects to ensure a seamless integration of architecture and environment.
Diverse Perspectives
Patrick Watson is one of South Africa’s most distinctive environment designers, with a career spanning over four decades and more than 200 gardens across Africa. Watson’s work ranges from intimate private gardens to major environments, and he combines extensive botanical knowledge with an intuitive, site-responsive approach.
Tim Steyn is a South African environment designer whose work spans high-end residential gardens, lodges, and golf courses across South Africa and internationally. Steyn’s portfolio includes gardens in Johannesburg, KwaZulu-Natal, and beyond, as well as work in Zimbabwe, Portugal, and the United States.
The nominees’ approaches may differ, but they all understand that successful environment design extends beyond aesthetics. It is about creating places that respond to their surroundings, evolve with time, and deepen the connection between people and nature. This understanding is reflected in their work, which showcases the breadth of contemporary environment design in South Africa.
From Hannes Stander’s nature-inspired compositions and Carrie Latimer’s biodiverse ecosystems to Patrick Watson’s decades of botanical expertise and Tim Steyn’s richly planted, site-responsive gardens, each has developed a distinctive relationship with the land.
