There’s something in the bushes: Enea

The faster our world turns and the more complex its challenges become, the greater our longing becomes for the simplicity and tranquility of nature. For a place where we can get some fresh air, breathe deeply and find ourselves again. To do this, we walk amongst trees and through parks, float over lakes or simply open the patio door and step outside – into our own piece of nature outside.

The aesthetic design of parks and outdoor spaces has been part of our cultural story since ancient times, and it was not for nothing that it was established as an art form in the baroque era. After all, nature serves us not only as a recreational retreat, but also as an inspiring ideal – in many different ways and from various perspectives.

For more than 25 years, Enea has been celebrating the beauty of nature, in both private and public spaces. Founded in 1993 by industrial designer and landscape architect Enzo Enea – who expanded his father's garden decoration company – Enea is now one of the world's leading landscape architecture companies with offices in Rapperswil, Zurich, Miami and New York and an interdisciplinary team from over ten countries.

The creative concept of the award-winning founder follows our desire to intuitively blend inside and out, to create a natural scope of activity and a more conscious being in harmony with nature – a philosophy that today more than ever fits the spirit of the times.

These Swiss landscape artists take on the complex design and realisation of terraces and gardens in a holistic way – from the planning and construction phase, including the installation of irrigation and lighting systems, to exquisite furnishing and garden maintenance.

Thanks to this extensive know-how, Enea has designed a multi-faceted portfolio of private gardens, restaurant and hotel complexes, holiday resorts and public parks all over the world.

Every corner of the garden space is composed down to the last detail. From the terrace to the pergola to the appropriate plants and their different colours and formations. Even the furniture is precisely matched to the exterior design.

Enea Outside In – the two concept stores in Zurich and Rapperswil-Jona – offer a first impression of this subtly orchestrated interplay, presenting exclusive collections for outdoors and indoors, as well as a limited selection of unique, high-quality pieces.

But Outside In is more than just the name of a showroom. Here, the mission can be experienced in all dimensions, as living spaces of the highest standards are created from open space. Some of the curated brands available here, as well as products developed in-house, can also be found at selected partners in the luxury sector.

But for furniture to work in the first place, it first needs the right floor beneath it, one which combines quality, craftsmanship, refinement and durability. Indoors, Enea recommends special long and wide oak floorboards, ones that flow seamlessly into the open.

Outside, the Alignum terrace and pool deck modular flooring systems serve as a sure-footed and sustainable base. This is because the precision system doesn’t consist of solid wood alone, but rather also a supporting frame made of 100% recycled aluminium, which, consequently, also minimises wood consumption.

In order to enjoy being outside even on hot sunny days, Enea offers not only trees, but also parasols of the highest quality. Powerbrella and Cantilever create the right balance between design and functionality, as the self-opening mechanisms of these airy umbrellas – made of FSC-certified wood – work with just a light touch.

Those who prefer to find their shade beneath a real tree will be spoilt for choice at Arboretum, the Enea Tree Museum near the Zurich Obersee. On this 75,000m2 site, home to over 50 trees of 25 species, Enzo Enea has, for the first time, realised his vision of combining landscape, botany, architecture, art and design.

And the fact that some of the trees are over 100 years old only serves to remind us of timelessness of the natural world.

© Architonic