Garden design with flair

Countess Bettina Bernadotte, Managing Director of Mainau GmbH, talks about her family’s legacy on Mainau Island.

As Managing Director of Mainau GmbH, Countess Bettina Bernadotte is working to secure the future success of the family’s estate on Mainau Island in Lake Constance. Her main priority here is not just to nurture a botanical work of art, but to create a place where people can come to relax, slow down and be inspired by nature.

A HORTICULTURAL TRADITION

The link between house and garden plays a central role for Countess Bettina Bernadotte. Her father, Count Gustaf Lennart Nicolaus Paul Bernadotte, recognised the significance of garden culture for a better quality of life. Since the 1930s, the family has transformed the once overgrown park on Mainau Island into a wonderful Garden of Eden. She refers to it as “nature’s cinema” – where the seasons are reflected in the changes in light, plants and water, allowing you to truly unwind.

DESIGNING YOUR OWN “NATURE’S CINEMA”

For homebuilders who would like to design their own garden, Countess Bettina Bernadotte recommends carefully analysing the terrain and designing it mindfully with a focus on nature, while incorporating your personal needs and preferences. The choice of materials and plants is also important to create a garden that is harmonious and sustainable.

Individually designed gardens

House graylings

House Liming

House long

House brunt

House woloszczuk

House Clifton

COUNTESS BETTINA BERNADOTTE’S GARDENING PHILOSOPHY

Born in Switzerland with Swedish and Luxembourg noble titles and international experience under, Countess Bettina Bernadotte brings an appreciation of international elegance to horticulture. She emphasises that gardens should contain references to other cultural spheres, reflecting their location and climate zone. In large parks like Mainau Island it is important to create intimate, cosy spaces. Plants can contribute to this by providing spaces and setting boundaries, as well as creating transparency and opening up vistas.

DESIGNING SUSTAINABLE HABITATS

Living spaces that are designed sustainably and holistically can forge a connection between humans and nature, as well as protecting the environment and promoting biodiversity. Beautiful gardens allow us to enjoy the diversity of nature and inspire us to make a contribution to protecting our planet. Baufritz incorporates this idea in its sustainable approach to building. We want to build healthy homes that are good for people and for nature.

How does Baufritz apply the principle of sustainability?

Sustainability at Baufritz

Countess Bettina Bernadotte now lives with her family in an urban environment in Constance. She enjoys spending time between the town and the countryside and emphasises the significance of diversity and designing spaces in which you can relax. In the city this might be a balcony, a small garden or a community garden, while in the countryside there is more open space available. The pandemic has reinforced people’s desire to live in harmony with nature. There is a greater focus on nature and gardens, and it has become more important to be active outdoors. During the pandemic, people spent more time in their garden, looking after plants and enjoying the success of their endeavours.