As a themed entertainment designer I want to give guests the opportunity to learn about the “outside world” in a way that is fun and engaging. Gardens are a great opportunity to provide guests a direct, interactive way to explore stories in an educational setting. With this in mind, I picked the classical favorite children’s book known as “The Enchanted Castle” by Edith Nesbit. To explore the idea that gardens present an amazing opportunity to create new experiences, I produced many sketches and compositions. My final color designs, made in Adobe Photoshop, can be found below.
At the end of their journey, guests walk past the children of “The Enchanted Castle” who have temporarily turned themselves to stone until nightfall so that they may play with their nocturnal statue friends. The patterns wrapping the columns of the trellis are inspired by the original illustrations by H. R. Miller in the original novel. The garden's greeting center can be seen in the far background.
Elevations of the garden’s greeting center: guests’ first introduction to “The Enchanted Castle” story. The pattern of its pediment, enlarged in the lower left corner, contains some key figures from the original children’s story. The entrance fountain, enlarged in the lower right corner, holds aloft the source of all magic in the “Enchanted Castle,” the simple metal ring.
